What does the Twenty-seventh Amendment specifically prohibit?

It prohibits any law varying the compensation of members of Congress from taking effect until after an election of the House of Representatives has intervened.

Is the Twenty-seventh Amendment unique in its ratification timeline?

Yes, it was originally proposed in 1789 as part of the Bill of Rights but was not ratified until 1992, making its ratification process the longest in U.S. history.

Does the Twenty-seventh Amendment apply to pay decreases as well as increases?

Yes, its text uses the phrase 'varying the compensation,' which applies to both increases and decreases in salary.

twenty-seventh amendment

UK/ˌtwenti ˈsevənθ əˈmendmənt/US/ˌtwɛni ˈsɛvənθ əˈmɛndmənt/

Formal, Legal, Academic, Political

My Flashcards

Definition

Meaning

A specific, numbered amendment to the United States Constitution that prohibits any law that increases or decreases the salary of members of Congress from taking effect until after the next election of the House of Representatives has intervened.

The constitutional provision ratified in 1992 addressing congressional pay raises, often cited in civics as an example of a modern amendment with a narrow, specific purpose. It can be used as a proper noun to refer to the specific amendment or more generically to discuss principles of delayed legislative compensation changes.

Linguistics

Semantic Notes

Always capitalized as a proper noun referring to a specific constitutional article. In non-legal contexts, it can serve as a metonym for the concept of political accountability or delayed implementation of self-serving legislation.

Dialectal Variation

British vs American Usage

Differences

This term is almost exclusively used in an American political and legal context, as it refers specifically to the U.S. Constitution. In British English, it would only appear in discussions of comparative politics or American studies. There is no direct British equivalent.

Connotations

In American English, it connotes civic education, anti-corruption measures, and a specific historical ratification process. In other dialects, it is a technical reference to a foreign legal document.

Frequency

High frequency in U.S. civics education, law, and political journalism. Extremely low to zero frequency in general British or Commonwealth English outside specialized contexts.

Vocabulary

Collocations

strong

ratify the Twenty-seventh Amendmentprovision of the Twenty-seventh Amendmentadoption of the Twenty-seventh Amendment

medium

discuss the Twenty-seventh Amendmentexplain the Twenty-seventh Amendmentcite the Twenty-seventh Amendment

weak

important Twenty-seventh Amendmenthistorical Twenty-seventh Amendmentconstitutional Twenty-seventh Amendment

Grammar

Valency Patterns

[Subject] + ratified + the Twenty-seventh Amendment + [in Year]The Twenty-seventh Amendment + prohibits + [Gerund Phrase][Legal analysis] + focuses on + the Twenty-seventh Amendment

Vocabulary

Synonyms

Strong

Article the twenty-seventh (formal legal synonym)

Neutral

the congressional compensation amendmentthe 1992 amendment

Weak

the salary amendment (informal, imprecise)

Vocabulary

Antonyms

unrestrained congressional payimmediate compensation adjustment

Phrases

Idioms & Phrases

“[Not a typical source for idioms]”

Usage

Context Usage

Business

Rare, except in discussions of government relations or lobbying ethics where congressional incentives are analyzed.

Academic

Common in political science, constitutional law, American history, and civics courses. Used in texts discussing amendment processes and legislative ethics.

Everyday

Rare in casual conversation. May appear during political discussions, around election time, or in civics test preparation.

Technical

Standard term in U.S. legal documents, court opinions referencing constitutional law, and legislative drafting manuals.

Examples

By Part of Speech

verb

British English

The lecture will examine how the US eventually *Twenty-seventh-Amended* its constitution to address congressional pay. (Highly marked, creative use)
Scholars debate what the founding fathers would have thought about *Twenty-seventh-Amendment-ing*. (Hypothetical, non-standard)

American English

The movement sought to *Twenty-seventh Amendment* the issue, delaying any pay change. (Informal, jargon)
They effectively *Twenty-seventh-Amendmented* the proposal by adding an election delay clause. (Figurative, non-standard)

adverb

British English

The bill was passed *Twenty-seventh-Amendment-ly*, with a delayed implementation. (Non-standard, creative)
He argued *Twenty-seventh-Amendment-style* for a cooling-off period. (Informal)

American English

The law was crafted *Twenty-seventh-Amendment*-consciously. (Non-standard)
They acted *Twenty-seventh-Amendment*-mindfully. (Creative)

adjective

British English

The *Twenty-seventh-Amendment* principle is one of delayed gratification for legislators.
He gave a *Twenty-seventh-Amendment* analysis of the pay proposal.

American English

The *Twenty-seventh-Amendment* requirement kicked in, postponing the pay raise.
Her argument had a strong *Twenty-seventh-Amendment* flavour to it.

Examples

By CEFR Level

The Twenty-seventh Amendment is a law in America.
It is about money for politicians.

The Twenty-seventh Amendment stops Congress from giving itself an immediate pay raise.
This amendment was ratified in 1992.

A key provision of the Twenty-seventh Amendment is that any change to congressional salary cannot take effect until after a subsequent election.
Civics teachers often use the Twenty-seventh Amendment to illustrate the amendment process.

The ratification of the Twenty-seventh Amendment, originally proposed in 1789, exemplifies the absence of a formal time limit within the Article V amendment process.
Legal scholars analyse the Twenty-seventh Amendment as a constraint on the self-dealing potential of sitting legislators.

Learning

Memory Aids

Mnemonic

Think: 'Twenty-seventh says Congress can't be first' to get their own raise—voters must be consulted via an election first.

Conceptual Metaphor

A LEGAL BRAKE (on self-serving legislation); A BRIDGE TO THE NEXT ELECTION (delaying effect until public judgment).

Watch out

Common Pitfalls

Translation Traps (for Russian speakers)

Avoid translating 'amendment' as 'поправка' in a general sense of 'correction'; in this legal context, it is an immutable part of the foundational law, best translated as 'поправка к Конституции'.
The ordinal 'twenty-seventh' must agree in gender, case, and number with 'поправка' (e.g., 'двадцать седьмая поправка').

Common Mistakes

Writing '27th amendment' in lowercase in formal writing.
Incorrectly stating its subject matter (e.g., confusing it with freedom of speech amendments).
Omitting the hyphen in 'twenty-seventh'.
Using 'of' instead of 'to' (e.g., 'amendment of the Constitution' is less idiomatic than 'amendment to the Constitution').

Practice

Quiz

Fill in the gap

The Amendment to the U.S. Constitution deals with the timing of congressional pay changes.

Multiple Choice

What is the primary legal effect of the Twenty-seventh Amendment?

FAQ

Frequently Asked Questions

: It was ratified in 1992.
: It prohibits any law varying the compensation of members of Congress from taking effect until after an election of the House of Representatives has intervened.
: Yes, it was originally proposed in 1789 as part of the Bill of Rights but was not ratified until 1992, making its ratification process the longest in U.S. history.
: Yes, its text uses the phrase 'varying the compensation,' which applies to both increases and decreases in salary.