The main reason the is discrepancy of the terms, is that every state defines them differently.
Here is Florida:
Assault-
a threat, and the immediate ability to carry out the threat
So if I said “I am going to hit you with a club” and I have NO club. Then there is no crime. Similarly, if I say, "I am going to shoot your ass tomorrow, there is no crime because there is no immediate threat there. Also, if you swing and miss a person, that would be assault. The ‘threat’ does not have to be verbal.
Aggravated Assault-
A threat with a deadly weapon.
If I swing a bat at your head and miss; If I hold up a knife to you in a threatening manner; If I point a gun at you. If I shoot at you and miss. (Sure they would try to charge you with attempted murder, but it will get dropped because this would not fit all the elements of attempted murder. It is an aggravated assault)
Battery-
any unwanted touching is a battery.
If I punch you, push you, smack you etc.
Aggravated Battery-
battery with a deadly weapon or battery that caused great bodily harm
If I stab you, club you, smack you upside the head with a baseball bat etc. Also, if I just pull out a gun and shoot you and you don’t die, that would be Aggravated Battery. (Again, they might charge you with attempted murder because they always try to charge you with something a little worse so the DAs have something to bargain with. The suspect thinks he is getting off by pleading guilty to agg battery instead of att murder. But this does not fit all the elements of attempted murder. This crime is aggravated battery.)
Felony Battery-
battery where serious energy occurred but was not intended
This is a strange one that a lot of street cops are not even aware of. The would be if you punch someone and he fell and busted his head open on the curb or something. Or you punched someone who happened to have a really fragile jaw and it broke or something. This is for someome who really did not mean to hurt anyone.
Assault and Battery-
No such term in Florida. Usually if you are going to be charged with a battery, you don’t get charged with an assault as well. Though, I guess, you could.
Burglary-
Using force to enter, or remaining in, a structure, dwelling, or conveyance with the intent to commit a crime.
This has nothing to do with stealing. Furthermore, it has nothing to do with breaking anything. If you open an unlocked car door just to piss on the guys nice leather seats you committ a burglary, if you come through the front door of my house and punch me you are a ‘burglar’.
Technically, if I am in sitting in my car with the window down and you get pissed off at me and decide to come over and punch me, this is a Burglary. You hand entering my vehicle is the ‘entering’ and hitting me (battery) is the ‘crime’. This is a battery.
If Rick is so pissed off at Steve that Rick goes into Steve’s house and puts a gun to his head and slaps him around a little bit, Rick committs a burglary. Also, when being charged with a Burglary, you also get charged with the other crime. Burlgary is a fun charge because there is an infinite number of combinations to make a burglary.
Breaking and Entering-
No such crime or term in Florida
Home Invasion- (just throwing this one in)
Busting in a person’s house for the purpose of robbing them.
This requires the people to be home, since there is no ‘robbery’ if there are no people. There is only theft and burglary.
Anything else???