ENGLISH
REFERENCE

be charged with sth

fixed phr..
B2 Upper Intermediate Oxford

fixed phr.. to be officially accused of a crime by the police or a court.

fixed phr.. to be formally accused of a specific criminal offence; functions as a passive construction where the subject is the accused party.


SIMPLE

He was charged with theft after the police found the stolen car.

CONTEXTUAL

The former CEO was charged with fraud following a three-year investigation into the company's finances.

COMPLEX

Despite maintaining his innocence throughout the interrogation, the suspect was eventually charged with conspiracy to commit murder.

Usage

almost always used in the passive voice followed by the preposition 'with' and a noun phrase.

Teaching tip

distinguish from the everyday meaning of 'charge' (to ask for money) by highlighting the legal context and the fixed preposition 'with'.

Pitfall

He was charged of murder.He was charged with murder.the verb 'charge' requires the preposition 'with' when referring to a crime, unlike 'accused', which uses 'of'.

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