What are the requirements of an offer?

An offer is a proposal by an offerer to do or not to do some specified thing in the future, provided the offeree agrees with stated conditions. If the offeree accepts the proposal, a contract arises. Generally, to be an offer, a proposal must be:

1. intended to create a legal obligation,

2. definite, and

3. communicated to the offeree.

(1)The offerer must intend to create a legal obligation if the proposal is accepted. People often make agreements that no one considers legally enforceable. For example, if two friends make a date to go to the movies, no contract is intended or formed. If either breaks the date, the other may be offended but cannot sue. There is no legal remedy (legal means to enforce a right). That is because social invitations are not intended to create legal obligations.

Certain words, which may seem to create offers, really do not create them. Before making a contract, parties will often discuss it. The parties often bargain to reach mutually acceptable terms. Sometimes one party may state tentative terms, inviting other parties to make offers. Advertisements in newspapers and magazines, on radio or TV, or in catalogs or direct mailings are generally invitations to others to make offers. They are not offers themselves. A person who advertises something for sale cannot be expected to sell to the thousands who theoretically might reply to the advertisement. Perhaps the seller has only a limited number of items. However, most business firms attempt to deliver merchandise as advertised to all who want to buy.

Sometimes an advertisement is worded to give a reader reasonable cause to believe it is an offer rather that an invitation to make offer. This is true in ads, which promise to pay a reward for a lost pet or jewel. It is also true in direct-mail advertisement sent to one or just a few prospects. For example, someone trying to sell a very expensive yacht mails a promotional letter to ten prospects. The letter describes the yacht and offers it for a started price to the first person whose acceptance is received on or before a stated date. This letter would be an offer.

If a statement sounds like an offer simply is a joke, the words cannot be transformed into a contract by acceptance. The person to whom the statement was made should realize that no offer was intended.

(2) If a proposal is vague or incomplete, a court will not enforce it. The terms must be definite enough to allow the court to determine what was intended by the parties and to fix their legal rights and duties.

There are, however, some important exceptions to the requirement of definiteness. For example, medical, dental, and legal fees are often set after the work is completed. Many workers are employed on a paydaybasis; the actual length of employment remains uncertain. In contracts between merchants, when either the price or the credit and delivery terms are not specified, current market prices and trade customs may be used to provide such details.

In business, producers sometimes agree to sell their entire output to a single buyer during a specified period. Sometimes buyers agree to purchase all of certain materials they may need during a given period from a single supplier. In both cases, the actual amounts remain uncertain until the contracts are performed. The parties must act in good faith as to quantities delivered or demanded.

(3) A person cannot accept an offer without knowing about it. That is because any action taken would not have been a response to the offer. Thus, an offer of a reward that is made to certain persons or even to the general public cannot be accepted by someone who has never seen or heard of the offer. In such cases, the offerer may get what was sought, but most courts require that anyone who claims the prize must have known of the offer and acted in response to it when performing the requested act.

Vocabulary notes:

legal obligation – правовая обязанность	prospect – потенциальный клиент
enforceable – имеющий исковую силу; обеспеченный правовой санкцией; могущий быть принудительно осуществленным в судебном порядке	yacht – яхта
legal remedy – судебная защита	vague – нечеткий
bargain – сделка, соглашение, договор о купле/ продаже	fee – гонорар, плата
tentative terms – пробные, экспериментальные условия	payday–день платежа, платежный день; день выплаты жалования
item –товар	output – продукция
merchandise – товары	to demand - требовать
ad–сокр. отadvertisement; разг. Объявление, реклама	general public – широкая публика, общественность

II. Answer the following questions:

1. What is an offer?

2. What characteristic must a proposal have to become an offer?

3. What are the requirements of an offer?

4. Are advertisements in newspapers and TV always offers?

III. The word OFFER has the following meanings in Russian:

Предлагать

to offer down – предлагать по цене ниже среднего курса последней сделки

Предложение, оферта

offer and acceptance – оферта и акцептирование оферты

Представлять

to offer evidence – представлять доказательства

Match the following English expressions with their Russian equivalents:

1. offer of compromise	a. предлагать на продажу
2. offer for sale	c. оферта, обращенная к неопределенному кругу лиц
3. offer to a public at large	d. предложение компромисса
4. offer without obligation	e. предложение корпорации-агрессора обменять пакет своих ценных бумаг на акции с правом голоса поглощающей компании
5. accept an offer	f. сделать оферту
6.confusing offer	g. предложение без обязательств
7. invitation to offer	h. принять предложение; акцептовать оферту
8. irrevocable offer	i. предложение, вносящее путаницу
9. make an offer	j. приглашение сделать оферту
10. public exchange offer	k. безотзывное предложение (оферта)
11. revoke an offer	l. представлять предложение
12. tender offer	m. отозвать оферту

IV. Find in the text above English equivalents for the following words and expressions:

1. условия

2. делать соглашения

3. иметь намерения

4. заключить контракт

5. достигнуть взаимно принимаемых условий

6. ограниченное количество товара

7. пытаться доставить товар

8. выражать словами, подбирать выражения

9. оплатить в качестве вознаграждения

10. не может превратиться в контракт

11. установленная, оговоренная дата (срок)

12. разумная ,обоснованная причина

BIBLIOGRAPHY

1. Гуманова Ю.Л. Just English. Английский для юристов. Базовый курс: учебное пособие для юрид вузов/ Ю.Л.Гуманова, В.А. Королева – Мак Арии, М.Л., Свешникова, Е.В. Тихомирова; под ред. Т.Н. Шишкиной. – 5-е изд. – М.: КНОРУС, 2008. – 256с.

2. Двойнина Е.В. Английский для юристов: Учебное пособие. – М.: Приор-издат, 2004. – 112с.

3. Николаева А.В., Разуваева Т.Н. Английский для юристов. Пособие по английскому языку для студентов старших курсов юридических факультетов. Москва: ИКЦ «МарТ», Ростов н/Д: Издактельский центр «МарТ», 2003. – 112с.

DICTIONARIES

1. Батлер У.Э. Русско-английский юридический словарь. М.: Издательство «Зерцало», 2001. – 240 с.

2. Мамулян А.С., Кашкин С.Ю. Англо-русский полный юридический словарь. – Мю: Изд-во Эксмо, 2005. – 816с. – (Российское юридическое образование).

3. Мюллер В.К. Англо-русский словарь. 53000 слов. Издание 23-е, стереотипное. «Русский язык», Москва, 1992. – 844с.

4. The Penguin Dictionary of English Synonyms and Antonyms/ Revised Edition Edited by Rosalind Fergusson, Market House Books Limited, 1992

5. Словарь современного английского языка: в 2-х т. – М: Рус. Яз., 1992.Т.1 А – L 626с.

6. Словарь современного английского языка: в 2-х т. – М: Рус. Яз., 1992.Т.2 M – Z 1229с.

CONTENTS

Предисловие…………………………………………………………………3

UNIT 1……………………………………………………………………….4

UNIT 2……………………………………………………………………….14

UNIT 3……………………………………………………………………….27

UNIT 4……………………………………………………………………….37

UNIT 5……………………………………………………………………….51

UNIT 6……………………………………………………………………….62

UNIT 7……………………………………………………………………….67

BIBLIOGRAPHY……………………………………………………………74

DICTIONARIES…………………………………………………………......74

Учебное издание

Татьяна Бикмулловна Лебедева

ENGLISH FOR LOW

Учебно-методическое пособие

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