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Dear
Mr. Yeung,
I would like to know the
difference between "sue" and "prosecute". As
I remember, my previous English teacher said that "sue"
is used in a civil case while "prosecute" is used in a
criminal case, ie."prosecute" is used by the government,
police or someone with authority only, is that true?
I have looked up the meaning of these two words in Cobuild English
Dictionary for Advanced Learners:Prosecute: If the authorities prosecute
someone, they charge them with a crime and put them on trial. Sue:
If you sue someone, you start a legal case against them, usually
in order to claim money from them because they have harmed you in
some way.
It seems that what my teacher said is true, but I still find that
some
people use "prosecute" in dispute between two companies,
eg. "As for the lost , if any, caused by the goods to our company,
we reserve the right to prosecute.".
Would you please tell me
the difference, thanks!
Best regards,
Theresa Au
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' Sue
' for civil case
' prosecute ' for criminal case
As to your last quoted sentence , who said it ? Was it by a scholar
, by a lawyer , or just anybody ? A lot of people use the wrong
words.
TLY
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