You heard “violations” in the news.

“Violations” means actions that break a law or rule.

For example: The teacher recorded several violations of the classroom rules.

Here, “violations” are actions by students that broke classroom rules.

You heard “penalty” in the news.

A penalty is a punishment for doing something against a rule or law.

For example: The library charged a penalty for returning the book late.

Here, the penalty is money charged because the book was returned late.

You heard “appeal” in the news.

In this context, an appeal is a request for a higher court to review a decision.

For example: She plans to appeal the court’s decision.

She plans to ask a higher court to review the court’s decision.