Sign vs execute

Transcript:

Hello!

Today we look at the difference between sign and execute.

Sign simply means to affix or put your signature to something, eg:

• Please sign here.

Execute is a process which means to sign with all the formalities like witnesses, stamping or delivering, eg:

• The parties executed the agreement in my office.
• The Managing Director will execute the deed next week.
• IN WITNESS WHEREOF the parties have executed this agreement as of the date set forth above.
• The deed was executed before the notary.

Many other languages do not make a distinction between sign and execute, so execute will nearly always be translated into your language as sign (sottoscrivere; sottoscrivere debitamente).

Remember, if you want to ask someone to perform the action of putting their signature to a document, then the order is not execute, eg:

• Please sign above the line (Not: Please execute above the line).
• Please write your name and surname legibly (non si usa “sign” per dire “firma leggibile”).

Execute also has 2 other meanings in Legal English

Execute (perform)

Execute is used to mean do/perform the obligations of a contact. It means to fulfill (adempiere) what the contact foresees, eg:

• This agreement requires parties to execute their contractual undertakings (impegni) by 31 March.
• She was unable to execute (rispettare) the terms of the contract.

Execute (put to death – giustiziare)

Execute is used to mean put to death, eg:

• A prisoner on Death Row will be executed in accordance with their sentence.

Thank you very much and see you next time for more Peter’s Pills to improve your Legal English!

There is no extra reading to share with you this time concerning sign and make, so enjoy some “Lawyer Jokes” here: “101 Lawyer Jokes So Funny You Just Can’t Object to Them“.

Legal English – Sommario delle Lezioni

• Legal English – Peter’s Pills – Lesson 59 – Appurtenent vs In gross
• Legal English – Peter’s Pills – Lesson 58 – Building societies and Banks
• Legal English – Peter’s Pills – Lesson 57 – Valid, void and voidable contracts
• Legal English – Peter’s Pills – Lesson 56 – Rescission
• Legal English – Peter’s Pills – Lesson 55 – Golden expressions
• Legal English – Peter’s Pills – Lesson 54 – Pre-emption right vs Right of first refusal
• Legal English – Peter’s Pills – Lesson 53 – What do we mean by “agent” of a company?
• Legal English – Peter’s Pills – Lesson 52 – Voting at a meeting
• Legal English – Peter’s Pills – Lesson 51 – Contracts vs Deeds
• Legal English – Peter’s Pills – Lesson 50 – Executive and Non-Executive Directors
• Legal English – Peter’s Pills – Lesson 49 – Transfer of shares vs transmission of shares
• Legal English – Peter’s Pills – Lesson 48 – They, them, their for singular nouns
• Legal English – Peter’s Pills – Lesson 47 – Jointly and severally
• Legal English – Peter’s Pills – Lesson 46 – Invoice words
• Legal English – Peter’s Pills – Lesson 45 – Quotation
• Legal English – Peter’s Pills – Lesson 44 – Gazumping and Gazundering
• Legal English – Peter’s Pills – Lesson 43 – English words that the English do not understand
• Legal English – Peter’s Pills – Lesson 42 – Easement vs Profit à prendre
• Legal English – Peter’s Pills – Lesson 41 -er, -or and -ee names
• Legal English – Peter’s Pills – Lesson 40 – The Objects Clause
• Legal English – Peter’s Pills – Lesson 39 – When is Latin hot, and when is it not?
• Legal English – Peter’s Pills – Lesson 38 – Default
• Legal English – Peter’s Pills – Lesson 37 – Company Agent
• Legal English – Peter’s Pills – Lesson 36 – Injunction (false freind)
• Legal English – Peter’s Pills – Lesson 35 – Mortgage
• Legal English – Peter’s Pills – Lesson 34 – Freehold, Leasehold and Commonhold estates
• Legal English – Peter’s Pills – Lesson 33 – Transferor, Transferee and Transmittee
• Legal English – Peter’s Pills – Lesson 32 – Tax evasion, tax mitigation and tax avoidance
• Legal English – Peter’s Pills – Lesson 31 – Numbers
• Legal English – Peter’s Pills – Lesson 30 – Ordinary resolutions vs special resolutions
• Legal English – Peter’s Pills – Lesson 29 – AGM vs EGM
• Legal English – Peter’s Pills – Lesson 28 – A going concern
• Legal English – Peter’s Pills – Lesson 27 – Collocations: Violate, breach, break, disobey and infringe
• Legal English – Peter’s Pills – Lesson 26 – Company meeting words
• Legal English – Peter’s Pills – Lesson 25 – Mortgagor vs Mortgagee
• Legal English – Peter’s Pills – Lesson 24 – Fixed charges vs Floating charges
• Legal English – Peter’s Pills – Lesson 23 – Doctrine
• Legal English – Peter’s Pills – Lesson 22 – Construe
• Legal English – Peter’s Pills – Lesson 21 – Sign vs Execute
• Legal English – Peter’s Pills – Lesson 20 – The closing statement
• Legal English – Peter’s Pills – Lesson 19 – Writing Business Emails
• Legal English – Peter’s Pills – Lesson 18 – Limited companies
• Legal English – Peter’s Pills – Lesson 17 – Annual Accounts
• Legal English – Peter’s Pills – Lesson 16 – Meetings
• Legal English – Peter’s Pills – Lesson 15 – Attorney-at-law vs Attorney-in-fact
• Legal English – Peter’s Pills – Lesson 14 – Here and there compounds
• Legal English – Peter’s Pills – Lesson 13 – Subject Matter
• Legal English – Peter’s Pills – Lesson 12 – The clear days rule
• Legal English – Peter’s Pills – Lesson 11 – Shareholder, Member or Holder of shares?
• Legal English: Peter’s Pills – Lesson 10 – Competition Law

Peter Liebenberg

Peter Liebenberg è uno specialista nella formazione delle persone nella conoscenza della lingua inglese. Ha creato molti corsi nel campo dell’inglese per professionisti, tra cui English for banking, English for business e English for Insurance, ma ha sempre avuto un debole per l’inglese legale. Altri corsi che ha creato comprendono Phrasal Verbs I e II. Quando Peter non fa formazione, corre a Parco Sempione, crea arte nel suo studio sulla Martesana e fa volontariato.