Texas Kills 600th Prisoner

Introduction

Texas killed Edward Busby Jr. on Thursday. He is the 600th person the state killed since 1982.

Main Body

Some doctors said Busby had a brain problem. The law says people with these problems should not die. But a judge said no. The court decided to kill him anyway. Texas kills more people than other states. Most people die in four big cities. Also, many Black men get the death penalty. This is more than their number in the population. Now, Texas kills fewer people than before. New laws help prisoners. Some prisoners now stay in jail for life instead of dying. Some people left death row because of new medical rules.

Conclusion

Texas still kills more people than any other US state. More people will die in September.

Learning

πŸ’‘ THE "MORE / FEWER" SCALE

In this text, we see how to compare things. This is a key skill for A2 English.

1. Comparing Groups (More) When one thing is bigger or happens more often, we use More + [Noun] + Than.

  • Text example: "Texas kills more people than other states."
  • Simple pattern: More β†’\rightarrow Than

2. The Opposite (Fewer) When the number goes down, we use Fewer.

  • Text example: "Texas kills fewer people than before."
  • Note: Use 'fewer' for things you can count (like people, cars, or books).

3. Quick Summary Table

DirectionWordExample
↑\uparrow UpMoreMore Black men β†’\rightarrow than others
↓\downarrow DownFewerFewer people β†’\rightarrow than before

πŸ”‘ Useful Vocabulary from the Text

  • Instead of β†’\rightarrow Used to show a change or a choice (e.g., Jail instead of death).
  • Anyway β†’\rightarrow Used when something happens despite a problem (e.g., The judge said no, but they did it anyway).

Vocabulary Learning

killed (v.)
caused to die
Example:The storm killed many trees.
people (n.)
human beings
Example:People gather in the square.
law (n.)
rule that people must follow
Example:The law says you must wear a seatbelt.
judge (n.)
person who decides in a court
Example:The judge gave a verdict.
death (n.)
the end of life
Example:Death is a natural part of life.
prisoner (n.)
person who is in jail
Example:The prisoner was released after serving his sentence.