ENGLISH FOR

CIVIL ENGINEERING II

DRW - STTH

FIRST STAGE OF BUILDING

The digger takes the dirt out. It puts the dirt at the back of the truck and
when its full the truck holds the dirt away. Theres another digger. Its clearing
away a lot of small pieces of concrete that nobody needs anymore. And here
another digger. Its dumping sand in abig pile and driving off to get some more.
Heres all thats been dug already. This truck has picked up lots up sand to put at
the bottom of the hole ready for concrete to be
poured on top. There it goes!
This builder is padding down the sand
with a kanga-hammer. It squashes the sand so
that its really hard and flat. Here comes more
sand. That special digger with a caterpillar
truck is delivering it. The kanga-hammer
bounces up and down. Its called the kangahammer

because

its

like

kangoroo.

Kangoroo bounce up and down and so does this hammer. The buider has to be
very careful when hes using this hammer. Its very powerful.
Here are two tower cranes. They work high up in the sky. Look! They can
see the whole foundation underneth them. Cranes are lorrying something down to
the builders. I wonder what it is! I see its a big bundle of special metal rods.
These rods are called rebars. The builders lay them on top of the
foundation just before they pour in the concrete. That way the foundation is
made out of concrete and metal so that its very very strong. Metal bars have to be
put together just like a big jigsaw puzzle. The builders melt the end with a special
flint torch. That way, different pieces of rebar can be joined together.

Exercise 1
Can you describe any synonym for soil and for construction crane? Where does
the term kanga-hammer come from?

Exercise 2
Find the antonym from the text
1. Empty

2. Obviate

3. Less

4. Unwilling

5. Uneven

6. General

7. Careless

8. Inquire

9. Continue

10. Divide

Exercise 3
Give the fuction from the words below
1. Digger

5. Metal bars

2. Kanga-hammer

6. Flint torch

3. Caterpillar truck

7. Rebar

4. Tower crane

8. Metal rod

NUMBERS

I. Match the words with the examples on the right:

1. cardinal numbers

a. , 2/3, 28/36

2. ordinal numbers

b. First, second, third, ...

3. decimals

c. 1, 2, 3,

4. fractions

d. 12%, 89%...

5. percentages

e. 2.3, 4.698

* Each digit after the decimal point is read separately: two point three, four
point six nine eight.
II. Match these written numbers with the way they
are read:
1. 60%

a. one third

2. 3

b. two fifths

3. 3.4

c. two point eight seven

4. 8.5%

d. eight point five percent

5. 1/3

e. three point four

6. 2.87

f. sixty percent

7. 3/4

g. three and a half

8. 2/5

h. three quarters

III. Put these words and phrases into the sentences below:
times/multiplied by, divided by, minus, plus
1. Four________ eighteen equals twenty-two.
2. Seventeen ____________ thirteen equals two hundred twenty-one.
3. Ninety-six _________ four equals twenty-four.
4. Ten ________ nine equals one.

Written in full:
1.

5 + 4 = 9 1. Five plus four equals (or: is equal to) nine.

2.

_________________________________________________________________

3.

_________________________________________________________________

4.

_________________________________________________________________

5.

_________________________________________________________________

6.

_________________________________________________________________

7.

_________________________________________________________________

HEALTH AND SAFETY AT WORK

Safety and health is an area concerned with protecting the safety, health
and welfare of people engaged in work or employment. The goal of all
occupational safety and health programs is to foster a safe work environment. As
a secondary effect, it may also protect co-workers, family members, employers,
customers, suppliers, nearby communities, and other members of the public who
are impacted by the workplace environment. The average person finds it difficult
to assess risks and that is why work practices need to be regulated.
Safety in the workplace is critical to the success of your business, no
matter what size it is. As a business owner you have responsibilities regarding
health and safety in your workplace. Even if you dont have
any employees, you must ensure that your business doesnt
create health and safety problems for your customers and
the general public.
Knowing

and

understanding

the

Occupational

Health and Safety laws can help you avoid the unnecessary
costs and damage to your business caused by workplace
injury and illness. There are many examples of dangerous
activities at your workplace, such as welding without goggles, working at a
construction site without the protection of a hard hat, working in noisy
environments without ear plugs or mufflers, working in production with different
possibly hazardous materials without protective gloves and/or clothes, smoking
near inflammable substance. There are different risky or hazardous situations,
such as: combustion, contamination, dust, the possibility of explosion, poisonous
fumes, gas leakages, toxic vapors, the danger of electrical shock which can all
have effects on us and can cause lethal or very serious damage to our body (for
example: vomiting, dizziness, burns, birth defects, cancer, genetic damage). All
around risky environments or materials there are warning signs that people have
to take seriously.

Exercise 1
Find some warning signs and explain them
Exercise 2
Name the safety items below.

a.__________

b. __________

c. ___________

d.__________

e. ___________

f.__________

g. ___________

h. __________

i. ____________

SIMPLE PAST TENSE VS PAST CONTINUOUS

Simple past tense
We use the simple past to describe things that happened in the past and finished
at a specific time.
Example: He started the company in 1969.
They didnt make a profit in the first year.
Did she work there in 1975?
We often use a time reference which refers to the finished event. E.g. yesterday,
last week, last night, three years ago, in 1969, in the first year.
Form
verb stem + ed
Positive and Negative
I/ you/ she/ he/ it/ we/ they

Arrived

Didnt arrive

Question
Did

I/ you/ she/ he/ it/ we/ they

Arrive?

The verb to be
Positive and Negative
I/ he/ she

Was

Was not/ wasnt

You/ they/ we

Were

Were not/ werent

Past continuous
Use

________ Was/Were + V(ing)

We use the past continuous to talk about:

Things which were happening at the time of speaking.
Example: I was trying to call Geoff Peters.
He wasnt working today.

Exercise 1
Change these sentences into positive, negative or introgative sentences
1. We controled the temperature regularly
2. Did he explain the classification of conductor?
3. The current didnt flow from positive terminal to negative terminal
4. They calculated the energy unit
5. They didnt use a tester to current supply in electrical circuits

Exercise 2
MICROSOFT
Thomas (live) in the small town of Brington. He (love) walking through the
beautiful forest that surrounded it. One evening, it (rain) , so he (take) his
umbrella and (go) for a walk in the woods. As he (walk) through the woods, he
(meet) an old man named Frank. Frank (tell) Thomas that if he (want) to become
rich, he should invest in a little known stock called Microsoft. When Thomas
(return) from his walk, he

(think) Frank (be) foolish because Microsoft (be) a

computer stock. Everybody (know) that computers (be) just a passing fad. At any
rate, Frank (insist) that Thomas (be) wrong. While they (discuss) the stock, Frank
(draw) a wonderful graph of future possibilities. As Frank (draw) the graph,
Thomas (begin) thinking that maybe Frank (understand) stocks. While he (was) to
work, Thomas (decide) to buy some of these stocks. The next day, he (go) to the
stock broker's and

(buy) $1,000 worth of Microsoft stock. That (be) in 1986;

today that $1,000 worth of stock is worth more than.

COMPUTER APPLICATION IN CIVIL ENGINEERING

Civil engineering like, like many other field of human activity, continues to
be computerized. Civil engineers, for example, use information for expert system
to help them in decision making process. They also work with complex computer
database or database management system to plan, analyze and predict operation
of building firms.
Computer speed, accuracy, and the ability to store and manipulate large
amounts of data make computers effective data processing tools. Researhers in
civil engineering brances do experiments to collect data on performance of
structure components. They enter the data in the
computer
methods.

and

process

Theymodel

structures

and

behaviour

(stree

them

using

various

loading

of

building

theirparts

to

distribution)

study
and

their

prevent

structural failuras.
Information

technology

is

developing

rapidly and its role in civil engineering is

becoming more and more important. Currently,
numerous computer applications are actively so
ought to support building operations and research. Some of them comprise:

Word process for typing, storing, editing and printing text

HTML editors for creating and editing documents on the web

Spreadsheets for displying data and performing calculation on them

Graphics programs for creating, editing, and displying pictures and

videos

Database programs for working with large and complex data sets

Expert systems for problem solving predicting

Mathematical (numerical) modelling for understanding complex system

and predicting their behaviour
Program for GIS (Geographic Information System) for handling maps

Besides the basic applications, civil engineers need a network environment

for their work. The integration of computer system and communications liks
enables them to use email and video conferencing. It provides them with access to
information, data exchange and international communication.
The power of computer technology has been increasingly rapidly and has
led to a wider application of computers in civil engineering. Computer technology
is providing numerous opportunities for civil engineering. The use and control of
the opportunities which information technology is offering a challenge for civil
engineers.
Exercise 1
What do they do? Fill the missing words
example: GIS program help to ________ map.
GIS program help to handle map
1. Computer networks _______________ access to information
2. Editors help you _______________ text documents
3. Engineers ________________ basic calculation
4. Computers __________ data
5. Researchers __________ information with their faraway colleagues
6. Students __________ their diploma projects with presentation programs
7. Civil engineers __________ presentations of their products and services in
software like Microsoft Power Point
Exercise 2
Label the elements of these computer hardwares

a.___________

b.____________

c.____________

d.___________

g.____________

e.____________

h.____________

Exercise 2
Give the name and fuction from the computer items below!

f.____________

i.____________

Exercise 3
Below you have some of the amazing discoveries and achievements of modern
times. Match the names on the left with the definitions on the right:
1. Modem

a. A machine which records and plays back sound

2. Photocopier

b. A piece of equipment, necessary to have Internet

connection

3. Fax machine

c. A machine which records and plays sounds and pictures

4. Tape recorder

d. a machine which makes copies of documents

5. VCR

e. A machine which acts like a person

6. Robot

f. A machine which makes copies and sends them down

telephone line

PASSIVE VOICE
A.

The form of Passive Voice

Passive voice is the We form the passive voice in English with the verb to be as an
auxiliary, plus the past participle of the main verb. For every active voice in
English there is a corresponding passive voice.
Formation

Exercise
Change these sentences into passive voice
1.

You must leave the message

The message must be left by you

2.

The maintenance department regularly services the machine.

3.

You should wear protective clothing in the workshop

.

4.

The mechanic wrote a report concerning the failure

5.

The mechanic is checking instrument for measuring

6.

we will clean the workshop soon

7.

He bought a new fork lift for the factory

8.

You can improve your mechanical engineering knowledge by practicing.

9.

The lecturer has devided material into two main classes

.

10.

Office workers will use Electricians Safety Tools

APPLICATION LETTER
Application letter is also called by A cover letter. Application letter is a
document sent with your resume to provide
additional information on your skills and
experience.

Business

and

professional

people are hired on the basis of application

letter and interview
General points:
Keep it brief
Begin your letter or email Dear Mr /
Mrs/ Msxxxx if you know the persons
name, or Dear Sir or Madam if you
dont know their name.
Short paragraphs.
Check your spelling, grammar, and
punctuation carefully.
Part of Application Letter
1. Heading
a. Sender's address:
b. Date
2. Inside Address
This is the address you are sending your letter to (the companys address).
Make it as complete as possible. Include titles and names if you know them
3. Salutation
Example: Dear Sir,
4. Body
The body of a good application letter, usually 3 to 4 paragraphs, explains why
the applicant is a good fit for the job, explains relevant experience, and shows
how that experience would be useful if selected for the career opportunity.

5. Closing
Example: Yours sincerely,
6. Signature
Do not followed by punctuation
Consist of application letter
1. Introduction
2. Statement of qualification
3. Reason for applying the job
4. Availability of the applicant
666 Antares Way Ray,
MA 02072
Januari 15, 2016
Ms. Nancy Mary
Human Resources Manager
McKeith & Company, Inc.
Parkinson Park Plaza, dome 2000
Boston, MA 02101
Dear Ms. Mary,
Application for the position of product designer
In reference to the job vacancies you advertised at the Carpenters Industrial College career
bazaar, I would like to apply for the position of product designer. I believe that while I am a
recent graduate, I do have some valuable experience that will enable me to be an excellent
addition to your design team.
I recently graduated with a Strata one in graphic design, and the course includes product design
modules. Moreover, I have competed in several design competitions and won a gold medal in a
product design competition in Thailand last year, in which I designed a self- heating mug.
Details of this prize and other prizes that I have won are included in the enclosed curriculum
vitae.
I am looking forward to a positive reply from you. Thank you for your kind consideration and
time.
Yours sincerely,

Almira Aulia