Daciana Indolean

ENGLISH FOR CIVIL

ENGINEERING
A communicational approach

Daciana Indolean

ENGLISH FOR CIVIL

ENGINEERING
A communicational approach

Editura Mega

Cluj-Napoca, 2012

Descrierea CIP a Bibliotecii Naionale a Romniei

Indolean, Daciana
English for civil engineering : a communicational approach /
Daciana Indolean. - Cluj Napoca : Mega, 2012
ISBN 978-606-543-256-7
811.111:62

Ilustraie copert: Andrei Bendre

DTP: Ovidiu Vlad

Editura Mega | www.edituramega.ro

e-mail: mega@edituramega.ro

Contents

Preface7
About this book9
Module 1: Personal Development
Unit 1: Learning Styles 15
Unit 2: The Common European Framework of Reference
for Languages 19
Module 2: Science and Technology
Unit 3: Civil Engineering25
Unit 4: Buildings34
Unit 5: Construction Materials45
Unit 6: Construction Processes57
Unit 7: Writing for Science68
Unit 8: Presenting Your Scientific Work83
Module 3: At Work
Unit 9: The Business Environment95
Unit 10: Writing for Business 102
Unit 11: Building up the Business 117
Unit 12: I Can Do Business! (Or Can I?) 130

PREFA
Cartea doamnei Daciana Indolean English for Civil Engineering a fost, nc de la prima lectur, o plcut surpriz. Pentru
c nu este vorba de un alt manual de englez, adresat inginerilor
constructori, ci de o nou abordare a predrii limbii engleze n
domeniul tehnic. Este o carte despre rolul pe care limba englez
l joac n dezvoltarea profesional a inginerului secolului XXI. Ca
parte a comunitii europene i n plin proces de globalizare, nu
mai este suficient s poi meteugi cuvinte n maniera marelui
Shakespeare; pentru inginer este important s poat comunica cu
partenerii si de munc i afaceri ntr-o limb care, de cele mai
multe ori, nu este limba matern a nici unuia dintre interlocutori.
Doamna Daciana Indolean a intuit foarte bine acest aspect i,
prin aceast carte, vine n sprijinul tinerilor studeni, viitori constructori, relevndu-le feluritele moduri n care limba englez i
poate ajuta n conturarea i consolidarea carierei lor. Lucrarea
abordeaz inovativ studiul limbii engleze, mbinnd elementele de
vocabular i gramatic cu dezvoltarea abilitilor de comunicare,
cerine fundamentale n societarea modern n care trim astzi.
Lucrarea este structurat n trei pri care acoper aspecte legate
de strategii de dezvoltare personal, engleza tehnic n domeniul
ingineriei civile i, respectiv, n mediul de afaceri. Deosebit de util
este prezentarea Cadrului European de Referin pentru Limbi
Strine, a modurilor de autoevaluare a cunotinelor, stiluri de
nvare i strategii de dezvoltare personal pe tot parcursul vieii.
De asemenea, este creativ introducerea termenilor i formulrilor specifice domeniului ingineriei civile n contextul utilizrii
acestora n limba scris, citit sau vorbit i crearea abilitilor de
comunicare nelegerea / transmiterea unui mesaj oral sau scris.
Noiunile de gramatic i vocabular se completeaz ntr-un mod
firesc i apelarea la mijloace moderne de informare i documentare, inclusiv internetul, face nvarea plcut i uoar, ntr-o
manier interactiv.
7

Exerciiile propuse sunt adevrate provocri pentru viitorii

ingineri constructori cerndu-le s neleg sau s formuleze sintetic i coerent specificaii tehnice, s ntocmesc sau s analizeze
un raport, s formuleze o scrisoare de afaceri sau un e-mail.
Deosebit de bine realizate i utile sunt capitolele 7 i 8 Writing
for Science i Presenting Your Scientific Work n care autoarea,
cu claritate i umor, sintetizeaz paii care trebuie urmai pentru
elaborarea unei lucrri tiinifice, instrumentele lingvistice necesare pentru ntocmirea ei i un ghid practic de prezentare Power
Point.
ntreaga lucrare militeaz pentru simplitate, coeren i claritate. Precum un pictor, care combin culorile pentru a obine
nuana perfect, doamna Daciana Indolean, fcnd dovada unei
deosebite abiliti n mnuirea strategiilor educaionale, a mbinat
studiul limbii engleze cu tehnici de comunicare, reuind s scrie o
carte pe care o ateptam de mult.
Cluj-Napoca, iulie 2012 

Conf. dr. ing. Anca Gabriela Popa

Dear students,
This practical course has been created for your specific communicational needs as future engineers.

Structure
I divided the book into three modules, each module dealing with
three distinct aspects: learning styles and evaluations, civil engineering and business communication.
The educational objective of this course is to assist you in your personal and professional development by means of specific teaching
modules.
The first module introduces elements of lifelong learning and
self-evaluation. It will assist you in the further improvement of
your communicational competence even after the completion of
the English course.
The second module presents the universe of civil engineering. It
will enable you to acquire the vocabulary related to science and
technology behind civil engineering, and it will reinforce the language structures in use in these specific fields, thus enabling you
to cope with the subjects taught as part of your academic training.
The third module will enable you to operate with specific language
structures and skills required by the industrial and commercial
environment. This will allow you to communicate successfully
with the various categories of people encountered in your future
line of work: crew, superiors, clients, etc.

Educational strategy
The course is based on a combination between individual tasks
meant to strengthen the foundation of your communication in
English (grammar and vocabulary exercises), combined with interactive tasks, designed to reinforce English as a communicational
tool for future civil engineers.
9

Learning portfolio
You should be aware of the fact that no matter how frequent or
how intensive English classes are, they will never fully meet your
learning needs. This is why your class work will be completed by
other learning activities. This learning portfolio should contain
the following:
1. classroom notes
2. assignments
3. a written learning plan based on the self-evaluation of your
English communicational instruments. You should do this
at the beginning of each semester and re-evaluate it after the
final tests of each semester
4. a list of words and expressions related to disciplines connected to civil engineering, explained in English and
translated into your mother language (25 words per semester)
5. a translation of an authentic text on disciplines or areas
related to civil engineering from English into your mother
language (5 pages per semester)
6. upper-intermediate grammar exercises that should sustain
and improve language operations: irregular plurals of nouns,
adjectives and their comparisons, prepositions, verb tenses
and aspects, conditional clauses, modal verbs, relative
clauses, etc.

Evaluation
Your performance will be evaluated several times during each
semester by means of short formative assignments, meant to help
you determine your strong and weak points in connection to the
specific language aspects covered by the units or module.
At the end of each semester, you will sit for a summative test, carrying the weight of the final mark.

Marking system
Your performance to the tests will be evaluated according to the
following criteria:
10

1. Language in use (L)

Your response receives a Pass if the English language used is at least
50% correct. This means that the language you use is not perfect
but the mistakes made do not corrupt the quality of the communication, the text or spoken production is fluent, grammatically
correct and it employs proper terminology in connection to the
aim and structure of the message.
Language in use

Points

CEFR levels

The students performance presents very

few mistakes (grammar, spelling or vocabulary) which do not alter the quality of
the communication. The texts and oral
discourse are fluent, able to render complex ideas in ample, spontaneous phrases.

4050

B2

The students performance presents some

mistakes (grammar, spelling and vocabulary), but, overall, the entire message is
comprehensible without much strain.
The texts and oral discourse are fluent,
less ample but elaborate enough to render complex ideas.

2540

B1

The students performance presents serious grammar, spelling and vocabulary

mistakes, which render the communication poor and incomprehensible. Absence
of complex ideas. Short sentences and
lack of fluency.

1024

A2

2. Attitude (A)
Your response receives a Pass only if you employ the proper attitude towards the reader or the audience. This means that your
document is reader-friendly and the communication conveys a
positive message.
11

Attitude

Points

Very positive attitude, proper format and language form

that expresses respect, easy to follow string of information.

4050

Positive attitude, the author may not handle situation

perfectly but the outcome is reader-friendly and overall it
conveys a positive attitude

2540

Negative attitude, lack of format, hard to track information,

disrespect towards the reader or the audience.

1024

3. Personal commitment
Although not marked, attendance is an important factor that can
pass judgment over your final mark. It can deny you sitting for the
final test. Please refer to the university regulations about this issue.
4. Plagiarism
Plagiarism is another aspect that can influence your final mark.
While it is acceptable to use the work of others as long as you
acknowledge its origin, copied portfolios or homework will deny
you entrance for the final test.
Final mark: L + A (minimum 25 points for each criterion to
pass)
At the end of this book, you should be able to demonstrate communicational competences at the CEFR level of B2.

12

Module 1
Personal Development

Unit 1 Learning Styles

Many people recognize that each person prefers different learning
styles and techniques. Learning styles group common ways that people learn. Everyone has a mix of learning styles. Some people may
find that they have a dominant style of learning, with far less use of
the other styles. Others may find that they use different styles in different circumstances. There is no right mix. Nor are your styles fixed.
You can develop ability in less dominant styles, as well as further
develop styles that you already use well. By recognizing and understanding your own learning styles, you can use techniques better
suited to you. This improves the speed and quality of your learning.
(http://www.learning-styles-online.com)

The table below shows statements representative for each learning

style. Tick the statements that you think represent you and calculate the final score.
A Lets look at it differently.

B That sounds about right!

See how this works for you:

I cant quite picture it.
Lets draw a diagram or map.
Id like to get a different perspective.
I never forget a face.

That rings a bell!

Its coming through loud and clear.
Tune in to what I am saying.
Clear as a bell!
Thats music to my ears!

C Tell me word for word.

D That feels right to me.

Lets talk later!

The word youre looking for is...
I hear your but I am not sure I agree.
Let me spell it out for you:
In other words...

I cant get a grip on this.

Stay in touch!
Get in touch with...
I have good feelings about this!
My gut is telling me...

E Thats logical.
Follow the process, procedure or rules.
Theres no pattern to this.
We can work it out.
Quantify it or prove it!
Lets make a list!

F Lets work together on this!

We can work it out!
Tell me what you are thinking.
Help me understand this!
Lets pull some people together to discuss...
Lets explore our options:

15

G Id like some time to think it over.

TOTAL SCORE
This is what I think or feel about that. A B C D
Ill get back to you on that.
E F G
Ill consider it.
Let me do some research about that.

Based on which letter collected most points, read the short description of the seven learning styles:
A Visual style
If you use the visual style, you prefer using images, pictures, colors
and maps to organize information and communicate with others.
You can easily visualize objects, plans and outcomes in your minds
eye. You also have a good spatial sense, which gives you a good sense
of direction. You can easily find your way around using maps and
you rarely get lost. When you walk out of an elevator, you instinctively know which way to turn. Some pursuits that make the most
of the visual style are visual art, architecture, photography, video or
film, design, planning (especially strategic), and navigation.
B Aural style
If you use the aural style, you like to work with sound and music.
You have a good sense of pitch and rhythm. You typically can sing,
play a musical instrument, or identify the sounds of different instruments. Certain music invokes strong emotions. You notice the music
playing in the background of movies, TV shows and other media. You
often find humming or tapping a song or jingle, or a theme or jingle
pops into your head without prompting. Some pursuits that use the
aural style are playing, conducting or composing music and sound
engineering.
C Verbal style
The verbal style involves both the written and spoken word. If you
use this style, you find it easy to express yourself both in writing and
verbally. You love reading and writing. You like playing on the meaning or sound of words, such as in tongue twisters, rhymes, limericks
16

and the like. You know the meaning of many words, and regularly
make an effort to find the meaning of new words. You use these
words, as well as phrases you have picked up recently, when talking
to others. Pursuits that use the verbal style include public speaking,
debating, politics, writing and journalism.
D Physical style
If the physical style is more like you, its likely that you use your body
and sense of touch to learn about the world around you. Its likely you
like sports and exercise, and other physical activities such as gardening or woodworking. You like to think out issues, ideas and problems
while you exercise. You would rather go for a run or walk if something
is bothering you, rather than sitting at home. Pursuits that involve
the physical style include general physical work, mechanical, construction and repair work, sports and athletics, drama and dancing.
E Logical style
If you use the logical style, you like using your brain for logical and
mathematical reasoning. You can recognize patterns easily, as well
as connections between seemingly meaningless content. This also
leads you to classify and group information to help you learn or
understand it. People with a strong logical style are likely to follow
such pursuits as the sciences, mathematics, accounting, detective
work, law and computing programming.
F Social style
If you have a strong social style, you communicate well with people,
both verbally and non-verbally. People listen to you or come to you for
advice, and you are sensitive to their motivations, feelings or moods.
You listen well and understand others views. You may enjoy mentoring or counseling others. Some examples of pursuits that people
with a strong social style may follow include counseling, teaching,
training and coaching, sales, politics, human resources, and others.
G Solitary style
If you have a solitary style, you are more private, introspective and
independent. You can concentrate well, focusing your thoughts and
17

feelings on your current topic. You are aware of your own thinking,
and you may analyze the different ways you think and feel. Those
that have a strong solitary style include authors, researchers, park
rangers and security guards. Peak performers in any field often have
a good solitary style behind other more dominant styles.
(http://www.learning-styles-online.com)

Assignment In teams of five, choose the three most useful learning styles for a future civil engineer. Compare your results with the
others teams.

18

Unit 2 The Common European Framework

of Reference for Languages
The Common European Framework of Reference for Languages
(CEFR) was created by the Council of Europe to describe the performance of the learners of foreign language across Europe and to
provide a method of learning, teaching and assessing applicable to
all the languages spoken in Europe.
The CEFR divides language users into three categories and six
levels:
The Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR)
Basic Speaker

Independent Speaker

A1

A2

B1

beginner

elementary

intermediate

B2

upper
intermediate

Proficient Speaker
C1

C2

advanced

proficiency

At the same time, CEFR describes in detail what a user should be

able to do at each level with the five language skills: reading, listening, speaking interaction, speaking production, writing.
The following self-assessment grid will help you evaluate your
English proficiency as a future civil engineer. Please note that
in the case of civil engineering, the areas of communication in
English are generally related but not limited to:
Construction materials and their properties
Constructions and their characteristics
Construction tools, devices, machines
Specific construction technological processes
Positions and professionals working in constructions
Industrial and commercial communications (letters, e-mails,
reports, memoranda, phone calls, meetings, training sessions, presentations, etc.)
Read the statements carefully and mark down the letter corresponding to your level of English proficiency as a future civil
engineer for each of the five language skills:
19

Listening
I can understand
a. terms and expressions
b. simple sentences, short messages, announcements and
instructions
c. main ideas in professional dialogues (meetings, training sessions)
d. the main ideas and complex lines of argument in professional
dialogues, documentaries, presentations, scientific discourse
Reading
I can understand
a. familiar terms and expressions, notices, warning signs, technical specifications
b. predictable sentences in everyday used materials, advertisements, prospectuses, menus, timetables, short and simple
e-mails
c. key elements of descriptions of processes, business letters or
technical specifications
d. articles and reports concerned with contemporary science
and technology, technical specifications, business letters and
other specific documents
Spoken interaction
I can
a. answer very simple and basic questions related to the technological processes and specific tasks related to my work
b. handle very short social and professional exchanges even
though I cannot usually understand enough to keep the conversation going
c. deal with most situations likely to arise when communicating with a speaker of English. I can enter unprepared into a
conversation on familiar topics related to professional activities or free time
d. interact with a degree of fluency and spontaneity with other
speakers. I can take an active part in discussions in the professional contexts, business meetings and other social events

20

Spoken production
I can
a. indicate the machines, devices and tools frequently used in
constructions, the way they operate and the construction
materials used
b. basic phrases and sentences to describe in simple terms my
profession and the professional environment, working conditions, devices, tools and machines, construction materials
and specific technological processes
c. simple descriptions of processes or materials, basic comments of the latest discoveries, expressing my personal
reactions and opinions
d. clear detailed descriptions of a wide range of subjects related
to the professional field. I can create complex presentations
for training sessions or product launch
Writing
I can write
a. short and simple messages, fill in forms with minimal details
(name, position, contact details, technical specifications, construction materials)
b. short and simple messages, e-mails and order forms
c. letters describing a product or a technological process,
expressing my professional opinion on the matter in a less
elaborate sentences
d. clear, detailed text on a wide range of subjects related to my
profession, instructions or reports, giving reasons and recommendations, business letters and memoranda

Now compare your results to the CEFR equivalent levels:

a A1, b A2, c B1, d B2
Assignment Think about the daily activities that bring you in
contact with the English language. Write a list according to the
language skills that you need to use when performing those activities (listening, reading, writing or speaking).
21

22

Module 2
Science and Technology

Unit 3 Civil Engineering

Writing definitions
A definition is based upon a concise, logical pattern that includes
as much information as it can within a minimum amount of space.
Generally, it consists of the term to be defined, the class of object to
which the term belongs and the differentiating characteristics that
distinguish it from all others of its class. Practice in the writing of
such brief formal definitions is good mental discipline as well as
excellent training and care in the use of words.
(http://owl.english.purdue.edu).

When writing definitions, you should always define the word or

the concept in simple and familiar terms. From a grammatical
point of view, definitions use Simple Present and the defining relative clauses, but there are other ways in which we can define terms,
for example by means of synonyms or antonyms.
Simple Present is used for:
Things normally done or never done as part of a routine
(habits, hobbies, daily or repetitive events, etc.)
As an engineer, I always think about the environment.
Maria wakes up at 6 in the morning to get to work.
He never misses a football game with his colleagues on Saturday.
Facts, generalizations, definitions or laws of science
Concrete is a mixture of water, cement and various aggregates.
Water boils at 100C.
Young engineers do not become specialists overnight.
Scheduled events in the near future
The staff meeting begins on Tuesday at 9.00 am.
Our CEOs plane lands with a two hour delay.
The building is demolished tomorrow morning.

25

 Actions happening now

The supervisor is here now.
Defining relative pronouns
1. Who for subject or object pronoun for people
This is the architect who designed the building.
2. Whose possession for people, animals and things
We saw the picture of the engineer whose invention helped the
construction of the Panama Canal.
3. That subject or object pronoun for people, animals and
things, can replace who or which
This is the architect that designed the building.
The cement that was used for this concrete is Portland cement.
4. When for expressing time
The experts are not sure when this building will be finished.
5. Where for expressing place
The site where they built the pyramids is in the middle of the
desert.
6. Why for expressing reason
The engineers dont know why the Romans used marble for the
basement floor.
1. Read the following article and replace the numbers with the disciplines in the box.
Structural engineering
Geotechnical engineering
Construction engineering

Material engineering
Earthquake engineering

Civil engineering is a professional engineering discipline that deals

with the design, construction and maintenance of the physical and
26

naturally built environment, including works such as bridges, roads,

canals, dams and buildings. Civil engineering is the oldest engineering discipline after military engineering, and it was defined to
distinguish non-military engineering from military engineering. It
is traditionally broken into several sub-disciplines. Civil engineering
takes place on all levels: in the public sector from municipal through
federal levels, and in the private sector from individual homeowners
through to international companies.
(1) involves planning and execution of the design from transportation,
site development, hydraulic, environmental, structural and geotechnical engineers. As construction firms tend to have higher business
risk than other types of civil engineering firms, many construction
engineers tend to take on a role that is more business-like in nature:
drafting and reviewing contracts, evaluating logistical operations,
and closely-monitoring prices of necessary supplies.
(2) covers ability of various structures to withstand hazardous earthquake exposures at the site of their particular location. The main
objectives are:
understand interaction of structures with the shaky ground
foresee the consequences of possible earthquakes
design, construct and maintain structures to perform at earthquake exposure up to the expectations and in compliance with
building codes.
(3) is an area of civil engineering concerned with the rock and soil
that the civil engineering systems are supported by. Knowledge from
the fields of geology, material science and testing, mechanics and
hydraulics are applied by geotechnical engineers to safely and economically design foundation, retaining walls, and similar structures.
Environmental concerns in relation to groundwater and waste disposal have spawned a new area of study called geoenvironmental
engineering where biology and chemistry are important.
(4) deals with ceramics such as concrete, mix asphalt concrete, metals such as aluminum and steel, polymers and carbon fibers. It also
27

consists of protection and prevention (paints and finishes).

(5) is concerned with the structural design and structural analysis of
buildings, bridges, towers, flyovers, tunnels, offshore structures and
other structures. This involves identifying the loads which act upon
a structure and the forces and stresses which arise within that structure due to those loads.
(www.wikipedia.org/civil_engineering)

2. Give synonyms for the following words from the text:

(to) distinguish
(to) foresee
(to) propose
(to) withstand
(to) focus

expectation
consequence
chamber
gathering
assessment

3. Identify and extract the main concerns for civil engineering in

general and for each of its sub-disciplines in particular. List them
in bullet point form.
4. Read the article again and list 10 verbs related to professional
activities of civil engineering.
5. Look at the pictures below. They show fields in which civil engineering is involved. Using the article, write three civil engineering
sub-disciplines concerned with each of the items presented in the
photos.

28

1. Kingston-Rhinecliff bridge, photo by

David Hermeyer & Samuel Wantman

3. Dubai Roads, photo by Imre Solt

2. Westminster Abbey,
photo by Chris O

4. Baraj Vidraru, photo taken from

www.turism-arges.ro

6. Write definitions for the construction terms on the following

pattern:
Word/to be/type/relative pronoun/function (verb simple present)
Example
The beam (word) is (to be) a horizontal structural member (type)
which (pronoun) supports loads over an opening (function).
1. Column/structural shaft of concrete, masonry, metal or timber/
transfer applied vertical loads through its length to its base
2. Tile/thin, rectangular product of mineral, plastics or organic
material/form a protective or weatherproof finish
3. Arch/two-dimensionally curved beam construction/support
loads between two points of support over an opening
29

4. Dome/ hollow, flattened or raised hemispherical roof structure/

rest on a circular, square or polygonal base
5. Hammer/hand tool with a shaft and heavy metal head/strike,
break or drive nails
6. Paint/liquid substance/protect or decorate surfaces
7. Roof/top of a building/provide shelter against the elements
8. Window/opening in an external wall of a building/allow light
into a space
9. Fireplace/domestic construction/burn solid fuel to provide heating and atmosphere to a room
10. Crossroads/crossing of two roads at the same level/cross each
other
(Davies & Jokiniemi, Dictionary of Architecture and Building Construction)

7. Based on the same pattern, write definitions for the following

construction professionals, explaining what they do. The verbs in
the box are just some of the activities they may perform. Feel free
to use other verbs as well.
assemble build
install lay

drive
form
operate perform

Example
The carpet layer is the person who lays out the carpets in a building.
1. The bricklayer
2. The carpenter
3. The electrician
4. The painter
5. The plumber

6. The concrete finisher

7. The roofer
8. The stonemason
9. The tiler
10. The welder

8. Based on your personal knowledge, write definitions for the following geometric figures:
30

Triangle
Square
Circle
Rectangle
Parallelogram

Pyramid
Sphere
Cube
Area
Volume

9. 20 relative pronouns and adverbs have been left out of the text.
Write the correct missing pronoun or adverb.
Physics is the science of matter and its motion the science (1) deals
with concepts such as force, energy, mass and charge. It is the general analysis of nature (2) is conducted in order to understand how
the world around us behaves.
Classical mechanics is a model of the physics of forces (3) act upon
bodies. Mechanics is subdivided into statics (4), models objects at rest,
kinematics (5), models objects in motion, and dynamics (6), models
objects subjected to forces. The classical mechanics of continuous
and deformable objects is continuum mechanics (7), can itself be
broken down into solid mechanics and fluid mechanics according
to the state of matter being studied. The latter is the mechanics of
liquids and gases (8), includes hydrostatics, hydrodynamics, pneumatics, aerodynamics and other fields. Electromagnetism is the
science (9) describes the interaction of charged particles with electric
and magnetic fields. It can be divided into electrostatics (10), is the
study of interactions between electric charges at rest, and electrodynamics (11), is the study of interactions between moving charges
and radiation. Electromagnetism encompasses various real-world
electromagnetic phenomena. For example, light is an oscillating electromagnetic field (12) is radiated from accelerating charged particles.
Aside from gravity, most of the forces that we experience everyday
are ultimately a result of electromagnetism. Thermodynamics is the
science (13) studies the effects of changes in temperature, pressure
and volume on physical systems at the macroscopic scale, and the
transfer of energy as heat. The starting point for most thermodynamic considerations are the laws of thermodynamics, (14) postulate
that energy can be exchanged between physical systems as heat or
31

work. They also postulate the existence of a quantity named entropy

(15), can be defined for any system. A system is composed of particles
(16), average motions define its properties (17), in turn are related to
one another through equations of state. Properties can be combined
to express internal energy and thermodynamics potential (18), are
useful for determining conditions for equilibrium and spontaneous
processes. Statistical mechanics is the science (19) analyses macroscopic systems by applying statistical principles to their microscopic
constituents. It provides a framework for relating the microscopic
properties of individual atoms and molecules to the macroscopic or
bulk properties of materials (20) can be observed in everyday life.
(www.wikipedia.org)
10. Rewrite the text contracting the relative clauses (whenever
possible).
For example, the science that deals with concepts the science
dealing with concepts
11. Extract the definition of the three mechanisms of heat energy
transfer from the text below.
Convection

Conduction

Radiation

It is no secret that a house will lose heat in the winter and allow heat
in during the summer. Heat, or thermal energy, flows continuously
through materials and space, taking the path of least resistance and
flowing from the warmer object to the colder object. To understand
how thermal insulation works, it helps to understand the three mechanisms of heat energy transfer: convection, conduction and radiation.
In winter, the heat in a familys living room invariably flows by air
movement to spaces that are not heated, such as the basement, attic
or garage. This is an example of heat flowing through moving air,
known as convection. Another example is when heat is transferred
from hot coffee, through the cup, to the hand holding the cup. This
is known as conduction, or the process by which heat transfer takes
place in solid matter. A third example can be found when a rooftop
32

is warmed by the energy of the sun. This is an example of the transfer of heat through space via electromagnetic waves (radiant energy),
known as radiation. (Bynum, R., 2001, Insulation Handbook)
12. Now match the same terms with their alternate definitions
(1) is the transfer of heat by physically moving the molecules from
one place to another.
(2) is the process by which heat transfer takes place in solid matter.
(3) involves the transfer of heat through electromagnetic waves
and absorption of that energy by a surface.
13. Translate the following definitions into English. Use relative
pronouns.
1. Chimia este tiina care se ocup de studiul compoziiei,
structurii, proprietilor i transformrilor substanelor prin
regruparea atomilor i modificarea legturilor.
2. Elementul chimic reprezint o specie de atomi cu aceeai
sarcin nuclear.
3. Compusul chimic este gruparea mai multor atomi unii prin
legturi chimice.
4. Atomul reprezint cea mai mic particul dintr-o substan,
indivizibil prin procedee chimice dar divizibil prin procedee fizice.
5. Molecula este cea mai mic particul dintr-o substan care
poate exista n stare liber i care pstreaz toate proprietile chimice ale substanei respective.
(www.dexonline.ro)

14. Define three construction elements or tools in specialist terms

and non-specialist terms.
For example:
Abutment
1. The part of a loadbearing system or member from which loads
are supported.
2. A vertical construction that supports a vault
33

Unit 4 Buildings
Descriptions
In technical English, descriptions can be used to visually present
an object.
Descriptive sequences:
1. Spatial sequence for static or mechanism at rest
2. Functional sequence for mechanism in action
3. Chronological sequence order of assembly
A good technical description should use clear and limiting titles
for each chapter and appropriate level of detail and technicality (adapted to the audience and the purpose of the document).
In addition, the description should be impartial, objective and
non-judgmental, and should focus on the observable details, such
as measurements and dimensions, concrete, specific, material
details expressed using precise technical language. Visuals should
be generously used. (Lannon, 2007, Technical Communication)
Adjectives describe nouns or pronouns by giving us information
on their size, shape, color, origin, material or use. They also help
us compare two items.
Comparison degrees of adjectives
1. Monosyllabic adjectives use er and est
Strong, stronger, the strongest
2. Disyllabic adjectives ending in y, er, ow, le also use er and est
Easy, easier, the easiest
Narrow, narrower, the narrowest
3. All other use more and the most/less and the least:
difficult, more difficult, the most difficult/less difficult, the least
difficult.
4. Irregular forms:
good, better, the best
bad, worse, the worst
34

much/many, more, the most

little, less, the least
5. Describing similarities or differences:
as ... as, not as ... as
6. Normal order of adjectives in the sentence:
size, shape, color, origin, material, use.
Adverbs describe verbs, other adverbs, adjectives or phrases. They
describe how (manner, degree, quantity), where (place), why (purpose), how often (frequency) and when (time). Most of them can be
compared using the same rule as adjectives.
Their natural order in the phrase is: manner, place, frequency, time,
purpose.
1. Read the description of a famous building in Romania and extract
the technical information using the list of headlines below.
The Palace of the Parliament in Bucharest is a multi-purpose building
containing both chambers of the Romanian Parliament. According to
the Guinness Book of World Records, the Palace is the worlds largest civilian administrative building, most expensive administrative
building and the heaviest one.
The Palace measures 270m by 240m, 86m high and 92m underground. It has 1.100 rooms, 2 underground parking garages and is
12 stories tall, with 4 underground levels currently available for the
general public and use, and another 4 in different stages of completion. The floor space is 340.000m2.
The structure combines elements and motifs from multiple
sources, in an eclectic neoclassical architectural style.
The building is constructed almost entirely of materials of Romanian origin. Estimates of the materials used include 1.000.000m3 of
marble from Transylvania, most from Ruschita; 3.500t of crystal (480
chandeliers, 1.409 ceiling lights and mirrors were manufactured);
700.000t of steel and bronze for monumental doors and windows,
chandeliers and capitals; 900.000m2 of wood, over 95% of which is
35

domestic, for parquet and wainscoting, including walnut, oak, sweet

cherry, elm, sycamore maple; 200.000m2 of woolen carpets of various dimensions, the larger of which were woven on-site by machines
moved into the building; velvet and brocade curtains adorned with
embroideries and passementeries in silver and gold.
Built on the site of a hill variously known as Spirii Hill, the building anchors the west end of Bulevardul Unirii and Centrul Civic.
Constructing the Palace and Centrul Civic, required demolishing
much of Bucharests historic district, including 19 Orthodox Christian churches, 6 Jewish synagogues, 3 Protestant churches (plus 8
relocated churches) and 30.000 residences.
Construction began in 1983; the cornerstone was laid on 25 June
1984. It was intended to house four institutions and this explains the
buildings rectangular shape.
Parts of the building are yet to be completed: some of the west
wing, some of the east wing, parts of the second floor, basement 3 and
everything below). Currently, a new underground car park is being
built inside a former stadium, now used as a warehouse, which was
covered during the construction of the palace.
The Palace also contains a massive array of miscellaneous conference halls and salons used for a variety of other purposes. (Adapted
from www.wikipedia.org)

1. Overview and description

Built
Size
Structure
Architectural style
Construction materials
Finishes
2. Location
3. Other interesting facts
2. Find the words in the text that mean:
1. Selecting what seems best of various styles
2. Relating or belonging to a monument
36

3. Produced in a particular country

4. Made more attractive by adding ornaments
5. An assortment of different kinds
3. Write in words these numbers found in the text.
92m
340.000m2
3.500t

95%
1983

4. Identify and list all the adjectives and adverbs used in the text
which refer to the size of the building.
5. Read the text about the Palace of the Parliament again and decide
what type of description sequence is used.
6. Write the adjectives corresponding to these geometric figures:
square, rectangle, circle, ellipse, triangle, sphere, pyramid, cone, cylinder, cube.
7. Turn these adjectives into nouns, and then complete the table by
giving the antonyms and their corresponding nouns.
Adjective

Noun

Antonym

Noun

High
Long
Wide
Broad
Deep
Hard
Tough
Rough
Transparent
Rigid

37

8. Look at the technical specifications of the three excavators and

complete the sentences below.
Mini excavators

1.

2.

3.

Price

210 Euro

330 Euro

150 Euro

Date of first registration

11 / 2003

1 / 2003

6 / 2000

Kilometer

1.345km

610km

1.960km

1.200 h

610 h

1.860 h

Power

11kw

3kw

11kw

Fuel type

Diesel

Diesel

Diesel

10 l

7l

12 l

Operating hours

Fuel consumption

Q1: (power)?
A1: Excavator 2 has only 3kw.
Q2: (expensive)?
A2: Excavator 3 costs just 150 Euros.
Q3: (expensive)?
A3: Excavator 2 costs 330 Euros.
Q4: Which two excavators display equal power?
A4: (powerful)
Q5: (recent)?
A5: Excavator 1 was first registered in November 2003.
Q6: (mileage)?
A6: Excavator 2 has only 610km.
Q7: (mileage)?
A7: Excavator 3 has 1.960km.
Q8: (fuel consumption)?
A8: Excavator 3 uses 12 l of fuel.
Q9: (fuel consumption)?
A9: Excavator 2 uses 7 l of fuel.
Q10: (good deal)?
38

9. Write the answer to question 10 in the form of a report, providing arguments for your choice. Use the template below (1 page).
To:
From:
Date:
Title of the report
Introduction (reason for writing the report)
Findings (comparison of the three excavators in relation to the purpose of the report)
Conclusion (which excavator is the best deal)
10. This report contains several spelling mistakes. Identify and correct them.
The purpous of this report is to decide which of the three excavators presented in the tabel is considered to be the best deal. After
examening the information in detail, and comparing the technical
specifications of these excavators we can conclud that clearly the
best choise is excavator 1.
Firstly, one of the key importance reasons acording to which we
chose this excavator is the affordible price, of 210 Euro, and the
power. With a power of 11kw its the most powerfull excavator of
the three.
Secondly, it has a relatively low fuel consumption of 10l. Also this
excavator was registered the most recently, which means that it is
the leatest model.
In conclusion, this excavator is the best choice, considering the
price, the power and the fuel consumption.
11. Re-write the following statements using the words in the box.
compliant
fireproof
permanent
volatile

earthquake resistant
lightweight
remote control

eco-friendly
low pour point
stable

39

1. The building is constructed so that it will resist to earthquakes.

2. The insulation used for the kitchen walls is not combustible.
3. Nowadays buildings tend to use construction materials which
are friendly with the environment.
4. The beams show too little resistance to be used for the bridge.
5. The paint used for the walls cannot be removed.
6. After mixing the two chemical components, the new substance
does not show signs of imbalance.
7. The parquet coating is evaporating quickly at normal temperature.
8. The garage door can be opened from a distance using this device.
9. Aluminium is a construction material which weighs very little.
10. In winter, the excavator needs oil which can be poured easily
when cold.
12. Complete the description of this famous building with the
missing words.
Basic
Central
Cylindrical Essentially False
Finest
Huge
Large
Lower
Most familiar
Most spectacular
Slightly
Smaller
Symmetrical
Tall
Traditional Typical
Unequal Universally
Widely

The Taj Mahal is a white marble mausoleum located in Agra, India.

It was built by a Mughal emperor in memory of his third wife. The
Taj Mahal is (1) recognized as the jewel of Muslim art in India and
one of the (2) admired masterpieces of the worlds heritage.
The Taj Mahal is the (3) example of Mughal architecture, a style that
combines elements from Persian, Turkish and Indian architectural
styles.
While the white domed marble mausoleum is the (4) component of
the Taj Mahal, it is actually an integrated complex of structures. The
construction began around 1632, employing thousands of artisans
and craftsmen.
The tomb is the (5) focus of the entire complex. This (6), white marble
structure stands on a square plinth and consists of a (7) building with
40

an iwan (an arch shaped doorway) topped by a large dome and finial.
Like most Mughal tombs, the (8) elements are Persian in origin.
The base structure is (9) a large, multi-chambered cube with
chamfered corners, forming an (10) octagon that is approximately
55meters on each of the four long sides. On each of these sides, a
(11) pishtaq, or vaulted archway, frames the iwan with two similarly shaped arched balconies stacked on either side. This motif of
stacked pishtaqs is replicated on the chamfered corner areas, making the design completely symmetrical on all sides of the building.
Four minarets frame the tomb, one at each corner of the plinth
facing the chamfered corners. The main chamber houses the (12)
sarcophagi of Mumtaz Mahal and Shah Jahan; the actual graves
are at a (13) level.
The marble dome that surmounts the tomb is the (14) feature. Its
height of around 35meters is about the same as the length of the
base and is accentuated as it sits on a (15) drum of roughly 7meters
high. Because of its shape, the dome is often called an onion dome
or amrud. The top is decorated with a lotus design, which also serves
to accentuate its height. The shape of the dome is emphasized by
four (16) domed chattris (kiosks) placed at its corners, which replicate
the onion shape of the main dome. (17) decorative spires (guldastas)
extend from edges of base walls and provide visual emphasis to the
height of the dome.
The minarets, which are each more than 40meters tall, display the
designers penchant for symmetry. They were designed as working
minarets a (18) element of mosques, used by the muezzin to call
the Islamic faithful to prayer. The minarets were constructed (19)
outside the plinth so that, in the event of a collapse (a (20) occurrence with many tall constructions of the period), the material from
the towers would tend to fall away from the tomb. (Adapted from www.
wikipedia.org)

13. Define the following architectural elements found in the text:

Iwan
Pishtaq
41

Amrud Chattris
Guldastas
Minaret
14. In pairs, student A reads the following house description and
the student B draws the house plan on an A4 paper.
The house is located in the beautiful suburbs of Cluj Napoca, in the
south-west region, at about 30minutes drive downtown.
It is a fully renovated property with four bedrooms, courtyard and
garden.
The entrance door on the ground floor is leading to an open plan
room used as a living room with wooden ceiling and wainscoting.
Size of the room is 25m2. There is a wooden staircase at the left end
of the room leading to a large bedroom of the same size, with ceiling
windows. Under the staircase there is a door leading to separate WC
and lavatory.
On the right side of the entrance, we find a 45 m2 kitchen and
dining area, with a sliding door leading to a covered terrace area
approx. 5m2 in size, ideal for sipping wine and taking in the views
on a warm summer evening. The kitchen has a swing door, wooden
ceiling and wainscoting. Fittings include double sink, one dishwasher, five electric sockets, one oven socket, three phase current
supply and installation for the ventilation hood. The dining area
has a minibar, tiled floor and a door leading to the 7 m2 utility
room, which houses the boiler, plumbing for washing machine and
storage space.
The first floor accommodates three bedrooms with wooden floors.
Bedroom 1 is 18m2 , bedroom 2 is 15m2 and the master bedroom
is 25m2. Bedrooms 1 and 2 share the bathroom situated between
them, while the master bedroom has a separate bathroom. Both of
them have WC, sinks and bathtubs and both measure 3m2 each.
The front courtyard houses one separate building for storage and the
car park lane. The back yard has a swimming pool and a barbeque
patio.
42

The basement covers the entire area of the house and is divided into
a cellar and a wine cellar.
The total plot area is 1347m2.
15. Watch the documentary on Gothic cathedrals and identify the
main elements of this type of construction

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xkfmK-CLvcc&feature=related

16. Translate the following description in English.

Lacul Vidraru este un lac de acumulare creat in anul 1965 de Barajul
Vidraru in judetul Arges, pe raul Arges pentru productia de energie
electrica.
Suprafata totala a lacului este de 8,93km2, lungimea de 10,3km,
latimea maxima de 2,2km in cea mai lata zona si o circumferinta
de 28km. Adancimea maxima a apei este de 155m langa baraj
care este inalt de 166m. Volumul apei este de 465 milioane m3 si
nivelul normal al apei este la 830,000m deasupra nivelului marii.
Construirea barajului Vidradu a durat cinci ani si jumatate, incepand din anul 1960. Au fost necesare 42 km de tunel subteran, au
fost excavate 1.768.000m3 de beton si au fost instalate 6.300 tone de
echipament electromecanic.
La data finalizarii, barajul era pe locul 8 n Europa si pe locul al
20-lea din lume. (www.wikipedia.org)
43

17. Prepare a spoken virtual guided tour of a building, bridge or

monument. Your presentation should contain a description of
the construction as a whole, its elements, construction materials used, architectural style and other technical information. Use
visuals such as slides, pictures or scale models to support your
presentation.

44

Unit 5 Construction Materials

Classifications
The process of classification refers to breaking items into types,
classes, categories or kinds and analyzing each one. The key words
for classifications are: classes, kinds, types, categories, sorts, groups.
In relation to technical writing, classifications make the evaluation of items much easier. (http://www.prismnet.com)
For example, nouns can be classified into:
COUNT NOUNS
ARTICLES: a, an, the
QUANTIFIERS: a couple of, a few, a load of, a lot of, all, any (+compounds), both, each, either, enough, hundreds of, less, lots of, many,
more, most, neither, no (+compounds), none of, plenty of, several,
some (+compounds), tons of
UNCOUNT NOUNS
1. Things made up of small pieces sand, gravel, salt
2. Wholes composed of individual parts machinery (gear,
pistons), payment (dollars and cents)
3. Fields of study and professional fields economics, mathematics, physics, chemistry, engineering, computer science,
English
4. Abstract ideas information, advice, justice, news, knowledge, curiosity, importance
5. Liquids oil, petrol, water, glue, kerosene, gasoline, beer, paint
6. Gasses helium, oxygen, carbon monoxide, smoke,
methane
7. Solids, minerals and elements lava, iron, penicillin, plastic, steel, wood, mercury
8. Natural phenomena snow, wind, humidity, darkness
9. Scientific processes and procedures fission, fusion, sonar,
radar, electricity

45

Binary nouns
1. tools or instruments scissors, pliers, tweezers
2. articles of clothing worn on the lower half of the body overalls,
shorts, pants
3. optical lenses sunglasses, binoculars, glasses
Non count nouns singular in form: cattle, clergy, people, majority,
intelligence
Non count nouns plural in form: communications, arms, data,
goods, media
ARTICLES: the
QUANTIFIERS: a bit of, a little, a load of, a lot of, all, any, enough,
less, lots of, more, most, much, no, none of, plenty of, some, tons of
BOTH COUNT AND UNCOUNT
1. the singular form and the plural form have two different
meanings
fish fishes (more than one species)
2. they are group nouns (can be used both with the singular or
the plural form)
The crew is/are very tired today (as a whole or each member)
1. Read the text and create a chronological classification (timeline)
of the insulation materials.
For thousands of years, house structures were designed to best suit
the climate of their location. For example, using the earth as an insulator, the Egyptians retired to the coolness of subterranean chambers
and grottoes on hot days. Historians believe that the ancient Greeks
and Romans discovered asbestos and found many uses for it because
of its resistance to heat and fire. The Romans even used cork for
insulation in shoes in order to keep their feet warm. Pliny, in the first
century, referred to the use of cork as an insulating material for roofs.
Early inhabitants of Spain lined their stone houses with cork bark,
and North African natives used cork mixed with clay for the walls of
their dwellings.
46

As technology developed, so did innovations to improve the comfort of human beings. Introduction of the fireplace and chimney by
the Norwegians and people of Iceland during the twelfth and thirteenth centuries provided controlled, artificial heat. It was evident
that the task soon became not only how to keep heat out but also
how to keep heat in. The thatched huts of northern Europe were
built with a roof, up to 2 ft thick, of woven straw and walls of clay
and straw. Early Spanish mission houses of the southwestern United
States, where temperatures rose to 140F, were comparatively cool
due to clay straw walls several feet thick. Similarly, the indigenous
peoples of the South Seas built huts of dried sea grass. The hollow
fiber of the dried sea grass provided a good degree of thermal resistance. Mineral fiber another important insulating material was
first used by the natives of the Hawaiian Islands to blanket their
huts. The fibers came from volcanic deposits, where escaping steam
had broken the molten lava into fluffy fibers.
It was not until the advent of the industrial revolution of the
late nineteenth century that deliberate commercial application of
thermal insulations became mainstream. For example, blanket-type
insulations were being developed throughout the 1890s.
Mineral wool was first commercially produced as a pipe insulator in Wales in 1840. It was almost 60 years later, in 1897, that C. C.
Hall, a chemical engineer, produced rock wool. By 1928, there were
eight plants manufacturing either rock wool or slag wool insulation
in the U.S.
Fiberglass had its first beginnings in ancient Egypt, when people discovered that they could draw hot glass into threads, which
were placed around vessels for decoration. The modern technique
of making fiberglass insulation, developed in 1931, involved jetting of molten glass through tiny heated holes into high-speed air
streams, wherein the resulting fibers are drawn very thin and to
great length.
Wood shavings were a very popular insulation product due to the
wide availability of raw materials and their low cost at the turn of
the century. Shavings often were treated with lime or some other
47

chemicals to increase resistance to water absorption, fire and fungal

growth.
Straw bale construction also has been around since the frontier days of the United States and is most common in the western
Plains states. When the Kincaid Act of 1904 opened part of Nebraska
to homesteading, straw was one of the only indigenous materials
available.
Reflective insulation materials, using bright metallic surfaces,
were first patented in 1804. Aluminum eventually became the predominant reflective material, but it did not achieve commercial
popularity until the 1930s.
The genesis of insulation board product dates to 1910. Two semi
rigid insulation product made from flax (a textile fiber made from
plants) were manufactured in Minnesota.
Extruded polystyrene insulation was originally developed by
the Dow Chemical Company in the United States in the early 1940s.
Known proprietarily as Styrofoam, it was first used as a flotation
material in life rafts and lifeboats because its fully closed cell structure renders it highly resistant to water absorption. The insulating
properties of Styrofoam, combined with the advantage of the closed
cell structure, led to its development as a thermal insulation material.
Initial applications were in low-temperature situations for cold-store
floors, walls and ceiling panels and pipe insulation.
At the U.S. paper industry grew in the 1940s, it was only natural to
look to paper by-products for insulation. Originally manufactured as
a sound deadener, paper-based cellulose soon caught on as an effective, dense insulation material. As a result of the 1970s energy crisis,
heavy demand for insulation induced many new producers to enter
the cellulose industry, causing a resurgence of cellulose insulation
popularity. Once the crisis passed, however, only a few companies
remained committed to refining the material. (Bynum, Richard Jr., 2001,
Insulation Handbook)

48

2. Read the text again and decide whether the statements are true
or false
1. Greeks produced asbestos in antiquity.
2. Cork is a tree.
3. The Norwegians were interested only in how to keep heat out.
4. North European huts had thin roofs.
5. Mineral fiber is a modern insulation material.
6. Blanket-type insulations were developed starting with the 1890s.
7. Mineral wool insulation was produced heavily in the U.S.
7. Reflective insulation materials were first patented in the 19th
century.
8. Flax is made of plastic.
9. Cellulose insulation is still a popular choice in the U.S.
3. Based on the text below and your own experience, arrange the
properties in the list in a diagram under these categories: physical,
mechanical, chemical, optical.
Acidity
Alkalinity
Brittleness
Composition
Color
Conductivity
Corrosion resistance
Creep

Density
Ductility
Elasticity
Fatigue
Hardness
Light reflection
Light transmission
Malleability

Plasticity
Shape
Size
Specific gravity
Stiffness
Strength
Toughness

While in service use, all materials are exposed to external stimuli

that evoke some type of response. For example, a specimen subjected
to forces will experience deformation; or a polished metal surface
will reflect light. Property is a material trait in terms of the kind and
magnitude of response to a specific imposed stimulus.
Virtually all important properties of solid materials may be grouped
into six different categories: mechanical, electrical, thermal, magnetic,
optical and deteriorative. For each there is a characteristic type of stimulus capable of provoking different responses. Mechanical properties
49

relate deformation to an applied load or force; examples include elastic

modulus and strength. For electrical properties, such as electrical conductivity and dielectric constant, the stimulus is an electric field. The
thermal behavior of solids can be represented in terms of heat capacity and thermal conductivity. Magnetic properties demonstrate the
response of a material to the application of a magnetic field. For optical
properties, the stimulus is electromagnetic or light radiation; index of
refraction and reflexivity are representative optical properties. Finally,
deteriorative characteristics indicate the chemical reactivity of materials. (Callister, William, 2001, Fundamentals of Material Science and Engineering)
4. Read the text and then complete the classification diagram with
the construction materials in the box. Some of them may be placed
in more than one category.
Acrylic
Concrete
Gold
Paper
Rubber
Terra cotta

Aluminum
Copper
Grass
Polyester
Sand
Tin

Cement
Cotton
Ice
Polystyrene
Silk
Water

Chrome
Foam
Leather
PVC
Silver
Wood

Clay
Glass
Mud
Rock
Steel
Wool

Metallic materials are normally combinations of metallic elements.

They have large numbers of non-localized electrons; that is, these
electrons are not bound to particular atoms. Many properties of metals are directly attributable to these electrons. Metals are extremely
good conductors of electricity and heat and are not transparent to
visible light; a polished metal surface has a lustrous appearance. Furthermore, metals are quite strong, yet deformable, which accounts
for their extensive use in structural applications.
Ceramics are compounds between metallic and nonmetallic elements; they are most frequently oxides, nitrides and carbides. The
wide range of materials that falls within this classification includes
ceramics that are composed of clay minerals, cement and glass.
These materials are typically insulative to the passage of electricity
and heat and are more resistant to high temperatures and harsh
50

environments than metals and polymers. With regard to mechanical

behavior, ceramics are hard but very brittle.
Polymers include the familiar plastic and rubber materials. Many of
them are organic compounds that are chemically based on carbon,
hydrogen and other nonmetallic elements; furthermore, they have
very large molecular structures. These materials typically have low
densities and may be extremely flexible.
A number of composite materials have been engineered that consist
of more than one material type. Fiberglass is a familiar example, in
which glass fibers are embedded within a polymeric material. A composite is designed to display a combination of the best characteristics
of each of the component materials. Fiberglass acquires strength
from the glass and flexibility from the polymer. Many of the recent
material developments have involved composite materials. (Callister,
William, 2001, Fundamentals of Material Science and Engineering)

metallic
ceramics
polymers
type
composite

Construction
materials

structure
purpose

structural
elements
insulation
finishes /
decorations

51

5. Compare the construction materials according to the property

defined.
1. steel/aluminum/tin
Elasticity the property of a material that enables it to regain its
original shape and size after the removal of an external load (adjective elastic)
2. foam/paper/wool
Density mass per unit volume (adjective dense)
3. gold/rubber/ice
Conductivity the ability of a material to conduct electricity
(adjective conductive)
4. rock/glass/terra cotta
Hardness the property of a material that enables it to resist abrasion, indentation or scratching (adjective hard)
5. foam/polystyrene/wood
Porosity the degree by which the volume of a materials is occupied by pores (adjective porous)
6. Complete the text with the words below.
Attractive
Compressional
Corrosion
Damage
Durable
Fire resistant

High stress
More durable
Noncritical
Pressure
Reinforced (2)
Reinforcement

Stores
Strong
Stronger
Structural (2)
Waterproofing
Withstand

Before designing an earth-sheltered house, you should consider

whats involved in its construction, including your construction
material options.
The construction materials for each type of structure will vary,
depending on characteristics of the site and the type of design.
52

However, general guidelines show that houses more deeply buried

require (1), (2) construction materials.
Materials must provide a good surface for (3) and insulation to
withstand the pressure and moisture of the surrounding ground.
When soil is wet or frozen, the pressure on the walls and floors
increases. Pressure also increases with depth, so materials such as
concrete and reinforced masonry, wood and steel are all suitable.
Concrete is the most common choice for constructing earth-sheltered buildings. Not only is it (4), it is also (5) and (6). Several forms
of concrete are used. Lightly (7) concrete, which is poured and reinforced at the site, is used for (8) structural elements such as concrete
foundations, floor slabs and exterior walls with less than 1.80m of
earth cover. Precast reinforced concrete can resist loads at any reasonable depth and can be used for floors, walls and roofs. Concrete
absorbs and (9) heat, helping to prevent temperature swings that can
(10) some building materials.
Masonry can be used for walls that will receive vertical or lateral
(11) from earth cover. It is (12) with steel bars that are put in the
core of the masonry in places of (13), such as weight-bearing walls
or walls with earth against them. Masonry generally costs less than
cast-in-place concrete.
Wood can be used extensively in earth-sheltered construction for
both interior and structural work including floors, roofs and exterior
walls. Wood is (14) for its color and warmth and complements tile
and masonry, as well as concrete walls, floors and ceilings. However,
using wood as a structural material requires wooden frame walls,
which must (15) lateral pressure and be restricted to a burial depth
of one story. Beyond this depth, the rapidly increasing cost of wood
construction restricts most builders from using it as a (16) material.
Steel is used for beams, bar joists, columns and concrete (17). It
is particularly useful because of its high tensional and (18) strength.
The primary disadvantage of steel is that it must be protected against
(19) if it is exposed to the elements or to groundwater. It is also expensive, so it must be used efficiently to be economical as a (20) material.
(http://www.energysavers.gov)

53

7. Watch the news about the use of recycled plastics (RP) for construction materials and answer the questions below.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ITve7kfKaBs

1.
2.
3.
4.
5.

What is the purpose of recycled plastics (RP)?

What are the advantages of RP?
What are its properties?
Are there any disadvantages?
What other applications can be found for RP?

8. The chart below shows the status of the construction material

supplies on your construction site (percentages). Write a short
e-mail to the procurement department to inform them about the
needs of the project, based on the current situation. Use the expressions in the box and other words to determine quantity.
For example: There are only a few roof tiles left, we need several
more boxes. Perhaps we could return some of the steel bars, which
are more than enough, and ask for more lime instead.
a few, a load of, a lot of, enough, hundreds of, less, lots of, many, more,
plenty of, several, some tons of, a bit of, a little, a load of, a lot of, most,
much, no, plenty of

54

To: Procurement Department

From: your name
Date:
Subject:
Dear colleagues,
I have just received your report regarding the construction material
supplies on our site. Given the current situation, this is what we
need:
9. Write a description based on the following notes on stones:
Stones
naturally available
cut in size, shape building rocks
Classifications
1. Geological
1.1. Igneous: granite, trap, basalt
1.2. Sedimentary: sandstones, lime stones, mud stones
1.3. Metamorphic: marble, quartzite, slate
2. Physical
2.1. Stratified: sandstones, limestone, slate
2.2. Unstratified: granite, trap, marble
2.3. Foliated: quartzite
55

3. Chemical
3.1. Siliceous: granite, trap, sandstone
3.2. Argillaceous: slates, laterites
3.3. Calcareous: limestone
(Bhavikatti, S.S., Basic Civil Engineering)

10. Translate the text into English:

Chirpiciul este un material de constructie in forma de caramida. Este
facut dintr-un amestec de luct, paie si balegar de cal, care ulterior
este uscat la soare (nu este ars).
Desi se considera ca locuintele din chirpici sunt specifice categoriilor
sarace ale populatiei, unii specialisti recunosc ca ele par a fi cele mai
sanatoase case si cele mai rezistente la cutremur. Chirpiciul este bun
termoizolator, primind caldura cu greutate si cedand-o lent. Lutul si
paiele care stau la baza construirii unor astfel de case sunt materiale
ecologice, naturale, oferind un mediu interior sanatos.
Casele din chirpici sunt foarte racoroase vara si calduroase iarna,
sunt case care respire, mai ales cele cu acoperis de paie si podea de
lut.
Normele in vigoare prevad ca locuintele construite din acest material de constructie au o durabilitate garantata de 20 de ani, insa
practica arata ca ele pot rezista si 70 de ani daca sunt intretinute
corespunzator.
Pe langa avantajele evidente de bun isolator terminc, are si un mare
dezavantaj este sensibil la umezeala, iar la imbibarea cu apa isi
pierde capacitatea portanta. (adapted from www.wikipedia.org)
11. Write a classification based on a category of items. For example,
bridge taxonomy, roof architecture based on geographical influences, construction materials in Romania countryside versus
cities, etc. Present it in front of your colleagues.

56

Unit 6 Construction Processes

Describing processes
Technical descriptions are also used for processes. Technical descriptions of processes are constructed on the following structure:
1. An overview of the item identification and function of
major parts
2. Operation of item summary of parts, explanation of one
cycle of operation
There are several ways in which processes can be described:
1. Narrative texts they describe the processes using full body
paragraphs, simple present and transition words such as:
first, next, after that, then, finally, etc. They can be both in
active or passive voice
2. Numbered sets of steps/instructions they use the imperative and the active voice
3. Numbered lists of actions they describe the processes
using simple past and the active voice (when they focus on
the agent performing the process), or they describe the processes using simple past and the passive voice (when the
emphasis is on the action)
(http://oasis.qatar.tamu.edu)

Active voice is used for most non-scientific writing and in scientific writing when the passive voice might make the message too
unclear. Usually it makes the meaning clear for the readers. Sentences in active voice are more concise and use fewer words than
the ones using passive voice.
Passive voice is used when the focus is on the action. Who or what
is performing the action is not important or not known.
The building was demolished last night.
A mistake was made and the bridge did not pass final inspection.
57

Remember!
The object of the active sentence becomes the subject of the passive one or it can be dropped completely:
Workers are tearing the old building down.
The old building is being torn down (by workers).
The finite form of the verb is changed but the tense and aspect
remain the same:
The experts have performed all the safety tests.
All the safety tests have been performed (by the experts).
1. Read the following article and extract the main steps of constructing the igloo.

Most people have seen pictures of the domed snow block structure
known as an igloo. The Inuit build other snow block structures as
well, far more complex, but the small domed house most of us have
seen in cartoons and movies is a structure which can be constructed
in an afternoon.
The process needs a snow saw, a snow shovel, waterproof gloves and
snowshoes.
Construction begins with the cutting of snow blocks. In most areas,
snow falls without compacting enough to allow blocks to be cut.
Tramp an area the size of your intended snow block quarry for at
least 15 to 30minutes, then let it rest a half hour. Compaction causes
the small ice crystals of snow to melt. These quickly refreeze, forming
a more solid building material. The size of the blocks you cut will
58

depend on the size of the block you can handle comfortably and how
strong the compacted snow is.
Your quarry may be the area over which the igloo is built. With this
plan the quarry forms the floor of the igloo. The floor of the igloo is
below ground level. Since the entry ways are best set below the level
of the igloo floors, further excavation forms the entryway.
You will need the snow shovel to excavate a hole in order to reach the
underside of the first block and cut them free. Once the blocks are cut,
construction begins as an upward spiral. Each block is shaped after
it is cut from the quarry. The shape of an individual block depends
on the position in the spiral where it will be placed. Near the floor,
where the block may not be angled inward more than a few degrees,
blocks are rectangular. Near the center of the roof, where the blocks
are nearly horizontal, their shape may be nearly triangular. Cut out
an arc on the bottom of every block such that only the two bottom
edges of the block will rest on the block below. Properly set, the block
will make a gentle thunk. The compression of that gentle bump
will make it stick to the previous block. The final blocks must be set
from the inside.
After the final block is set, shovel snow onto the igloo and gently
pack it into holes and crevices. After a night or two of warming from
the inside and re-freezing, the igloo will be very strong.
The entry is done after the blocks are all set by cutting an entrance
down slope from the edge of the igloo.
(http://www.primitiveways.com/igloo.html)

2. Read the text again and extract the nouns related to construction and parts of a building and the verbs related to construction
processes.
3. Find the words in the text that mean:
1. Made of several connected parts
2. That cannot be penetrated by water
3. To permit
4. To walk with heavy or noisy steps
59

5. Place where stone or other construction materials are extracted

from the ground
6. To be able to be operated in a specific way
7. Additional, more
8. Narrow opening or crack in a wall
9. Surface that is at an angle to the earths surface
10. Almost
4. Turn these tips for brick masonry construction into a set of
instructions using the imperative and the active voice.
1. Good brick masonry should utilize bricks which are sound,
hard, well burnt and tough with uniform color shape and size.
2. The bricks should be compact, homogeneous, free from holes,
cracks, flaws, air-bubbles and stone lumps. These bricks should
be properly soaked in water for at least two hours before use.
3. In the brick work, the bricks should be laid on their beds with
the frogs pointing upwards.
4. The brick courses should be laid truly horizontal and should
have truly horizontal and vertical joints.
5. The use of brick bats should be discourages as much as possible
6. As much as possible the brick walls should be raised uniformly
with proper bond. Generally, the height of brick masonry construction in a day should be less than 1.5m.
7. When the mortar is greed, the face joints should be ranked to
a depth of 12 to 19mm in order to have a proper key for plastering or pointing.
8. In order to ensure continuous bond between the old and the
new, the walls should be stopped with a toothed end.
9. Finished brickwork in lime mortar should be cured for a period
of 2 to 3 weeks. This period can be reduced to 1 to 2 weeks in
case of brickwork with cement mortar.
10. In order to carry out the brickwork at a higher level, a single
scaffolding is used.
(http://theconstructor.org)

60

5. The following steps belong to four different sets of instructions.

Re-compose these sets.
How to drive a bulldozer (www.howtodothings.com)
How to pour concrete (www.doityourself.com)
How to use a fire extinguisher (http://www.fire-extinguisher101.com)
How to give first aid to bone injuries (www.firstaidtopics.com)
After the concrete in the form has been thoroughly tamped, level the
concrete.
After the form is filled, tamp the freshly poured concrete to compact
it.
Aim at the base of the fire, not at the flames.
Apply a cold compress over the injury to reduce swelling.
Control the blade by using the joystick located to your right.
Do not rub or move the injured body part.
Elevate the injured body part if it can be done without causing further injury.
Grasp the joystick located to your left and slowly push it to the direction you want to go.
If there is a protruding bone then bleeding will need to be taken care
of by applying indirect pressure.
Immobilize the injured body part.
Lower the blade until it reaches the grounds surface.
Move the bulldozer forward slowly by controlling the pedal and the
steering joystick.
Never straighten or realign an injured body part.
Operate the extinguisher from a safe distance and then move towards
the fire once it starts to diminish.
Pour the concrete.
Pull the pin at the top of the extinguisher.
Rest the injured body part and the entire casualty.
Seek medical help.
Set the forms.
Squeeze the lever slowly to release the extinguishing agent.
61

Start the machine by turning the key in the ignition.

Sweep from side to side until the fire is completely out.
When the concrete has set sufficiently to support a plank, use
the plank as a straightedge to guide a groover to cut contraction
joints.
6. Read the process of steelmaking and summarize each stage using
gerund verbs (for example pouring hot metal in the ladle).
Basic oxygen steelmaking process (BOS) is a method of primary steelmaking in which carbon-rich molted pig iron is made into steel. The
basic oxygen steel-making process is as follows:
1. Molten pig iron (sometimes referred to as hot metal) from a blast
furnace is poured into a large refractory-lined container called a
ladle;
2. The metal in the ladle is sent directly for the basic oxygen steel
making or to a pretreatment stage. Pretreatment of the blast furnace metal is used to reduce the refining load of sulfur, silicon
and phosphorus. In desulfurizing pretreatment, a lance is lowered
into the molten iron in the ladle and several hundred kilograms of
powdered magnesium are added. Sulfur impurities are reduced to
magnesium sulfide in a violent exothermic reaction. The sulfide
is then raked off. Similar pretreatment is possible for desiliconisation and dephosphorisation using mill scale (iron oxide) and
lime as reagents. The decision to pretreat depends on the quality
of the blast furnace metal and the required final quality of the
BOS steel.
3. Filling the furnace with the ingredients is called charging. The
BOS process is autogenous: the required thermal energy is produced
during the process. Maintaining the proper charge balance, the ratio
of hot metal to scrap, is therefore very important. The BOS vessel is
one-fifth filled with steel scrap. Molten iron from the ladle is added
as required by the charge balance. A typical chemistry of hot metal
62

charged into the BOS vessel is: 4% C, 0.20.8% Si, 0.080.18% P, and
0.010.04% S.
4. The vessel is then set upright and a water-cooled lance is lowered
down into it. The lance blows 99% pure oxygen onto the steel and
iron, igniting the carbon dissolved in the steel and burning it to form
carbon monoxide and carbon dioxide, causing the temperature to
rise to about 1700 C. This melts the scrap, lowers the carbon content
of the molten iron and helps remove unwanted chemical elements.
It is this use of oxygen instead of the air that improves upon the Bessemer process, for the nitrogen (and other gases) in air do not react
with the charge as oxygen does. High purity oxygen is blown into
the furnace or BOS vessel through a vertically oriented water-cooled
lance with velocities faster than Mach 1.
5. Fluxes (burnt lime or dolomite) are fed into the vessel to form slag,
which absorbs impurities of the steelmaking process. During blowing,
the metal in the vessel forms an emulsion with the slag, facilitating
the refining process. Near the end of the blowing cycle, which takes
about 20 minutes, the temperature is measured and samples are
taken. The samples are tested and a computer analysis of the steel
given within six minutes. A typical chemistry of the blown metal is
0.30.6% C, 0.050.1% Mn, 0.010.03% Si, 0.010.03% S and P.
6. The BOS vessel is tilted again and the steel is poured into a giant
ladle. This process is called tapping the steel. The steel is further
refined in the ladle furnace, by adding alloying materials to give the
steel special properties required by the customer. Sometimes argon
or nitrogen gas is bubbled into the ladle to make sure the alloys mix
correctly. The steel now contains 0.011% carbon. The more carbon in
the steel, the harder it is, but it is also more brittle and less flexible.
7. After the steel is removed from the BOS vessel, the slag, filled with
impurities, is poured off and cooled. (www.wikipedia.org)
7. Create a flowchart diagram (see example below) with the steps
of steelmaking process found in the text above. Add more boxes if
63

necessary. Choose the best suited voice for the purpose (active or
passive).
steelmaking
process

8. In pairs, extract relevant information from the video about

operating a small bulldozer. Student A should watch the video
and extract information on how to operate it, while student B
should make a list of tips for a correct and smooth operation of
the machine.
Example
A start the engine: switch
B check the machine: open

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hi9tOILaiNs

64

9. Based on your notes made on the video, answer the questions

below. Use gerund.
The operator starts the machine by switching the key.
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.

How does the machine start?

How does the operator make the bobcat go fast?
How do you move the boom up?
How does the operator turn the machine left?
How do you dump the bucket?

10. Write a full narrative description of the tensile stress experiment based on the notes below. Use simple present, transition
words and the passive voice.
1. Recording the original gauge lengths of the specimen
2. Calculating the mean diameter by measuring the diameter
in three different places using a micrometer and taking an
average
3. Attaching the Lindley extensometer to record the stretch
under the applied force
4. Inserting the specimen into the upper jaws of the machine
and attaching the Lindley extensometer to the machine
5. Adjusting the load scale to zero and locking the lower jaws
to hold the specimen in place.
6. Applying a small load to the Lindley extensometer to check
that it functions properly
7. Starting the necking, removing the extensometer and recording the elongation of the specimen using a divider and a ruler
8. Applying continuous load until the specimen fractures (www.
coursework.info)

11. Translate the following process into English. Use passive voice
and transition words.
Dl. Ion Pop, zidar, despre cum punem faianta:
Inainte de toate trebuie sa pregatim peretii. Daca au fost deja
65

zugraviti, ei trebuie degresati. Apoi trebuie sa egalam si sa acoperim

gaurile si fisurile.
Incepem sa trasam cu sfoara o linie verticala in mijlocul peretelui.
Nu este bine sa incepem niciodata sa punem faianta din colt pentru
ca acestea nu formeaza aproape niciodata unghiuri drepte.
Pentru a imparti bine faianta, mai intai trebuie sa desenam un plan,
sa calculam bine cam cate bucati intregi folosim si cate taiem. De
asemenea, trebuie sa avem in vedere o asezare simetrica a placilor.
In acelasi timp, trebuie sa decidem ce distanta lasam intre placi.
Adezivul se aplica pe orizontala cu o spatula zimtata. Prima placa de
faianta se pune in partea inferioara a peretelui si a sforii, sprijinita
pe o bordura de lemn. Distanta dintre placi se mentine cu ajutorul
pieselor din plastic special produse pentru acest scop. Pe masura ce
lipim placile de faianta, inseram distantierele intre ele si masuram
din loc in loc cu bolobocul pentru a verifica daca placile sunt puse in
aceeasi linie. In cazul in care una dintre ele este mai iesita in afara
ii dam cateva lovituri usoare cu ciocanul de cauciuc pentru a o aduce
la acelasi nivel cu celelalte.
Dupa ce am terminat de pus faianta, vom lasa ca adezivul sa se
usuce aproximativ 24 de ore. Dupa ce adezivul s-a uscat vom aplica
rostul cu o mistrie de cauciuc. Vom indeparta rostul in exces cu un
burete umed sau cu o carpa.
Spatula zimtata reeded spatula
Mistrie de cauciuc rubber trowel
Boloboc spirit level
Rost tile grout
12. Turn the translated text into a set of instructions. Use the imperative and active voice.
13. Based on the Gantt diagram below, write a narrative text on the
process of constructing a small family house. Use transition words
and the passive voice.

66

feb. 2012

ID

Task Name

Start

Finish

mar. 2012

Duration
29.1

Clearing and layout

31 .01 .2012

31 .01 .2012

1d

Excavate

01 .02 .2012

03.02 .2012

3d

Formwork

06.02 .2012

07.02 .2012

2d

Concrete foundation

08 .02 .2012

09.02 .2012

2d

Super structure

10.02 .2012

01. 03.2012

3w

Masonry

10.02 .2012

01 .03 .2012

3w

Roofing

01 .03 .2012

09.03 .2012

1 w 2d

Electrical grid

09.03 .2012

13 .03 .2012

3d

HVAC

09.03 .2012

13 .03 .2012

3d

10

Plumbing

09.03 .2012

13 .03 .2012

3d

11

Doors and windows

14 .03 .2012

15.03 .2012

2d

12

Lath and plaster

16.03 .2012

22 .03 .2012

1w

13

Flooring and tiling

23.03 .2012

02 .04.2012

1 w 2d

14

Painting

03.04.2012

03.04.2012

1d

5.2

12 .2

19 .2

26.2

4.3

11 .3

18 .3

25.3

14. Prepare a short talk (5minutes) about a construction process,

the production of a construction material or a test done in constructions and deliver it to your colleagues.

67

Unit 7 Writing for Science

Scientific papers
Perhaps the most important aspect of engineering life is that of
research and development. Inventions and innovations are at the
core of technological progress and they are based on scientific
research. Therefore, the engineers are responsible for transmitting
their findings by publishing them clearly and widely so that their
knowledge and practical implications are shared with the public
and other fellow researchers.
However, most future engineers love to perform experiments and to
do critical thinking but are not so fond of writing about them and
tend to procrastinate this important part of their professional life.
The scientific paper is the written counterpart of scientific research.
Its basic structure is:
1. Title describes the matter of the critical thinking or summarizes the results of the experiment
2. Abstract briefly (100

200 words) presents the purpose,

method, results and conclusion of the analysis or experiment
3. Keywords the most important words related to the topic
4. Introduction defines the terms, describes the situation
that led to the experiment or critical thinking, synthesizes
what others had to say about the matter
5. Materials and methods states the hypotheses or assumptions, provides enough details so that any other researcher
can repeat the experiment or line of thought, preliminary
results that prove the need of the experiment or analysis
6. Results presents the results in forms of descriptions, classifications, including visuals such as tables, graphs and charts,
statistical analyses of the most important results obtained
7. Discussions provides quantitative analysis (statistical data
interpretation) and qualitative analysis (speculations, give
reason for why something happened or did not happen or

68

for the manner it happened), SWOT analysis, recommendations, conclusions, further research opportunities
8. References represents a complete list of the literature and
authors quoted and referred to in your work
Having a plan makes it easy to start elaborating on such a paper.
Specialists recommend step-by-step plans, like this one:

Step 1: Identify the type of paper

There are two main types of research papers: analytical and argumentative. The analytical paper usually explores and evaluates,
while the argumentative one tries to persuade the readers.

Step 2: Identify and group relevant information

Not all data from the process of critical thinking or from the experiments conducted will find a place within the lines of the paper.
Sometimes experimental results or lines of thought do not lead
to conclusive results, or there is not enough statistically relevant
information generated. Other times, some of the results have
already been clearly proven by previous work or they may just be
so obvious that they do not need to be demonstrated.
The paper should contain only information relevant to the purpose
of the research and should be interesting for the potential readers.
On the other hand, the pieces of information should be grouped
according to the various parts of the paper (see the structure above)

Step 3: Draft your paper

This step builds the framework of the paper. Parts 4, 5, 6 and 7 of
the structure rest on a number of main ideas, much as a house
rests on its structure.

Step 4: Write the paper

After building the framework of the paper, this step elaborates and
goes into detail on the main ideas for each part, thus creating paragraphs based on and connecting the elements of the structure.
69

Step 5: Check your work

Many times, we tend to skip this part due to lack of time or lack
of energy. Most writers go back and change paragraphs or entire
chapters, but fail to go over the entire paper and look at it as a
whole. It helps to have a colleague to proofread your work before
submitting it. However, many reviews or conference boards have a
system called peer blind review, which allows researchers to have
their papers reviewed by other researchers specially appointed for
this task, without their names being revealed. There is no shame in
receiving feedback this way and most scientific writers welcome
this, as it helps them clarify their work and make it more reader
friendly.
In terms of language in use, here are some aspects you should take
into account when writing for science:
1. Keep your text short and simple. Science should convey
the information in a logical and simple manner. Use short
phrases that cover just one idea. Writing too short sentences
interrupts the line of thought a lot, while paragraph-long
phrases tend to confuse the reader with too much information. A good exercise would be to read the phrase aloud.
Too short sentences will make you gasp for air a lot (much
like when you try to talk after jogging), while the paragraph-long phrase will leave you breathless long before it
is completed.
2. Use short words instead of long expressions. Your readers
are interested in your research and not in how many points
you can win at Scrabble. If you can choose between a word
and an expression or a phrase with the same meaning,
choose the word. Not to mention the fact that the longer
the expression, the more spelling mistakes you are bound
to make.
3. Use active voice as much as possible. In the past, using
active voice was not very popular when writing for science,
because it was believed that the author or the scientist was
70

4.

in the spotlight instead of the research itself. However, passive voice has become unpopular when writing for science
in English nowadays. More and more research papers use
active voice to describe the experiments by using the first
person pronoun singular or plural (I or we). Of course,
you will not be able to eliminate all passive voice phrases
and they still play an important role in writing for science.
However, you should use it carefully and only in such situations that cannot be turned into active voice.
Some of the most used instruments are:
Defining relative clauses for defining the terms used in the
paper
Indirect or reported speech when quoting and paraphrasing
other peoples work
Modal verbs to express estimations, predictions, possibility
or speculations
Conditional clauses to form hypotheses and assumptions
Simple present for experiment descriptions
Comparison of adjectives and adverbs to compare results
and samples

1. Read the text and make a list of the main ideas from each
paragraph.
(1)
A scientific article is a description of new ideas and a demonstration of their correctness. An article can remain relevant for a
remarkably long time and, if published in a major journal, may be
read by thousands of other scientists.
(2)
Unfortunately many scientists do not write well. (...) Indeed,
perhaps we should not always expect scientists to write well the
skills required for science and writing are rather different.
(3) But that does not mean that scientists should be content
to write badly. Every scientist whose work is affected by a poorly
written paper will suffer: ambiguity will lead to misunderstanding; omissions will frustrate; obscurity will make readers struggle
71

to reconstruct the authors intention. Effort used to understand the

form of an article its structure and syntax is effort not used to
understand its content. And no tale is so good that it cant be spoiled
in the telling. Irrespective of the importance and validity of its argument, a report will not convince anybody of anything if it is difficult
to understand. The more important the results (or the greater their
surprise value) the better the supporting arguments and their presentation should be.
(4) Publication not only makes knowledge available, it establishes the authors as the creators of that knowledge. Authorship
has obvious rewards such as position and promotion, and has other
rewards too; for example, by and large it is the basis on which the
scientific Nobel prizes are awarded. But authorship implies responsibility. Public mistakes not only make a scientist look foolish, they
can hurt a career.
(5)
Moreover, writing is not just a means of making ideas public. Another important aspect of it is that the discipline of stating
ideas as organized text forces authors to formulate and codify their
thoughts. Vague concepts become concrete; the act of writing suggests
new concepts to consider; and written material is easier to discuss
with colleagues. That is, writing is not the end of the research process it is integral to it. Only the styling of a paper, the polishing
process, truly follows the research.
(6) Taking another perspective, scientific papers are a way of
communicating ideas, of copying thoughts between minds. Communication is at its most effective when the medium is as free as
possible from distortion, which in this case is bad writing of any
kind. Such distortion can be reduced by writing with clarity and simplicity, and by making effective use of stylistic conventions. (Justin
Zobel, 1997, Writing for Computer Science)

2. Turn the main ideas from the text into a set of recommendations for scientific writers. Use modal verbs: must, should, ought
to, could, etc.

72

3. Turn this phrase into a positive one by replacing the underlined

words with antonyms. Make necessary changes.
Every scientist whose work is affected by a poorly written paper will
suffer: ambiguity will lead to misunderstanding; omissions will
frustrate; obscurity will make readers struggle to reconstruct the
authors intention.
4. Explain the meaning of these expressions found in the text:
1. No tale is so good that it cant be spoiled in the telling
2. Surprise value of the results
3. Authorship has obvious rewards such as position and promotion
5. The following paragraphs are part of a research paper describing an experiment to determine concrete permeability. Change the
tense, voice and aspect to make them more reader-friendly.
10 cm cubes of the following mix are to be cast by hand compaction
filling the cubes in two layers each layer to be rammed 35 times
by ramming rod 16mm diameter, 600mm in length one end bullet
pointed. A set of 3 cubes shall be prepared with the recommended
dosage of admixture. The other set of 3 cubes shall be made without
any admixture (controlled cube). In case of surface coating is to be
tested, then all the six cubes shall be made of the same mix.
After 24 hours of casting, all the cubes shall be demoulded and
cured in clean water in the same curing tank for 28 days. After 28
days of curing all the cubes shall be dried in a ventilated oven at the
temperature of 100C to 10C till constant weight. If surface coating is to be tested, then as per recommendations of the manufacturer
three cubes to be surface coated at one face and up to the height of
5cm on all the four faces. After coating and conditioning, these cubes
along with the controlled cubes shall again be died in the oven at a
temperature of 50C to 2C till constant weight. Coated cubes faces
should be kept upward while keeping them in oven, so that coating should not be damaged. The coating after its application should
73

withstand without any physical and chemical change a temperature of 50C, which is a temperature normally reached of concrete
surfaces exposed to sun at most places of India during summer. A
coating sensitive to this temperature should not be tested with this
method.
(Kaushal Kishore, Simple Testing of Admixtures and Surface Coating for Permeability to Water, www.engineeringcivil.com)

6. Reduce the phrases to a single word

in light of the fact that
are in agreement with
conduct an investigation
of a reversible nature
make an adjustment to

on two separate occasions

take into consideration
has the potential to
in the event that
in close proximity to

(adapted after Goldbort, 2006, Writing for Science)

7. Paraphrase these quotes based on the following definition of

paraphrasing:
Paraphrasing is the essential information and ideas expressed by
someone else, presented by you in a new form.
Although doing science is at the heart of discovery, the effort would
have very limited consequence in the long term without writing science. As a social enterprise that depends on collaboration, scientific
inquiry requires its practitioners to write on a regular basis. From
time to time, some members of the scientific community have been
critical of the overall quality of writing by researchers. If scientists
do indeed write less effectively than writers in other professions, at
the root of that circumstance may be the sentiment that time spent
writing is far less important than time spent doing research. (Goldbort, 2006, Writing for Science, p. XI)

As outlined in this section, construction project management that

will result in a profitable on-time job involves the organization and
interplay of many talents. Engineers, accountants, field supervisors,
74

construction labor, suppliers and subcontractors, all aided by attorneys, insurance and bonding underwriters, the design professional,
and the owner, must be organized and carefully coordinated.
Those who succeed in this complex and difficult business are the
ones who familiarize themselves thoroughly with the daily operations of their jobs. They are constantly learning by reading the latest
literature and professional journals and by attending seminars and
industry functions. They are alert and open-minded about new ideas.
They understand the needs of the clients and the design professional
and are able to tailor their services to them. (Borg, 2001, Construction
Project Management, p.70)

Structural theory is based primarily on the following set of laws

and properties. These principles often provide sufficient relations for
analysis of structures.
Laws of mechanics consist of the rules for static equilibrium and
dynamic behavior. The material used in a structure has a significant
influence on its behavior. Strength and stiffness are two important
material properties. These properties are obtained from experimental tests may be used in the analysis either directly or in an idealized
form. The laws of deformation require that structure geometry and
any incurred deformation be compatible; i.e., the deformations of
structural components are in agreement such that all components fit
together to define the deformed state of the entire structure. (Brockenbrough & Merritt, 1999, Structural Steel Designers Handbook, 3.1.)

8. Write a research paper on urban heat island effect based on this

list of ideas. Make sure you mention your sources.
www.wikipedia.org
Definition
metropolitan area significantly warmer than surrounding
rural areas
Characteristics
temperature difference larger at night
happens both summer and winter
75

Causes
building block surface emit thermal radiation
urban canyon effect: tall buildings provide multiple surfaces
for the reflection & absorption of sunlight
blocking of wind blocks cooling by convection
waste heat (automobiles), air conditioning, industry
Effects
health extreme heat death
water quality
air quality
higher energy usage
Eng. Kaushal Kishore, What are Green Buildings?,
www.engineeringcivil.com
Mitigation
1. planting trees
air temp under them can be as much as 10C cooler
can be sited strategically to shadow roofs, pavements, walls
also cool by evapotranspiration
2. green roofs
keep the surface cool
can also be used to grow fresh local products
significantly reduce storm water run off
local birds attracted
3. permeable pavement
grid or block pavers incorporate grass
lighter colors than traditional pavement
porous have lower total mass than asphalt or concrete
reduced amount of heat absorbed
4. wall paint
solar reflective paints
5. roofs
painting them with solar reflective acrylic based coating

76

9. As part of the scientific committee of an international conference, you have just received the title and the abstract from a group
of researchers who wish to participate at the conference. You
noticed that the title and the abstract have not been properly written and you decided to send an e-mail to the authors informing
them of the things they need to correct.
THE NECESITATY OF UTILIZATION OF ACTUAL METHODS FOR
DESIGN AND CALCULUS OF BUILDING FOUNDATION AND
EFFICIENT PROCEDURES OF CONSOLIDATION OF SOME OLD
FOUNDATION
Abstract
In the first part of the paper are presented the principle of the reglementation in the field of geotechnique and foundation in Europe
and in Romania. Are presented the last isues of standards and norms.
In the second part of the paper starts from the observation that in
the last years, appeared many situations when the owners or designers impose the underworks for existing foundations. The types of
old foundations are very different and from these, the foundations
which create the most difficulties for execution or designing, are
those having in composition friable materials, rotten zones, cracks,
etc. For these cases one imposes special solutions of intervention.
In the paper one describes some of these types of foundations and
one presents the classical solution of consolidation of these types
of foundation and one presents the classical solution of consolidation utilizing simple concrete. Starting from classical solution, in the
paper is presented an improved procedure of consolidation utilizing
reinforced concrete, in two variants.
(Assoc. Prof. Eng. Ioan Has PhD, Assoc. Prof. Eng. Andrei Pogany PhD, Assist. Prof.
Eng. Aurelian Has, Eng. Ion Alexandrescu, the 14th International Conference, KBO,
Sibiu, 2008)

77

E-mail
To:
From:
Date:
Subject:
Message:
10. The following statistical data is the result of a survey among
engineers on the use of English at their workplace. Draft a list of
ideas for a research paper based on this data, by answering the
questions below or by using other interrogations.
1.
2.
3.
4.

What could be the purpose of this research?

Who might benefit from the results of this research?
Why are the results of this survey important?
What further research development can be done based on
these results and by whom?

Sample group: 84 engineers

Age average: 26,9 years
Gender distribution: 71 male, 13 female
Type of company: 33 Romanian, 8 international

78

(Indolean, D., 2010, Formarea profesionala a viitorilor ingineri)

11. Create three experimental designs based on these three Murphys laws. Use the template below.
1. An expert is a person who predicts the job will take the longest
and cost the most.
79

2. Any tool dropped will fall where it can cause the most damage
3. No matter how clever and complete ones research is, always
someone knows more.
Experimental design
I. Purpose of experiment
II. Working hypothesis
III. Methods used
IV. Materials
12. Turn this set of instructions into an experiment description.
First, record the original gauge lengths of the specimen. At the same
time, calculate the mean of the diameter by measuring the diameter
in three different places with a micrometer. Then attach the Lindley extensometer to the specimen, apply the force that stretches the
specimen and record the amount of stretch.
Basically, you insert the specimen into the upper jaws of the machine
and then attach the extensometer to the machine. Adjust the load
scale to zero and lock the lower jaws to hold the specimen in place.
Apply a small load (e.g. 2KN) to the Lindley extensometer and check
if it is functioning correctly. When the necking began, remove the
extensometer and record the elongation of the specimen using a
divider and a ruler.
Continue to apply the load until you fracture the specimen.
(www.engineeringcivil.com)

13. You have just returned from an international conference on civil

engineering. Your colleagues are interested in one of the papers
on the properties of pervious concrete presented by a prestigious
group of civil engineers. Write your colleagues an email paraphrasing the conference discourse using indirect/reported speech.
Dear colleagues,
Their paper presented the laboratory results of a study undertaken
80

to determine the effect of shapes and sizes of aggregates on porosity,

unit weight and permeability of pervious concrete. They ...
Good afternoon ladies and gentlemen. Our paper presents the laboratory results of a study undertaken to determine the effect of shapes
and size of aggregates on porosity, unit weight, strength and permeability of pervious concrete. We measured the aggregate shape in
terms of their angularity number. Angularity or absence of rounding
of the particles of an aggregate is a property which is of importance
because it affects the porosity, surface area in contact with each
other in the matrix of ingredients and ease of handling of a mixture
of aggregate binder. The result indicates that various properties of
pervious concrete vary as a function of angularity number of aggregates used. We found that for all sizes of course aggregates used in
the study, aggregate with less angularity number produces mix with
average compressive strength greater than the aggregate with higher
angularity number. The study suggests that angularity number of
aggregates may be considered as an important parameter in deciding the suitability of course aggregates to prepare pervious concrete
mix in order to achieve better strength and permeability.
(A.K. Jain, S.S. Goliya, J.S. Chouhan Effect of Shape and Size of Aggregate on the
Properties of Pervious Concrete, www.engineeringcivil.com)

14. Listen to the talk and answer the following questions:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RJf-Sd7QpQA

81

1. Is this statement technical communication is expert knowledge being translated true or false? What argument from
the talk can you mention in support of your claim?
2. What are some of the communication forms that can be
regarded as technical communication?
3. What happens when you begin to understand the three elements of the package?
4. Explain the three elements of the package: the goal, the target and the situation
5. What is the main idea of the talk?
15. Translate the following passage into English.
Betonul armat dispers cu fibre de otel este un material de constructie cu utilizare extensiva. n ultimele decenii s-au intreprins
numeroase studii pentru determinarea proprietatilor sale mecanice, precum si pentru largirea ariei de utilizare.
Lucrarea prezinta performantele mecanice si modul de comportare
la solicitari a betonului armat dispers, vizand asigurarea durabilitatii pardoselilor de tip industrial realizate din acest tip de beton.
(Balazs-Petz, Balint, One, Kiss, 2007, Pardoseli din beton armat dispers, Conferinta Structuri prefabricate din beton n centrul si estul Europei)

16. Create a short scientific research paper that contains the following elements:
a definition of the concept
a classification of its components or a classification of its
types
the purpose of the paper
the survey performed
results and analysis
summary or conclusions
references
For the survey, use the resources found at
https://www.surveymonkey.com

82

Unit 8 Presenting Your Scientific Work

Creating effective presentations
Many students and young engineers believe that once the scientific paper is done, presenting it in front of an audience is nothing
more than reading the paper aloud. This is probably why most people believe scientific gatherings are boring.
Much of the scientific research gets to be presented in front of
an audience. That audience can be the board of a multinational
company willing to fund your further researches or the audience is the group of fellow colleagues gathered at a conference.
Either way, the outcome of your presentation largely depends
on how you manage to turn your written work into a spoken
(not read) one.

Rule #1: DO NOT READ YOUR TALK!

Unless you are ten years old and your teacher wants to check your
reading abilities, nobody appreciates an adult who reads aloud a
text, pretending they deliver a presentation.

The structure of a presentation

I. Introduction Tell them what you are going to tell them

Introduce yourself
Introduce your subject
Present the structure of the content
Mention when you want them to ask
questions

83

II. Main message Tell them

Begin your talk with a joke, a problem,

an amazing/interesting fact, or a
personal anecdote
Repeat the important points before
moving to the next set of information
Use expressions that let your audience
know that you have moved on
III. Conclusion/summary Tell them what you have told them

take away message max. 3 major

points for your audience to remember

Operating with Power Point slides

1. Change paragraphs into lists of keywords or main points
no more than four per slide
2. Change tables into charts and graphs
3. Avoid fancy animation (ex. jumping letters) and strange combination of colors (ex. red background and blue fonts)
4. Use big size, simple and effective fonts that everyone can
read
5. Do not use all capital letters

Step-by-step plan
1. Identify the take away message
2. Collect relevant information
84

3. Design the visuals

4. Rehearse your presentation

The delivery
The paper is about something, but its presentation is for someone.
Design it accordingly.

Who is your audience?

What is their relationship with you and
with each other?
How much do they know about the
topic?

Dress to success
Smile
Look at your audience
Figure out hand and body movements
Avoid making sounds

Breathe
Find friendly faces in the audience
Know and rehearse every detail of your
presentation
Have back-ups ready to use
85

1. Put the elements of this presentation in their correct order.

1. After that, I want to go on to examine in more detail the
requirements of the Factory Act, as there are several points
here that I think have direct relevance to us as a manufacturing company. This will be especially relevant to anyone
who is working in or indeed has any contact with any of our
production areas.
2. As you can tell from the title of this presentation, I am going
to be talking to you today about various health and safety
issues, and how we can make our work environment a safer
and healthier place.
3. Good morning, everyone!
4. However, it is not just on the factory floor that health and
safety is an issue. So, in the final part of the presentation, I
am going to take a look at health and safety in the office
environment. You may be surprised to find that there are
potentially just as many hazards here as there are in a more
obviously dangerous factory environment.
5. In the first part, I am going to cover how the law affects
us all and I will give a brief outline of the main points of
the 1997 Health and Safety Act. Many of you will be familiar
with this if you have been to our induction session for new
employees.
6. My name is Dave Brown and, as most of you know, I work in
the Human Resources department.
7. There will be plenty of time at the end of the presentation
for any questions you may have.
(adapted after EFB Listening test, www.lcci.org.uk)

2. Read the presentation below and answer the questions.

Good morning, everyone. Today I am going to talk about the Wave
Energy Converter.
Youre probably wondering what a Wave Energy Converter is. So, lets
have a simple definition to start with. Very simply, a Wave Energy
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Converter is a system which converts the energy from the sea waves
into electrical power.
Before I talk about the system itself, let me tell you where it is located,
because some systems are located on the surface of the sea, and some
on the sea shore. But not this system. The Wave Energy Converter is
fixed to the seabed.
Ok, now lets look at the main components. The Wave Energy Converter has five main components or parts. These are: a very large
flexible disc, a lever, a chamber which takes in sea water, a set of
pistons, many sea water pipes, and of course a turbine on the land.
The main specifications of the system are as follows. The whole system on the seabed is 4.6meters high and 20.4meters long; the main
pipe is 125millimeters wide; the pressure of the water in the pipes
is 7000kilopascals, or 1000 psi, thats pounds per square inch. The
complete system can generate 100kilowatts of electricity.
Ok, thats enough number-crunching. Lets look at how the system works.
Heres a very simple account of the operation of the system. Lets start
with the sea. The sea wave oscillates. This oscillating motion pushes
the disc down in a linear motion. The disc makes the lever oscillate.
The oscillating lever makes the pistons move in a reciprocating motion.
Then the pistons push seawater from the chamber through the pipe at
high pressure. The high-pressure water then makes the turbine rotate.
And of course this generates electricity.
So, thats how it works. And of course this system has great benefits. The most important benefit is that wave energy is a renewable
energy resource; and of course, it uses no fossil fuels.
(Bonamy, D., 2009, Technical English 2, Audioscripts)

1.
2.
3.
4.

Who do you think is the intended audience?

What is the purpose of the presentation?
What are the main ideas covered by the talk?
What kind of elements (keywords, graphs, drawings, animations, etc) do you think are shown on the slides?
5. Are there any elements of a presentation that are missing
from this one? Which ones?
87

3. In teams of five, write appropriate openings for these presentations and then compare your work with the other teams.
1. A firefighter is giving a talk to the workers about fire hazards
on construction sites.
2. A doctor delivers a workshop to workers about first aid measures in case of construction site accidents.
3. The project manager presents the progress report on the
construction to the management board.
4. The chief engineer explains the crew a new technique of
reinforcing structural walls.
5. The professor presents civil engineering students cases of
construction failures and their consequences.
4. Give three examples of expressions for the situations below and
then complete the lists with expressions from 1 and 2:
1. Introducing yourself
2. Introducing the subject
3. Giving details about the structure of your presentation
4. Mentioning when you will answer the questions
5. Opening with an interesting fact or problem
6. Introducing and explaining a graph, photo or diagram
7. Moving to another idea
8. Summarizing
9. Providing conclusions
10. Closing the presentation
5. Change these extracts from research papers into presentation
elements (tables into graphs or diagrams, paragraphs into key
words or main points, animations, flowcharts, etc.).
1. The dry process of making cement
Limestone is crushed to a uniform and usable size, blended with
certain additives (such as iron ore and bauxite) and discharged on
88

a vertical roller mill, where the raw materials are ground to fine
powder. An electrostatic precipitator de-dusts the raw mill gases
and collects the raw meal for a series of further stages of blending.
The homogenized raw meal thus extracted is pumped to the top
of a preheater by air lift pumps. In the preheaters the material is
heated to 750C. Subsequently, the raw meal undergoes a process
of calcination in a precalcinator (in which the carbonates present
are reduced to oxides) and is then fed to the kiln. The remaining
calcination and clinkerization reactions are completed in the kiln
where the temperature is raised to between 1450C and 1500C.
The clinker formed is cooled and conveyed to the clinker silo from
where it is extracted and transported to the cement mills for producing cement.
(http://www.jkcement.com/HTML/manufacturing-process.html)

2. Dimensions of the sample before and after the test

Material

Steel

Copper

Original length (mm)

Length after fracture (mm)
Percentage elongation (%)

200
207
3,5

200
213
6,5

Original cross sectional area (mm2)

Cross sectional area after fracture (mm2)
Percentage reduction in area (%)

28,6
13,4
53,1

28,6
21,2
25,9

(http://www.scribd.com/doc/22919957/Tensile-Test-Lab-Report)

3. Visual Inspection of Concrete Structure

By
Kaushal Kishore
Materials Engineer, Roorkee
Visual inspection is one of the most versatile and powerful of the
NDT methods, and it is typically one of the first steps in the evaluation of a concrete structure. Visual inspection can provide a wealth
89

of information that may lead to positive identification of the cause

of observed distress. However, its effectiveness depends on the
knowledge and experience of the investigator. Broad knowledge in
structural engineering, concrete materials, and construction methods is needed to extract the most information from visual inspection.
Before performing a detailed visual inspection, the investigator
should develop and follow a definite plan to maximize the quality of
the record data. Visual inspection has the obvious limitation that only
visible surface can be inspected. Internal defects go unnoticed and no
quantitative information is obtained about the properties of the concrete. For these reasons, a visual inspection is usually supplemented
by one or more of the other NDT methods, such as by concrete test
hammer, ultrasonic concrete tester and partial destructive testing by
drilling cores and testing them for compressive strength. (http://www.
engineeringcivil.com/visual-inspection-of-concrete-structure.html#more-4130)

6. Turn this text into a presentation on smart dressing. Use the

step-by-step plan to design it. Provide the missing elements of a
proper presentation.
Smart casual dressing is also known as business casual and is usually
the preferred dress code for most professional settings like an office,
symposiums, academia, church, and some school activities. The function of smart casual dress is to make the person look well put together
and professional, but in a slightly more relaxed environment.
Smart casual or business casual dress for men is a clean, ironed shirt
with a collar and only a jacket if the weather permits. Another thing
to remember is that business casual also usually means no tie.
Smart casual pants for men should be either khakis or chinos that
are pressed. They can be in any color, as long as it is not too over the
top, but black or tan are the preferred colors. Jeans are definitely not
an option.
Business casual shoes for men are dress shoes, either brown or black
but sometimes grey. And remember to never wear tennis shoes.
Smart or business casual dress for women is a little more flexible
90

than for men. Tops can include blouses, stylish knit tops, a nice
sweater set, or classic sleeveless tops with a cardigan or jacket.
When choosing smart or business casual bottoms, women should
wear khakis or black dress pants, knee-length skirts, or pant suits.
Again, jeans are definitely not an option.
For shoes, women would do best to wear either dressy flats or mid to
low heels. Sometimes, chic boots can be worn as long as they have a
slight heel.
(http://www.ehow.com/about_5056844_smart-casual-dressing_.html#ixzz1yW9bxikI)

7. Watch the presenter talk about tips on improving presentation

skills and extract the 10 tips she makes.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q5WT2vweFRY&feature=fvwrel

8. Watch the presentation again and complete the missing spaces

in the phrases:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.

What ... will the audience get if they listen to you?

Your slides are not your ...
Include in your presentation only ...
Rules of ... can be really effective
If you are serious about ... then you need to be serious about...
If you are rude and arrogant to the crew, they ...
If you are ... , be smart.
91

8. Stick ... , be authentic, and the audience will believe in you.

9. Engage ... with the audience
10. Once the audience can spot that you have a passion for the
subject, they will ... in your presentation.
9. Create a 15minute Power Point presentation for the scientific
paper you wrote at the end of the previous unit and deliver it in
front of your colleagues.

92

Module 3
At Work

Unit 9 The Business Environment

1. Read the article and define the five sectors of the economy
Sectors of the Economy Primary, Secondary, Tertiary, Quaternary
and Quinary
By Matt Rosenberg, About.com Guide (Nov 17 2010)
A nations economy can be divided into various sectors to define
the proportion of the population engaged in the activity sector.
This categorization is seen as a continuum of distance from the
natural environment. The continuum starts with the primary sector, which concerns itself with the utilization of raw materials
from the earth such as agriculture and mining. From there, the
distance from the raw materials of the earth increases.
The primary sector of the economy extracts or harvest products from the earth. The primary sector includes the production
of raw material and basic foods. Activities associated with the
primary sector include agriculture (both subsistence and commercial), mining, forestry, farming, grazing, hunting and gathering,
fishing and quarrying. The packaging and processing of the raw
material associated with this sector is also considered to be part
of this sector.
In developed and developing countries, a decreasing proportion of workers are involved in the primary sector. About 3% of the
U.S. labor force is engaged in primary sector activity today, while
more that two-thirds of the labor force were primary sector workers in the mid-nineteenth century.
The secondary sector of the economy manufactures finished
goods. All of manufacturing, processing and construction lie
within the secondary sector. Activities associated with the secondary sector include metal working and melting, automobile
production, textile production, chemical and engineering industries, aerospace manufacturing, energy utilities, engineering,
breweries and bottlers, construction and shipbuilding.

95

The tertiary sector of the economy is the service industry. This

sector provides services to the general population and to businesses.
Activities associated with this sector include retail and wholesale
trades, transportation and distribution, entertainment (movies, television, radio, music, theater, etc.), restaurants, clerical services, media,
tourism, insurance, banking, healthcare and law.
In most developed and developing countries, a growing proportion of workers are devoted to the tertiary sector. In the U.S., more
than 80% of the labor force is tertiary workers.
The quaternary sector of the economy consists of intellectual
activities. Activities associated with this sector include government,
culture, libraries, scientific research, education and information
technology.
Some consider there to be a branch of the quaternary sector called
the quinary sector, which includes the highest levels of decision
making in a society or economy. This sector would include the top
executives of officials in such fields as government, science, universities, nonprofit, healthcare, culture and the media.
(www.about.com)

2. In teams of five, based on the information from the article, determine which sectors are predominant in your home town and in
the country. Write your final results on the blackboard next to the
rest of the teams to get a complete picture for the country.
3. In pairs, determine what connection there is between these
various activities. Choose three different activities. For example:
Farming depends on packaging, wholesale and transportation. Present your final response in the form of a diagram. Compare and
discuss your results with the results of the other students.
Agriculture
Car making
Banking
Constructions

96

Consulting
Distribution
Engineering
Entertainment

Finance
Food and beverage
Information
Media

Metal working
Mining
Packaging
Real estate

Retail
Textile
Tourism
Transportation

University
Utilities
Wholesale

4. The text presents three major types of business, according to

ownership. Read the article and extract their definition.
The sole proprietorship is the simplest business form under which
one can operate a business. The sole proprietorship is not a legal
entity. It simply refers to a natural person who owns the business
and is personally responsible for its debts. Usually, a sole proprietorship operates under the name of its owner.
This is a popular business form due to its simplicity, ease of setup,
and nominal costs. A sole proprietor need only register his or her
name and secure local licenses, and the sole proprietorship is ready
for business. A distinct disadvantage, however is that the owner of
a sole proprietorship remains personally liable for all the businesss
debts. So, if a sole proprietor business runs into a financial trouble,
creditors can bring lawsuits against the business owner. If such suits
are successful, the owner will have to pay the business debts with his
or her own money.
Many businesses begin as a sole proprietorship and graduate to
more complex business forms as the business develops.
A partnership is a business form created automatically when two
or more persons engage in a business enterprise for profit.
Partnerships can be formed with a handshake, and often they are.
Responsible partners, however, will seek to have their partnership
arrangement memorialized in a partnership agreement, preferably
with the assistance of an attorney. Because partnerships can be
formed so easily, partnerships are often formed accidentally through
oral agreements.
The term corporation comes from the Latin corpus, which means
body. A corporation is a body, which means it is a legal person in
the eyes of the law. It can bring lawsuits, can buy and sell property,
97

contract, be taxed and even commit crimes. It is most notable feature

is that a corporation protects its owners from personal liability for
corporate debts and obligations within limits.
A corporation has perpetual life. When shareholders pass on or
leave a corporation, they can transfer their shares to others who
can continue a corporations business. A corporation is owned by
its shareholders, managed by its board of directors, and in most
cases operated by its officers. The shareholders elect the directors,
who in turn appoint the corporate officers. In small corporations,
the same person may serve multiple roles: shareholder, director
and officer.
Corporation shareholders, directors, officers and managers must
observe particular formalities in a corporations operation and
administration. For example, decisions regarding a corporations management must often be made by formal vote and must be recorded in
the corporate minutes. Meetings of shareholders and directors must
be properly noticed and must meet quorum requirements. Finally,
corporations must meet annual reporting requirements.
(http://www.entrepreneur.com/article/200516-2)

5. These definitions belong to words from the text. Identify them.

1. A group of persons chosen to govern the affairs of a large
institution
2. An entity recognized by the law
3. An established form, rule or custom
4. An official record of the proceedings of a meeting
5. Expenses of production
6. Legally responsible
7. S
 omeone legally appointed to act in business or legal
transactions
8. T
 he minimal number of members of an organization who
must be present for a valid transaction of business
9. The owner of one or more shares in a company
10. To select or designate to fill an office or a position
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6. Re-write these phrases as indicated:

1. The disadvantage of a sole proprietor is the personal exposure to
potential debts associated with a disastrous job. The sole proprietor
may...
2. Each partner is personally liable for all the debts of the partnership. Each partner must...
3. The ability of a small renovation contractor to grow depends
mainly on the training and business ability of the individual. The
small renovation contractor can...
4. Comprehensive services will require that the general contractor or construction manager augment their staff with trained
architects, accountants, real estate professional, management and
leasing experts. The general contractor or construction manager
must...
5. A corporation is an entity that has the power to act as a separate
body. A corporation can...
6. Public corporations publish financial reports yearly for the benefit of the stockholders, as required by law. Financial reports must...
7. In the case of a limited liability company, no member other than
the manager has any power or authority to blind the company.
Only...
8. Construction contractors are required to engage experts from
various disciplines to advise and assist them in conducting their
business. Experts from various disciplines...
9. The accountant of a construction company is ideally one who
has experience in construction and accounting. Experience in construction and accounting should...
10. When it comes to bonding, it may be advisable to deal with
a firm that specializes in general contractors and their bonding
problems. You should...
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7. Watch Matt Stevens talk about the most important skills you
need when you start a construction business and answer the questions below:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zz7t5PCckW0

1. What are the two important skills you need when you begin
your own construction business?
2. What is the old saying in constructions?
3. Which are the craft skills he mentions? Can you think of
other craft skills?
4. Why is the craft skill more valuable?
5. What do you think crawling means in the business
environment?
8. Translate the following text into English:
Societatea cu raspundere limitata se defineste ca fiind acea societate in care raspunderea asociatilor pentru obligatiile angajate in
numele societatii se intinde numai pana la capitalul social subscris
iar asocierea are ca temei principiul intuitu personae.
Acest tip de societate imprumuta caracteristicile de la societatile
de capitaluri [corporate] sub aspectul constituirii capitalului social
si al modului de raspundere al asociatilor, dar si caracteristica ce
guverneaza societatile de personae, avand in vedere ca asocierea se
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face luand in considerare calitatile personale ale fiecarui asociat si

a increderii reciproce.
Pornind de la aceste aspecte, putem spune ca societatea cu raspundere limitata are o constructie mai flexibila, fiind usor de constituit
si fiind mai compatibila cu practica comerciala, fapt demonstrat
de gradul ei de raspandire la ora actuala.
Principalele trasaturi ale societatii cu raspundere limitata determinate de statutul juridic special sunt urmatoarele:
Asocierea se intemeiaza pe increderea reciproca dintre asociati (caracterul intuitu personae)
Capitalul social se divide in fractiuni numite parti sociale
care sunt netransmisibile
Asociatii raspund in limita aporturilor sociale aduse la constituirea capitalului social
Firma se compune dintr-o deunumire aleasa de asociati si
care trebuie sa indices au sa sugereze, pe cat posibil, obiectul
de activitate al societatii
Se poate constitui si poate functiona cu un sigur asociat
(http://www.scritube.com/economie/SOCIETATEA-CU-RASPUNDERE-LIMIT43569.php)

9. In teams of 5, go back to the text about types of businesses and,

based on the text and your personal knowledge, brainstorm the
advantages and disadvantages of each type of business from the
perspective of a young civil engineering graduate. Consider aspects
such as upward mobility, professional development, social and
communicational skills, other benefits (company car, laptop, etc.).
Present the final result in the form of a report and debate it with
the other teams.

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Unit 10 Writing for business

Writing for business consists of an array of documents such as letters, reports, memos, notices, fax messages, etc.
The new communication media the internet made it possible
for the people to communicate faster and easier. Unfortunately,
many people believe that the email message replaced all the other
forms of business written communication and they use it improperly and excessively in the business environment.
Companies appreciate university graduates who can communicate
adequately in the business environment. This means being competent in communicating with a wide variety of professional groups
by means of specific documents.
Whether your message reaches its recipient by regular mail or
e-mail, a letter should still look like a letter.
Most of the times, a properly written business document makes
the difference between being in business and being out of business.
When writing for business, you can use a step-by-step plan, much
alike the one presented in the unit dealing with writing for
science.

Step 1: Identify the type of document

There are many different types of documents found in the business
environment. The most used ones these days are the letter, the
report, the memo, and the notice. They serve different purposes
and they have different layouts because they are sent to different professional groups. Here are the general guidelines related to
the recipients, purpose and layout of the most important business
documents:

The business letter

Recipients: clients, business partners, suppliers, public institutions, etc.
Purpose: to propose, offer, respond, complain, negotiate, etc.

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Structure and layout:

Senders address (or company headed paper)
Recipients address
Date
The international standard is date in numbers, month in letters
and year in numbers
Salutation
Dear Mr. Johnson
Dear Ms. Thomas (when you do not know whether the woman is
a Mrs. or Miss)
Dear Professor (when the person has a title)
Dear Chris Brown (when you are not sure of the persons gender)
To Whom It May Concern (very impersonal, mostly used in letters
of recommendation and letters of complaint)
Avoid Dear Sir/Mme (not very polite)
Paragraph 1
Friendly opening and stating the purpose of the letter
Paragraph 2
States the main point of the letter, brings arguments
Paragraph 3
Restates the purpose and requests form of action
Closing salutation
Yours sincerely
Yours faithfully
Kind regards
Signature

The memo
Recipients: crew, all staff members, various departments
Purpose: inform the recipients of decisions, provide instructions
or convey recommendations
Structure and layout:
To
Recipient
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From
Sender
Subject
Very brief description of the matter
Message
the memo is usually sent by email
a copy is posted on special information walls
the message must be brief and to the point
lists are welcomed
No closing salutation or signature

The report
Recipients: CEO, superiors, crew
Purpose: analyze a situation, convey results and possible solutions
Structure and layout:
To
Recipient
From
Sender
Date
International standard: date in numbers, month in letters, year in
numbers
Title
The essence of the report in a few words
Introduction
States the purpose of the report and who requested it
Findings
contains the research method, and the data obtained
lists are appreciated as they ease the information extraction
You can also use full sentences if the message is better conveyed this
way, but please keep the sentences short and the message to the point.
Conclusions
Provides the analysis of the research
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Recommendations
Gives the personal opinion of the writer on the matter
No closing salutation or signature

Step 2: identify and group relevant information

After establishing the recipient and the purpose of the document,
make a list of the main ideas you want to discuss in your document.
Unlike scientific papers, business documents tend to be short and
to the point (one page max.), so pick the ideas that deal with only
one issue. If you have more than one issue to be discussed, write
one document for each issue separately.

Step 3: Draft your document

Once you have identified the relevant ideas for a single issue to be
discussed, rank the ideas according to their importance. The least
important ones can become the introduction of your document,
while the most important ones will form the main message. The
ideas that require a form of action make very good summarizing
paragraphs placed at the end of your document.

Step 4: Write the document

Pay attention to the recipient of the document and write the document accordingly. The type of the document will give you its
layout, but the tone and attitude towards the recipient is vital.
Keep it formal, polite and respectful, even if you write a letter of
rejection or complaint.

Step 5: Check your document

Put yourself in the shoes of the recipient. Would you like to receive
such a message? If the answer is yes, send the document, but if
the answer is not yes, then make the necessary changes. Let your
document sit for a while and then read it again after an hour or
so. Remember, once it has been sent sent, the message cannot be
taken back, and there is no such thing as peer blind review in the
business environment.
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Document samples
Memo
To: all crew members
From: Ben Brown Chief Security Officer
Date: 14 June 2011
Subject: Important information regarding first aid measures on
construction sites
Due to the latest unfortunate events which took place on one of
our construction sites, I wish to invite all crew and staff to a special training on first aid. You will receive details about time and
venue from your direct superiors.
To: Jane Smith, CEO
From: David Epps
Date: 13 January 2012
Title: REPORT ON HOW TO ENHANCE QUALITY IN OUR COMPANY
INTRODUCTION: I was asked to write a report to the CEO regarding how we can increase the quality in our company.
RESEARCH RESULTS
After studying several articles from http://www.freebusinessforms.com/reports/3.html, this is what I found:
1. A companys quality ranking can be easily determined by the
degree of customer service given by those in client liaison
role such as Sales, Marketing, Administration and Accounts.
2. The best way to grasp the service they offer is to conduct a
customer service survey which should cover new and established customers. Some of the questions should be:
How quickly is the phone answered when customers call
How efficient are complaints dealt with
How friendly is the staff, etc.
3. The results are the starting point for setting up a quality
training program which should address the negative areas,
why they appeared and how they can be eliminated
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4. The people responsible for the training of the personnel

(department managers or supervisors) should develop a
total quality training manual for the company that should
contain the correct procedures to be used and practical
exercises to assess the employees comprehension
CONCLUSIONS
Increasing the quality in our company means perfecting all
aspects of the business: time, energy, finances and staff.
RECOMMENDATIONS
In order for the company to really shine, it is essential that the
management level must also be fully versed in their respective
areas of expertise.
You should make sure that your management team
attend courses relevant to their subject, including motivational ones
subscribe to at least one trade journal
meet regularly with you for informal brainstorming meetings

Date: 14 February 2011

To: George Pop
From: Naartok Deniigi
Re: housing in the North Pole
Dear fellow student,
I am grateful to the North Pole University for creating this exchange
student program and I would like to tell you that I am looking forward to exchanging ideas and civil engineering projects with you.
To answer your question concerning the houses in my country, I can
tell you that there are three traditional types of igloos, all of different
sizes and all used for different purposes. The smallest is constructed
as a temporary shelter, usually only used for one or two nights.
These are built and used during hunting trips, often on open sea ice.
The next in size is the semi-permanent, intermediate-sized family
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dwelling. This is usually a single room dwelling that houses one or

two families. Often there are several of these in a small area, which
forms an Inuit village. The largest of the igloos is normally built in
groups of two. One of the buildings is a temporary structure built
for special occasions, the other built nearby for living. These might
have up to five rooms and house up to 20 people. A large igloo is constructed from several smaller igloos attached by their tunnels, giving
common access to the outside. These are used to hold community
feasts and traditional dances. The snow used to build an igloo must
have sufficient structural strength to be cut and stacked in the appropriate manner. The best snow to use for this purpose is snow which
has been blown by wind, which can serve to compact and interlock
the ice crystals. The hole left in the snow where the blocks are cut
from is usually used as the lower half of the shelter. Sometimes, a
short tunnel is constructed at the entrance to reduce wind and heat
loss when the door is opened. Because of snows excellent insulating
properties, inhabited igloos are surprisingly comfortable and warm
inside. In some cases a single block of ice is inserted to allow light
into the igloo. Animal skins are used as door flaps to keep warm air in.
igloos used as winter shelters have beds made of snow, covered with
twigs and caribou furs. Architecturally, the igloo is unique in that it is
a dome that can be raised out of independent blocks leaning on each
other and polished to fit without an additional supporting structure
during construction. The igloo, if correctly built, will support the
weight of a person standing on the roof. Also, in the traditional Inuit
igloo the heat from the kudlik (stone lamp) causes the interior to melt
slightly. This melting and refreezing process builds up a layer of ice
that contributes to the strength of the igloo.
Needless to say I am equally curious about the houses in your
country. I do hope that your e-mail contains a full description of
a Romanian modern house.
Sincerely yours,
Naartok Deniigi
(text adapted after www.wikipedia.org)

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1. Read these seven tips for effective writing and answer the
questions
1. Know your goal and state it clearly. Do you want the reader to
do something for you or are you merely passing along information? Do you want a response form the reader or do you want
him to take action? Your purpose needs to be stated in the communication without a lot of information that is not relevant.
Clarity is important in all of your writing.
2. Tone can help your writing be more effective. Certain forms of
communication, like cover letters and proposals need a formal
tone. Writing for someone you know well would need a more
informal tone. The kind of tone depends on the audience and
purpose of the writing.
3. Explain in clear terms what you want the reader to do. They
can not oblige if they do not understand. Also, they may not
even want to try to help if the communication is vague and
sloppy written. It is good to include why it is beneficial to
them to do what you ask or to help you.
4. Language needs to be simple. Do not overuse clichs, jargon,
and expressions or try to impress with big words. Keep sentences and paragraphs short and concise.
5. Less is more when it comes to length. Leave out words that do
not contribute to the main focus of the communication. This
can make the reader work harder to know why you wrote.
6. Using an active voice will strengthen your writing. Sentences
that are written in the active voice will flow better and are
easier to understand. Long, complicated sentences will slow
the reader down, even more so if they are written in the passive voice.
7. Good grammar and punctuation are very important. It is
a good idea to have someone else proofread your writing
before you send it. If you cannot do that, they try reading it
out loud.
(http://grammar.yourdictionary.com/style-and-usage/what-is-effective-writing-
communication.html)

109

1. Writing for someone you know well would need a more informal tone. Do you agree with this statement when it comes to
business communication?
2. What is the meaning of the verb to oblige?
3. Can you give examples of unwillingness happening because
of bad writing?
4. What examples of clichs, jargon and expressions related to
civil engineering come to your mind which might be used
inappropriately when communicating with clients or other
stakeholders?
5. Why do you think the author does not encourage you to use
spell and grammar checkers on your computer to check your
written work?
2. Read the text again and classify the tips in two categories: dos
when writing and donts when writing
3. Based on the information from the text, give the definition of
effective writing.
4. Read the situations below and decide what document should be
written in each case and to whom.
1. Your construction company has successfully finished a new
residential building complex and invited all employees to a
party.
2. The cement supplier has failed to deliver the product on
time to your construction site for the third time.
3. The CEO needs to be briefed on the progress made with the
new skyscraper project.
4. You received a letter of complaint from the buyers and you
want to invite them to a negotiation meeting.
5. The HR department wants to organize English language
trainings for the workers and asked you to collect information on this matter.
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5. Write 3 different expressions related to

thanking for the letter/phone call/request
referring to the topic
reminding of background
confirming something
introducing bad news
introducing good news
giving new information
requesting action
showing you are available
6. In teams of five, make a list of ideas for each of the situations
presented in exercise 4 and decide which expressions from exercise 5 you will use for each of the documents. Compare with the
other groups
7. Write a memo based on this list of ideas.
urgent matter
the number of unhappy customers has increased
first hand causes: poor quality materials, late completion of
work, impolite workers and staff, lack of finishing elements
the situation cannot continue
feedback from supply engineer, project manager, crew engineer to identify all the causes
write a complete report after receiving information
establish a meeting to elaborate a training manual to correct
the problems
8. You work for a construction company which has just launched
its most recent project affordable, medium-sized apartments in a
very accessible part of the town. The target customer for this project
is the young middle-class family. Apart from TV and radio advertisements, the general manager wants to adopt other strategies
and asked you to look into the following means of advertisement:
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calling to selected phone numbers, spamming e-mail addresses,

pop-up banners on specific web-sites, fliers delivered by mail,
posters placed in strategic points (kindergartens, schools, banks,
supermarkets). Write a report, considering advantages and disadvantages for each method and give the general manager your
recommendation on which method you think is the best.
9. You work for a construction company that has been under the
investigation by the local university. The university is interested in
finding a company that will construct a new dorm building for students. Write a letter to the Rector (Angela Bean) of this university
mentioning three arguments that will determine this institution
to choose you over your competition. The list below contains the
ideas you had regarding this letter. Choose the best ones and write
the letter.

112

thank you for showing interest

most of our engineers graduated XX university
happy to give something back for the training received
big and reliable company
vast experience with such buildings (apartment buildings,
hotels, etc)
good recommendations from clients
very good value for money
friendly workers and staff
highly trained engineers
work completion on time
eco-friendly construction materials and building techniques
state of the art equipment
bonuses if you build with us (cars, laptops, free apartments
in the unit)
bonuses if you build with us (discounts on renovating the
university building)
send them work portfolio web link
show willing to establish a first meeting

10. Rewrite the memo by regrouping information, and by using

bullet point lists and warning messages.
To: all crew members
From: Ben Brown Chief Security Officer
Date: 14 June 2011
Subject: Important information regarding fire on construction
sites
I would like to remind you all some basic rules stipulated by the
International Labor Office from Geneva:
Fires on construction sites arise from the misuse of compressed gases
and highly flammable liquids, from the ignition of waste material,
wood shavings and cellular plastic materials, and from the failure to
recognize that adhesives and some floor and wall coatings are highly
flammable.
Every individual on site should be aware of the fire risk, and should
know the precautions to prevent a fire and the action to be taken if
fire does break out.
If fire breaks out, get someone to call the fire brigade. Do not continue trying to fight the blaze yourself if large quantities of fumes
are being emitted in a closed space. Get out as fast as possible.
Fires are sometimes caused by carelessness in drying wet clothes.
Heaters for this purpose, gas, oil or electric should be mounted on
and backed with non-flammable material, and enclosed in a stout
wire mesh with effective air space to prevent clothing being placed
directly upon them.
If you have to use a blow lamp or torch, or welding or burning equipment in the course of your work, first make sure that there is no
fire risk to adjacent materials such as roof timbers. Many fires with
disastrous consequences start from this source. Sparks can travel a
long distance.
(Safety, health and welfare on construction sites International Labour Office,
Geneva)

113

11. Write a letter of recommendation based on this performance

report:
Employee performance report
Employee name: Dan Greene
Date hired: 25 May 2010
Position: chief electrician
Date of review: 4 July 2012
Activities rated

Poor

Attendance

Average

Leadership
Quality of work

Communication skills (RO)

Communication skills (EN)

Organization skills
Responsibility

Time management

Team work

Excellent

Name/signature: Esther Bond

Position/title: HR manager
12. Read the situation below and write the document as requested.
To: Jane (project manager)
From: Eric (assisting project manager)
Date: 13 January 2012
Re: changes in your weekly schedule
Attachment: new schedule
Dear Jane,
Based on the recent events I took the liberty of re-arranging your
agenda to fit in the new challenges. Kindly check the attachment.
Please let me know if you need me to change anything else.
Rgds,
Eric
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MO

TUE

Weekly crew
meeting
Visit constr.
site

Monthly
briefing with
chief eng
First aid
crew training session

WED
Visit construction site
Pricing &
proposal for
Mr. Johnson

THU
Meeting with
the architect
Interviews
for a new
architect

FRI
Weekly progress report
Team-building weekend

To: Eric
From: Jane
Date: 14 January 2012
Re: changes in your weekly schedule
Eric,
I really appreciate your effort in squeezing in the new events.
Thank you for a job well done! Please write to the chief engineers
and let them know about the changes.
Many thanks,
Jane
13. Change the tone and attitude of these messages to make them
formal and more business appropriate:
1. Hey guys, how are you all today doing? You remember that I cancelled the training last week on the site because it was raining cats
and dogs and the guy said he could not make it on time because
of that? Well, I just got off the phone with him and it looks like
the weather is improving and we should get together for that training seminar. Wednesday, 1 oclock, construction site, tell me you can
come. See ya!
2. Dear Mr. John,
I found out that you are interested in finding a company to construct
the new dorm building for students.
If you choose our company you will benefit of a lot of advantages
as: a car for the Rector (you), laptops for all the University Senate
members, free apartments for the management of the university and
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much more surprises. But the most important thing is that our work
will be done in time and you will have five years guarantee. And you
will easily discover that our price is much lower than the competition.
3. Dear Sir/Mme,
I received your letter of complaint regarding the minor flaws of the
house we built for you and we must tell you that if the bathtub fell
down through the floor it is not our fault. The floor was calculated
for three people, not for six.

116

Unit 11 Building up the Business

1. Read the article and list the professional profile of the civil engineer under the following categories: responsibilities, knowledge,
skills.
The work of a civil engineer is all around us yet many do not even
realize what a civil engineer is responsible for doing. The job role of
a civil engineer is extremely important as it equates for the overall
safety of society in many different facets. It is important to look
at the role that a civil engineer plays and realize what they do in
their daily job duties that make the area safe for the people who
live there.
A civil engineer engages in many general responsibilities on a
daily basis. These responsibilities are a crucial part of their job and
enable the civil engineer to engage in their profession to the best
of their ability. One general responsibility of the civil engineer is
to analyze various factors concerning a construction job. The civil
engineer will analyze the proposed site location as well as the entire
construction job which is to be completed at such a site. They will
analyze the process for completing the construction job every step of
the way.
The civil engineer must also plan the construction project that
will be taking place in conjunction with the results they found due
to their analysis of the proposed project. During the process and at
the end, the civil engineer must inspect the product to ensure that all
rules, regulations and guidelines have been explicitly followed.
When they have adequately analyzed the situation, they will
write reports stating issues that are acceptable and what needs to be
changed prior to beginning the project. Once these proposed changes
have been made, the civil engineer will review the plans and project site once again to ensure that all changes have been made as
required.
A civil engineer must use many different equations, applications
and figures to ensure the proper procedure application. Items that
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civil engineers must take part in and use include chemical testing
applications, drafting and design software, electrical test devices
and equipment, land surveying techniques and the metric system, to
name just a few pertinent items.
The civil engineer must also be certain to follow land use laws
and regulations every step of the way. This is extremely important as
one who does not abide by such rules and regulations may find that
the project is stalled, either temporarily or permanently. Therefore,
a specific duty of a civil engineer is to know the pertinent land use
laws and regulations and to follow them consistently.
One who is a civil engineer is also the key contact person regarding
the construction project in many cases. They will answer questions
directed towards them by individuals involved with the construction
project and the general public as well. While answering questions,
they will also be responsible for backing up their statements with
reports, graphs, charts and surveys.
Good analytical skills are a must for any civil engineer. Civil
engineers have to read and interpret many complex charts, diagrams, maps and reports. By having superior analytical skills, one
who fills this job role will find that they can complete their daily
job duties in an effective and efficient manner. One who does not
have good analytical skills may have a hard time in the role of a
civil engineer.
Above average communication skills are also a good thing for civil
engineers to possess. Civil engineers need to correspond with a wide
array of individuals throughout their profession. They will have to
deal with everyone from construction workers to CEOs of large corporations. Therefore, it is imperative that a civil engineer possesses
above average communicational skills as this will allow effective
communication with individuals involved in the job.
One who is a civil engineer should also possess excellent problem solving capabilities. The role of a civil engineer is not an easy
one. There will be problems that arise from time to time which the
civil engineer will be responsible for fixing. With that said, one who
works as a civil engineer should have impeccable problem solving
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skills. They need to be able to survey potential or full-blown problems and come up with a solution for such problems as quickly as
possible. Since most construction jobs are on a stringent time schedule, it is important to not only be able to solve the problems that
arise but to do so in a quick and speedy fashion.
(http://www/exforsys.com/career-center)

2. Based on the classification in 1, create the job description for an

entry-level on-site civil engineer using the guidelines below:
JOB DESCRIPTION
Job title
Salary
Position summary: one sentence about the role and function of the
position within the company
Job functions and responsibilities: list of major areas covered by the
job
Primary objective: main goals and objectives of the position and its
overall contributing within the company
Job requirements: with adjectives and adverbs such as basic, minimal, broad, average, excellent, etc.
knowledge
skills
abilities
experience
Education levels, specializations and experience
Physical demands
Work environment
(http://frugalentrepreneur.com/free-business-forms-templates)

3. Using the job description, write a newspaper job advertisement.

Outline the ideal candidate profile (should), indicate qualifications
required (must) and other package details (salary, car, etc.). Keep in
mind that the ad will be charged by its size.
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4. Write a rejection letter to the candidate who did not get the position advertised in 3. Use ideas from the list or provide other ones.

thank the applicant

show appreciation for the skills and qualities
show appreciation for the quality of the interview
introduce bad news
specify reason for not choosing the applicant
encourage applicant to improve professional profile and
apply again after some time
inform applicant they will never fit the profile
offer to keep the CV in your database for further vacancies
wish them luck with finding a more suitable position
thank the applicant for showing interest in the company

5. Match the terms with their definitions.

Accounting
Customer service
Human resources (HR)
Information technology (IT)
Marketing Procurement
Production
Public relations (PR)
Sales
Research and Development (R&D)
1. This department is responsible for financial reporting, financial
controls and the raising of the capital necessary to run the business
2. This department is responsible for hiring, firing, payroll, benefits,
etc.
3. This department is typically responsible for promoting interest
in and generating demand for the business products or services
and positioning them within the market.
4. This department is responsible for finding likely purchasers and
obtaining their agreement (contract) to buy the business products
or services.
5. This department turns the raw materials into the delivered goods.
6. This department supports customers who need help with the
goods or services.
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7. This department is responsible for acquiring the goods and services necessary for the business.
8. This department tests to create new products and to determine
their viability
9. This department manages the business computers and data assets.
10. This department is responsible for communicating to the outside world.
6. Study the departments defined above and determine what
transformations they undergo in the case of the civil construction
industry. Give one example for each department.
7. Determine which skills and traits are needed for each department of a construction business.
Accuracy
Achievement
Adaptability
Administrative skills
Approachability
Budgeting
Building effective teams
Coaching skills
Communication (oral)
Communication (written)
Comparing results
Composure
Computer skills
Concentration
Conflict management
Creativity
Critical thinking
Customer focus
Decision-making
Delegating
Discretion

Empathy
Enthusiasm
Evaluation of staff
Flexibility
Following instructions
Humor
Initiative
Innovation
Leadership
Learning skills
Listening
Loyalty
Managing change
Motivating others
Negotiating
Openness to change
Organizational skills
Patience
Performance under pressure
Presentation skills
Prioritizing
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Social skills
Strategic thinking
Stress management
Supervisory skills

Tact and diplomacy

Team skills
Time management
Work/life balance

8. Write a memo to all office personnel on telephone etiquette

using the information from this article:
The telephone is often the first point of contact a customer or client
will have with a company so it is very important that you make
a good impression when youre answering the phone. Obviously
in specific telephone-related jobs such as sales, customer service
and marketing, youre going to need to adopt different styles and
techniques in order to be successful, such as being able to handle
difficult complaint calls or being persuasive enough to encourage
people to buy a product or service from your company but in general terms, even if you only answer the phone as a routine matter
of course as part of your overall duties, here are guidelines and
etiquette to be followed.
Unless you are working in a busy call centre or on a switchboard,
be as prompt as possible in answering the phone. Potential clients
and many customers lead busy lives and if you let the phone ring too
long before answering, they might have already hung up and taken
their business elsewhere.
Firstly, we all have off days when we feel the world is against
us or were simply too busy or do not feel in the mood for work
or we might even feel a little under the weather. Whilst all these
things can happen to us from time to time, the last thing a caller
needs to hear on the other end of the phone is a sullen voice which
gives off the impression that you cant be bothered talking. So, its
important to be upbeat and positive when answering the phone.
Smiling before you pick up the phone often helps in this regard.
Always greet the caller according to the time of day and identify
yourself with either a first name or first name and surname, unless
your company has a strict no name policy, and the company
name followed by establishing the reason for the call. An example
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might be Good morning, Washington Tyres, Paul speaking. How

can I help you?
You never know how simple or complex the nature of call might
be so its important that youre prepared and know to handle the call.
If youre working on a busy switchboard, youll need to understand
how to transfer calls internally and your should also keep a pen and
pad handy so you can jot down details of the call as the caller may
need you to take certain action on their behalf so its important that
this is conveyed accurately. Information you could be looking to
gather might include the callers name, company name (if applicable), time and date of call, reason for call and their contact details.
People hate being put on hold although most of them do understand that it is sometimes inevitable. If you need to place a caller on
hold for any reason, firstly tell them why and ask them if they object
to being placed on hold. If they agree it is OK, and you find that youre
still going to be delayed in getting them the information they need
or being put through to the right person because theyre busy, you
should go back to the caller every minute or so, explain that youre
still trying to put them through X or get the information they need
and ask them if they would still like to be put back on hold. And, you
should repeat this every minute until either you can resolve the situation or they decide to try again another time.
Before ending the call, you should always try to recap what youve
discussed, if appropriate, and ask the caller if there is anything else
you can help them with before saying good bye and hanging up. Its
also good practice to let the caller hang up before you do.
In general, if youre friendly, courteous and helpful, answering
the phone should not present you with too many problems.
(http://www.worketiquette.co.uk/telephone-etiquette-at-work.html)

9. Look at the phone conversation script. Identify the problem and

make the necessary changes.
A: Hello?
B: Yes?
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A: Is this Heavens Constructions?

B: Yes, what do you want?
A: Well, my name is William Smith and I would like to talk to your
structural engineer please.
B: Wait [music]. She is not here.
A: Well, do you know when she will be back?
B: No.
A: Could you take a message for her please?
B: YesWhat is the message?
A: Could you tell her that William Smith called and that I need to
get in touch with her as soon as possible regarding the new bridge?
B: Ok, is this all?
A: Yes, thank you.
B: Ok, bye!
(A few hours later)
B: Yo, Boss, some guy named Bilian Swiss called and said he wants
to meet with you for a card game!
10. Write down 2 phrases that you can use when you want
1. to answer the phone
2. to ask to speak to someone
3. to say someone is not available or in
4. to ask someone to hold the line
5. to ask if they want to leave a message
6. to say you want to leave a message
7. to ask when someone will be available
8. to say when someone will be available
9. to end a conversation as the called
10. to ask the caller to repeat or spell his/her name
11. In teams of five, brainstorm advantages and disadvantages of
talking over the phone versus a face to face conversation. Which
one do you prefer personally? What is the conclusion of the group?
Compare your results with the other teams.
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12. Create a message for your voicemail, record it, then listen and
analyze it together with your colleagues.
13. Write an employee incident report based on the explanations
below. Use reported speech.
Employee incident report
Date
Supervisor [you]
Employee (position)
Description of incident [summary of the incident]
Employee explanation
Witnesses
Incident outcome
Incident voice recordings
Hoe operator: Yesterday I was working at the site pioneering the
road. I was aware that the terrain stability report called for a
bench end haul. I noticed that the center marker of the road was too
far left down the slope. I decided to move to the right and started
cutting into the hill. I noticed that the ground was soft and slippery.
I knew that there was a seepage bowl in the area where the water
was seeping through the ground and it was flowing on top of the
solid rock. I arrived at the work site this morning at about 7. I began
working on the spur road where the heading hoe operator had left off
yesterday. After the driller/blaster set off a blast, I began to remove
the overburden [loose materials created by the blasting] and to prepare the area for the next shot. About half an hour later, I traveled
back and forth to pick up puncheon [small logs, branches, brush, etc.].
As I traveled back to get more puncheon, the machine broke through
the puncheon I just made and slid down along a slope. All I remember is that I toppled over
Driller/blaster: I arrived at the work site this morning at about 7,
together with the utility hoe operator. He began working on the spur
road. I prepared for blasting at the heading. At about 10 I set off a
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blast. The utility hoe operator moved in to the heading and began to
remove the overburden for my next shot.
After 20minutes or so, he traveled back and forth to prepare the platform for the excavator. Not soon after this, as he was going back to
get more puncheon, the excavator broke through the puncheon and
slid down the steep slope, which was probably a wet bank. After it slid
about 20meters or so, the machine toppled over a bedrock bluff [steep].
It landed upside down at about 45meters below the road. I announced
the incident over the radio. I saw the flames and smoke coming from
the excavator and ran down the hill with fire extinguishers. I saw the
utility hoe operator trapped in the cab but he was conscious.
A mechanic working nearby: I did not see the slide, I just heard it
happened and I tried to contact the utility hoe operator on the radio.
Then I went to the site and saw the driller/blaster trying to put out
the fire. I gathered more fire extinguishers and we managed to extinguish the fire. I saw the utility hoe operator trapped upside down
in the machine cab but he was conscious and he was talking to the
driller/blaster.
The supervisor: I was in the crew boat when the incident happened.
As soon as I heard about it, I arranged for a helicopter to come at the
site. I called more crew members and we tried to extricate the utility
hoe operator. There was a fuel spill and fumes in the area so I called
a local fire department to respond. They came with the jaws of life
and managed to take the hoe operator out of the excavator at about
2. The hospital said that he has serious injuries.
(http://www2.worksafebc.com/PDFs/investigations/IIR2005138190147.pdf)

14. Complete the incident report by adding a list of recommendations based on the findings of this incident. Use modal verbs such
as must for obligation and should/ought to for ideal situation or
advice.
1. The utility hoe operator did not have adequate experience and
training to work as a heading hoe operator
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2. The utility hoe operator did not receive adequate instructions and
information about the work and the area
3. There was poor planning and design for this phase of the road.
More field tests to determine the soil conditions were needed and the
road marker was not set properly
4. The change hand was not contacted for his input on whether the
utility hoe operator had the necessary experience working on steep
slopes
5. The operator protective structure of the machine failed; they did
not meet the minimum safety requirements
(http://www2.worksafebc.com/PDFs/investigations/IIR2005138190147.pdf)

15. Write a report on safety issues found on the construction site

based on the notes you took over the last visit. Turn the negative
aspects into a set of recommendations for the safety engineer. Use
modal verbs for obligation, advice, and ideal situation.
Positive aspects
the project manager performed a walk through of the site
and wrote down anything that might have been considered
unsafe
the chief engineers identified and marked hazardous materials and their risk in connection to the personnel
the operators and site workers know what to do in case of
minor injuries and electrocution
the employees are provided with protective equipment which
passed all OSHA standards
the public is well protected by barricades during working hours
Negative aspects
the project manager did not hold a safety meeting with the
chief engineers to determine ways to alleviate or correct any
problems that could have rendered the construction site risky
the personnel has not been trained in the site safety and safe
operating procedures and they have not been instructed in the
proper lifting techniques
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 the operators and the workers are not prepared for emergencies (power, electrical or mechanical failure)
not all points of entry are locked down after hours
the hazardous materials have not been labeled and stored in
proper containers or secured behind wired and locked fences
there are no warning notices or signs
(www.ehow.com)

16. Based on the report in 15, write a memo for all crew regarding
the issues that have to be improved or changed.
17. Based on the same report, write an email to a company specialized in signs and order warning signs for the designated areas and
posters informing the crew on the proper lifting techniques and
first aid measures.
18. Complete the email below with the proper voice, tense and
aspect of the verbs in brackets.
To: Jack
From: [your name]
Date:
Subject: the Joness new home
Dear Jack,
Thank you for your email. With reference to your request, here is
my progress report.
The clearing and layout (complete) on time. Unfortunately, the
excavation (delay) half a day due to an engine malfunction. Fortunately, we (fix) the engine and the formwork (finish) on schedule.
The concrete foundation (delay) one day, due to the fact that our
local concrete supplier (go) out of business and it (take) me one
day to find another supplier on such short notice. To make up
for lost time, I (organize) double shifts for the completion of the
structure and the masonry, so now we (is) back on track. Given the
weather news report, I (contact) all our suppliers to make sure that
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there are no delays in the delivery of lumber and tiles for the roof.
I already (talk) to the electricians and plumbers and they (assure)
me that the electrical grid, HVAC and plumbing (accomplish) on
time, provided the roofers complete their part as planned. So,
unless the weather (decide) otherwise, we (complete) the project
according to the initial schedule. If the Joness (decide) to visit the
site, I (be) more than happy to arrange this. I (talk) to our safety
officer to make sure he (make) all the necessary arrangements. I
(attach) some recent photos of the progress made. Please let me
know if you (need) anything else.
Kind regards,
[your name]

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Unit 12 I Can Do Business! (Or Can I?)

Your team just signed a contract with a client for a medium sized
family house. After several negotiations and budget calculations,
the final sum agreed is 450.000 (to be paid in RON upon completion of the project).
The lists below give you information regarding expenses, crew and
project stages. Your company already owns the equipment needed
for such a project and the expenses related to permanent personnel (management, accounting, administration, human resources,
etc.) are reduced to a minimum, since you are a small company
(in other words, you do most of the office work and you have a
freelance accountant who helps you with balance sheets and fiscal
documents).
During project execution, you encounter several problems that
need to be solved. Five of the six problems present two solutions.
Either way, the solutions take their toll on the project.
Your goal is to choose the best possible solution for your company
and obtain the highest profit possible without compromising the
quality of the final product.
At the end compare results with the other teams.
EXPENSES
1. Construction materials: 300.000
2. Paperwork, permits and experts: 4.000
3. On site crew expenses (living quarters, water, electricity,
sewage, waste disposal, catering, etc.): 1.000
4. Equipment expenses (fuel, electricity, water, spare parts,
etc.): 2.000
5. Crew salaries
5.1. Engineer: 300 / month
5.2. Supervisor: 75 / week
5.3. Worker: 50 / week
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CREW
1. Engineers: 2
2. Supervisors: 2
3. Workers (concrete, masonry, lath & plaster, flooring & tiling):
6
4. Excavator/bulldozer operators: 2
5. Welders (superstructure): 3
6. Workers (formwork, clearing): 2
7. Electricians: 2
8. HVAC, plumbers: 4
9. Painters: 3
PROJECT STAGES AND DURATION
1. Clearing and layout: 2 days
2. Excavate: 6 days
3. formwork: 4 days
4. Concrete foundation: 4 days
5. Superstructure + masonry: 6 weeks
6. Roofing: 2 weeks
7. Electrical grid, HVAC, plumbing: 6 days
8. Doors & windows: 4 days
9. Lath & plaster: 2 weeks
10. Flooring & tiling: 2 weeks
11. Painting: 3 days
1 week = 5 days
TOTAL DURATION: 4 months
PROBLEMS ENCOUNTERED
P1: Your regular supplier for concrete and steel bars has just gone
bankrupt.
1. Choose another supplier with similar prices but who can
deliver the materials with 1 week delay
2. Choose a supplier who can deliver on time but the prices are
25% higher than the initial estimation
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P2: 2 of your masons got fired for inappropriate behavior.

1. hire two new masons 1 week delay
2. reorganize the 4 masons left in two shifts and give them
raises to 65 /week
P3: The bulldozer broke down and the mechanic needs to change
a part.
1. a new spare part arrives in 10 days and the mechanic needs
one more day to replace and test the new part 11 days of
delay
2. you rent a bulldozer form your competitor for 5 euro a day
for 11 days
P4: The exchange rate to the RON rose from 4.3 to 4.6, which
increased expenses by 1%.
P5: The union representatives asked for a salary increase with 12%
or they go on strike
1. negotiate a 7% raise and loose 1 week in the process
2. hire Chinese workers who ask for 8 a day but they do not
speak any language other than Chinese: 2 weeks of delay
and 5 per worker for English lessons
P6: The home owner is unhappy about the delays in the work
completion
1. let him take you to court to get the compensation he seeks
( 5,000)
2. offer him a 1% discount for every day of delay that was not
due to force majeure
TOTAL EXPENSES
PROFIT

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