English for Civil Engineers

Introduction

English for Civil Engineers is an online course, consisting of 93 units of English, and providing approximately 100 hours of study for students.

Course aims

To give students at Intermediate, CEFR B1/Upper Intermediate B2 level practice in general and business-oriented language required for business contexts at this level, specifically tailored towards the specialisation of civil engineering. The course blends grammatical structures necessary for this level, with vocabulary, reading, listening, writing, speaking and pronunciation.

Grammar

By the end of the course, students will be able to:

Use present and past tenses correctly
Use the appropriate conditional forms to talk about situations and consequences
Use the present perfect to describe a link between past and present events
Use going to and will to talk about future predictions and intentions
Use the passive form correctly
Distinguish and be able to correctly describe countable and uncountable nouns

Vocabulary

By the end of the course students will have learnt approximately 120 expressions used in civil engineering

Skills

By the end of the course students will have had exposure to and practice in reading and hearing formal and informal English from a variety of accents and civil engineering contexts

Unit summary

Module 1

Introduction to Civil Engineering
Grammar: Present tenses
Vocabulary: Key civil engineering terms
Reading: A brief history of civil engineering
Listening: Roles and responsibilities of civil engineers
Writing: My civil engineering journey
Speaking: My motivations for working in civil engineering
Pronunciation: Anxious and Chess + connected speech

Module 2

Engineering Disciplines and Infrastructure
Grammar: Past tenses
Vocabulary: Civil engineering disciplines and infrastructure
Reading: Understanding various disciplines and their contributions to infrastructure
Listening: Importance of different infrastructure components
Writing: Creating summaries of infrastructure projects
Speaking: Describing and comparing various engineering disciplines
Pronunciation: Beats and Beach + connected speech

Module 3

Materials and Construction Techniques
Grammar: Going to and Will
Vocabulary: Common civil engineering materials and construction methods
Reading: The properties and applications of various construction materials
Listening: Construction techniques and material selection
Writing: Material specifications and construction processes
Speaking: Explaining the advantages and disadvantages of various materials
Pronunciation: Bet and But + connected speech

Module 4

Surveying and Site Analysis
Grammar: Present perfect
Vocabulary: Surveying tools, techniques, and site analysis
Reading: The importance of accurate surveying and site analysis in civil engineering
Listening: Site assessments
Writing: Preparing comprehensive site analysis reports
Speaking: Presenting site analysis results and recommendations
Pronunciation: Bud and Bird + connected speech

Module 5

Engineering Design and Planning
Grammar: Countable and uncountable nouns
Vocabulary: Engineering design concepts and planning
Reading: The role of design and planning in civil engineering projects
Listening: Design and planning tasks
Writing: Creating design documents and project plans
Speaking: Communicating design ideas and discussing project issues
Pronunciation: Cart and Cut + connected speech

Module 6

Project Management and Teamwork
Grammar: First conditional
Vocabulary: Project management principles and teamwork concepts
Reading: Effective project management in civil engineering
Listening: Project management strategies and challenges
Writing: Developing project management skills
Speaking: Sharing personal experiences for project management
Pronunciation: Day and Ray + connected speech

Module 7

Health, Safety, and Environmental Considerations
Grammar: Passive
Vocabulary: Health, safety, and environmental terms and concepts
Reading: The importance of health and safety
Listening: Risk mitigation and environmental protection measures
Writing: Documenting environmental impact assessments
Speaking: A health and safety talk
Pronunciation: Guess and Yes + connected speech

Module 8

Continuing Professional Development and Career Growth:
Grammar: Second conditional
Vocabulary: Career-related terms and concepts
Reading: Advancement opportunities and skills development
Listening: Career paths and future goals
Writing: A professional development plan for career advancement
Speaking: Setting personal goals and identifying areas for growth
Pronunciation: Hope and Hop + connected speech

Follow-up

Students completing the English for Civil Engineers course should feel confident in tackling any upper intermediate course, including our Upper Intermediate Business Power course.