ENGLISH FOR

ELECTRICAL ENGINEERING

DRW - STTH

ELECTRICAL CONDUCTOR

Electrical conductor is any material that offers little resistance to the flow
of an electric current. The difference between a conductor and an insulator,
which is a poor conductor of electricity or heat, is one of degree rather than kind,
because all substances conduct electricity to some extent. A good conductor of
electricity, such as silver or copper, may have conductivity a billion or more times
as great as the conductivity of a good insulator, such
as

glass

or

mica.

superconductivity

is

phenomenon
observed

known

when

as

certain

substances are cooled to a point near absolute zero,

at which point their conductivity becomes almost
infinite. In solid conductors the electric current is
carried by the movement of electrons; in solutions
and gases, the electric current is carried by ions.
Exercise
1. Property of any object or substance to resist or oppose the flow of an electrical
current is called ______________1.
2. Phenomenon displayed by certain substances that conduct electricity but
demonstrate no resistance to the flow of an electric current is called
____________2.
3. _____________ is the lowest temperature theoretically possible, characterized by
complete absence of heat (thermal energy).
4. __________, in chemistry, are homogeneous (uniform) mixtures of two or more
substances.

ELECTRIC INSULATION

The perfect insulator for electrical applications would be a material that is

absolutely nonconducting; such a material does not exist. The materials used as
insulators, although they do conduct some electricity, have a resistance to the
flow of electric current as much as 2.5 1024 greater than that of good electrical
conductors such as silver and copper.
Materials that are good conductors have a large number of free electrons
(electrons not tightly bound to atoms) available to carry the current; good
insulators have few such electrons. Some materials such as silicon and
germanium, which have a limited number of free electrons, are semiconductors
and form the basic material of transistors. In
ordinary electric wiring, plastics are commonly used
as insulating sheathing for the wire itself. Very fine
wire, such as that used for the winding of coils and
transformers, may be insulated with a thin coat of
enamel. The internal insulation of electric equipment
may be made of mica or glass fibers with a plastic
binder.
Electronic equipment and transformers may
also use a special electrical grade of paper. High-voltage power lines are insulated
with units made of porcelain or other ceramic, or of glass. The specific choice of
an insulation material is usually determined by its application. Polyethylene and
polystyrene are used in high-frequency applications, and mylar is used for
electrical capacitors. Insulators must also be selected according to the maximum
temperature they will encounter.
Teflon is used in the high-temperature range of 175 to 230 C (350 to
450 F). Adverse mechanical or chemical conditions may call for other materials.
Nylon has excellent abrasion resistance, and neoprene, silicone rubber, epoxy
polyesters, and polyurethanes can provide protection against chemicals and
moisture.

Exercise
1. What would a perfect insulator be like?
2. What characterizes good insulators?
3. What materials are used as insulating sheathing for wire?
4. What materials are used for insulation of electronic equipment?
5. What determines the choice of an insulation material?
Exercise
Find out the similar meanings from the text
1. Complete

2. Positively

3. Live

4. Fundamental

5. Seperated

6. Particular

7. Choose

8. Meet

9. Substantial

10. Supply

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
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
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.

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.

THE EFFECTS OF AN ELECTRIC CURRENT

The effects of an electric current are thermal, luminous, chemical and

magnetic. When a current flows through a conductor it may heat the conductor.
This heat is sometimes undesirable and has to be reduced. For this reason many
electric motors and generators contain a fan. However, domestic appliances, such
as electric cookers, and many industrial processes depend on the heating effect of
an electric current.
The passage of a current may produce light. This can happen in a number
of ways. The heat generated by the current may be so great that the conductor
becomes incandescent. For example, the filament of a light bulb emits intense
white light when heated by a current. Light is also
produced when a current ionises a gas. The
colour of the light will vary according to the gas
used. Mercury vapour lamps give a greenish-blue
light. An electric current can separate a chemical
compound into its components. This is called
electrolysis.
Chlorine is generated by the electrolysis of
salt water. Electrolysis can also be used to break
down water into hydrogen and oxygen. Because pure water does not conduct well,
sulphuric acid has to be added before the electrolysis takes place.
A current flowing through a conductor creates a magnetic field around it.
This field has three applications. It can magnetize magnetic materials and attract
them to the conductor. The electric relay works on this principle. If the magnetic
field is cut by another conductor, an electromotive force will be induced in that
conductor. For instance, the change in current flowing through the primary of a
transformer will induce a current in the secondary. This principle is also used in
generators. Thirdly, if a current carrying conductor is placed in the magnetic
field, a force will e exerted on it. This effect is utilized in the electric motor.

Exercise:
Now study the passage carefully and complete this framework of notes:
Effects of an electric current:
1. Thermal
2. .
3. .
4. Magnetic
1. Heat can be
a. Undesirable, e.g. motor
b. ....... e.g. cooker
2. light
a. from incandescent conductor e.g. .......
b. from ....... e.g. vapour lamp
3. ....... = breakdown of chemical compound e.g. salt water into chlorine
4. current flowing in conductor ..... round it. Magnetic field has three
applications:
a. ....... e.g. relay
b. induce emf in another conductor e.g. .......
c. ..... e.g. motor

HAND TOOLS AND THEIR USES

Nowadays, the speed and productivity are very important, and therefore
many works in the workshop are being done with the power tools and machines.
However, any good craftsman knows that the quality result lies in the balance
between the handwork and machine work. In many cases during

the

manufacture, the craftsman has to decide whether some operation will be done
with the hand tools or with the machine. Such decision should always be made
by considering which method is more efficient, which method you are adept to,
which

methods

produce

better

work

and

which

method

is

cheaper.

Always use right hand tool for the job. This way
you get the best job with the least effort, the least
damage to the tool and the least danger to
yourself.
In some cases, hand tools are faster than
the machines. Of course, if many identical parts
need to be cut, hand tools are definitely slower.
But if you work on some unique project, it will
surely be easier to perform some operations with
the hand tools, rather than to waste time to set up and configure your machine.
One of the important advantages of hand tools is that they are cheaper
than the power tools, so if in your work you do not have a specific need for this
type of tools, it will be much more cost-effective to buy less expensive hand tool
and use it occasionally, than to buy an expensive power tool which will lay on the
shelf. Besides that, the hand tools are indispensable for the house maintenance.
Various jobs on the house are occasional, so it is not profitable to invest a lot of
money in various power tools. Another great advantage of hand tools is that they
are much safer than the power tools, and this is important for both craftsmen
beginners and for the amateurs, who use hand tools just for quick repairs.

Exercise
Hand tools can be divided into several groups:

Laying out tools Measuring and marking tools

Impact or striking tools (hammers, mallets and sledges)

Twisting tools or fastening tools (wrenches and screwdrivers)

Woodcutting tools (wood saws, planes, wood chisels)

Metal cutting tools (dies, drills, files, punches, reamers, taps)

Holding tools (clamps, pliers, vises)

Safety equipment (goggles, gloves)

Grinding and sharpening tools

Finishing tools and abrasives

Tool storage & accessory containers

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

Exercise
Describe the operation of the new speed trap by converting each of these
statements to the Present Passive.

1. The first unit records the time each vehicle passes.

2. It identifies each vehicle by its number plates using Optical Character
Recognition

(OCR) software.
3. It relays the information to the second unit.
4. The second unit also records the time each vehicle passes.
5. The microprocessor calculates the time
taken to travel between the units.
6. It relays the registration numbers on
speeding vehicles to police headquarters.
7. A computer matches each vehicle with
the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Centre
(DVLC) database.
8. It prints off a letter to the vehicle owners
using mailmerge

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