Rules and Regulations
Senior 6 · English (Languages)
Rules and Regulations
Lesson 2 of 4
35 min
Let's begin
Every rule at school, from the uniform to the timetable, sits inside a much larger set of rules: the laws of the country. This lesson listens to a radio explainer on how a national law is made, then looks closely at the special English in which laws and regulations are written. Finally you will use what you learn to write a clear notice for a notice board, a text that must be official without being hard to read.
A radio script written for this lesson; the presenter and the guest are imagined. The facts on how laws are made follow the Parliament of Rwanda. While one student reads, the others draw the process as a flowchart.
PRESENTER: Good morning, and welcome to Know Your Law. This week a listener in Rusizi asks a simple question: where do laws actually come from? My guest is a lecturer in public law. Let's start at the very beginning.
GUEST: Thank you. Every law begins life as a draft, which we call a bill. In Rwanda a bill can be put forward by members of Parliament or by the Cabinet, which is to say the government.
PRESENTER: And once it has been put forward?
GUEST: Then it goes to Parliament, which has two chambers: the Chamber of Deputies and the Senate. The bill is first sent to a standing committee, a small group of deputies who examine it article by article, invite experts and sometimes hear from the public. After that it comes back to the full chamber, the plenary, where it is debated and voted on. Some kinds of law, for instance laws concerning the Constitution itself, must also be passed by the Senate.
PRESENTER: So a vote in Parliament, and then it's law?
GUEST: Not quite. Two more steps. The President of the Republic must promulgate it, that is, sign it into law. And then it must be published in the Official Gazette. A law that has not been published cannot be applied to anybody, because citizens have to be able to know it. The law usually states when it comes into force, very often on the date of publication.
PRESENTER: Which brings me to the old saying, "ignorance of the law is no excuse". Is that fair, when most people never read the Gazette?
GUEST: It's a fair question. The principle exists because otherwise anyone could escape a law simply by claiming not to know it. But it places a duty on the state as well: to publish laws, and to explain them. Programmes like this one are part of that duty.
PRESENTER: So, to recap: a bill, a committee, a vote, sometimes the Senate, the President's signature, and publication.
GUEST: Exactly. Six words, and a lot of work behind each one.
Definition
Key terms
Check your own flowchart against this one. Notice the process signposts you heard: first, after that, then, two more steps, to recap.
An invented school regulation, written in legal style for this lesson.
Article 7: Use of laboratory equipment
1. No student shall remove any item of laboratory equipment from the laboratory without the prior written authorisation of the laboratory technician.
2. A student who damages equipment shall report the damage to the teacher in charge forthwith.
3. Notwithstanding paragraph 1, equipment may be lent to a registered science club for a period not exceeding seven days, subject to the conditions laid down in Article 9.
4. Any authorisation granted under this Article shall be null and void if the conditions thereof are not respected.
| Feature | Example from Article 7 | Why lawyers use it |
|---|---|---|
| shall for obligation, may for permission | "No student shall remove …"; "equipment may be lent" | Marks a binding rule, as distinct from a prediction (will) |
| Repetition instead of pronouns | "equipment … equipment"; "A student who …" | Avoids any doubt about what it or they refers to |
| Long, precise noun phrases | "the prior written authorisation of the laboratory technician" | Packs every condition into the rule |
| Passive and impersonal forms | "Any authorisation granted under this Article" | Focuses on the action, not on who does it |
| Formal or archaic words | forthwith (immediately), notwithstanding (in spite of), thereof (of it) | Fixed meanings, established by long use in courts |
| Binomials | "null and void", "laid down" | Traditional pairs that cover every case |
| Cross-references and numbering | "subject to … Article 9" | Lets one rule limit or extend another precisely |
Worked example
From legal register to plain English
Legal: "Notwithstanding paragraph 1, equipment may be lent to a registered science club for a period not exceeding seven days, subject to the conditions laid down in Article 9."
Plain: "Although students may not normally take equipment out of the laboratory, a registered science club may borrow it for up to seven days, as long as it follows the rules in Article 9."
A notice is read standing up, in passing, often by someone in a hurry. It must answer the reader's questions in seconds: what, who, when, where, why, and what must I do?
| Part | Model |
|---|---|
| Name of the institution | GROUPE SCOLAIRE MURAMBI |
| The word NOTICE and a date | NOTICE (10 March 2027) |
| A clear title | LABORATORY CLOSED FOR SAFETY INSPECTION |
| Body: the essential facts | The chemistry laboratory will be closed from Monday 15 to Wednesday 17 March for its annual safety inspection. Practical lessons for S5 and S6 will take place in the physics laboratory during this period. |
| Action required | Students who have equipment on loan must return it to the laboratory technician by 4 p.m. on Friday 12 March. |
| Contact | Questions: the laboratory technician, Room B4. |
| Name, signature and position | (signed) K. Mukeshimana, Director of Studies |
An announcement carries the same information but is often spoken, for example at assembly. A spoken announcement repeats the key facts at the end ("Once again: the chemistry laboratory is closed from Monday to Wednesday"), because a listener cannot read back.
Tip
Make it scannable. Use capitals or bold for the title only, put dates and times in full ("Friday 12 March, 4 p.m."), keep sentences short, and use the passive where the doer does not matter ("Equipment must be returned …"). If it does not fit on one A4 sheet, it is not a notice.
Warning
Practice
Sources and credits
