A L W A Y S L E A R N I N G

PEARSON
 English for Construction is part o f the Pearson Longman
Vocational English series. I t is designed for students i n vocational
education and for company employees i n training at work. W r i t t e n by
industry practitioners, it combines a strong grammar syllabus w i t h the
specialist vocabulary and skills that learners need to succeed i n their
chosen field.

Level 1 English for Construction is designed for students with a basic

knowledge o f general English who now require an elementary (CEF level
A 1 - A 2 ) English course in this specific field. It includes:

• topics that reflect the latest developments in construction, making them

immediately relevant to students' needs.

• clearly defined language and function objectives which are backed up by

comprehensive on-the-page language boxes.

• essential online support for teachers including teacher's notes, fully

editable tests and multilingual glossaries.

• student C D - R O M w i t h interactive glossaries i n both British and

American English and full course book audio in MP3 format.

Other titles in the series include:

English for Banking & Finance

English for Information Technology

English for Nursing

English for O i l and Gas

^COMMON EUROPEAN FRAMEWORK^

A 1 i
n 1

Level 1
A2
ISBN 9 7 8 - 1 - 4 0 8 2 - 6 9 9 1 - 6
Level 2
Bl

m
B2

.pearsonELT.com/vocationalenglish 78H08"269916
Contents
Function Language Vocabulary

Introductions p. 4 Introducing yourself and others Present simple: b e Jobs

lit 1 Th e consti-uction industry

Present simple: regular verbs

Adverbs of frequency

Finding out more p. 6 Talking about jobs in the Wh- questions The alphabet
construction industry Questions with b e Wh- question words

T h e construction Describing parts of the Plurals Types of construction

industry p. 8 construction industry Prepositional verbs Industry sectors

Parts of a h o u s e p. 10 Understanding a house plan 77i/sis ... House features

Naming parts of a house

R e v i e w p. 11

T r a d e s a n d training p. 12 Describing trades and the stages Present simple Trades

of trade training Vocational courses

Trade materials p. 14 Talking about materials Parts of speech Materials

(ft
<B
Making calculations Numbers 1-100 Calculation words
Unit 2 Trat

Instructions p. 16 Giving instructions The imperative Scaffolding

Saying where things are Sequencers
Prepositions of place

T h e apprentice p. 18 Giving personal information Questions and answers for Tools

personal information

R e v i e w p. 19

Delivery p. 20 Answering questions about Present continuous Movement verbs

delivery
Talking about the delivery of
c heavy equipment
B
it 3 Heavy equiprr

C r a n e s p. 22 Using cranes and control units Opposites Cranes

There is/There are

Controls a n d Asking questions about clockwise/anticlockwise Remote controls

equipment p. 2 4 equipment Equipment for mixing concrete
Explaining how to mix cement
c
3 O n site p. 2 6 Making conversation Word order Question phrases
Expressions: fair enough, will do

R e v i e w p. 27

Building materials p. 28 Talking about building suppliers Word pairs Products a n d materials
and materials
Unit 4 Building supplie:

Materials p. 30 Placing a n d confirming an order Phrases: order number, in stock Supply orders
Checking stock items Making requests

Insulation p. 32 Talking about insulation Use to/Used as/Used for Types of insulation
Changing a customer order/ Emails Stock
delivery

Problems on site p. 34 Explaining problems Too/Not enough Parts of a building site

Adjectives: soft, wet, heavy

R e v i e w p. 35

Contents
 Function Language Vocabulary

On-site Describing w h a t subcontractors Present simple and present Subcontractors

subcontractors p. 3 6 do/are doing at the m o m e n t continuous

Directions p. 38 Following directions Giving directions Maps

s Giving directions
»
Unit 5 On

Weather on site p. 4 0 Understanding different types of Because of Weather

weather
Giving reasons

Food p. 42 Talking about food Conversation using present Food

simple and present continuous

Review p. 43

Warning signs p. 44 Identifying different types of signs Must Personal protective equipment
(PPE)
5 Health and safety

Site safety p. 46 Describing problems Adjectives: too full Health and safety
Completing a vehicle safety Vehicle parts
checklist

First aid p. 48 Explaining injuries Past simple: be Parts of the body

Past simple A first aid kit

c Waste disposal p. 50 Understanding waste disposal Word partnerships: clean metal, Waste materials
D
and colour c o d e s general waste

Review p. 51

Clients p. 52 Welcoming clients Word pairs J o b descriptions

Nouns: structural engineer,
Unit;' The contfactor's office

bookkeeper

Projects p. 54 Discussing projects Metric and imperial Buildings

Describing structures using measurements
dimensions

Shapes p. 56 Describing the shape of Expressions: 30 by 60 Shapes

constructions Dimensions
Word stress

Calculations p. 58 Giving calculations Calculations Calculation symbols

Calculating an area Word order

Review p. 59

Planning a project p. 60 Planning a new bridge Will future Calendar

•o Completing a schedule Months of the year
i
Unit 8 Planning ahe

Schedules p. 62 Making appointments Prepositions of time Dates and times

Telling the time

Bridges p. 64 Making comparisons Comparative and superlative Descriptive adjectives

adjectives

Quantities p. 66 Writing quantities How much/How many Containers

Review p. 67

Partner files p. 68

Audio script p. 72
 The • introduce yourself and others
• talk about jobs in the constructior

1 construction
industry
industry
• describe types of construction
• understand a house plan

Introductions

a building inspector a rooter

Vocabulary Match photos A-E to texts 1-5.

1 Hello, I'm Kamal Boukhaled, from Morocco. I'm a plumber.
I'm Isabelle Roux, from France. I'm an architect
Hi, my name's Santiago Cruz. I'm from Venezuela. I'm a crane operator.
Hi, I'm Karol Nowacki. I'm from Poland. I'm a roofer.
Hello there. My name's Jun Takahashi. I'm from Japan. I'm a building
inspector.
Listening 2 Complete these conversations. Then listen and compare your
answers.
1 Jun: Hi! I'm Jun Takahashi, from the Ministry.
Isabelle: Hi, Mr Takahashi. (1) Isabelle Roux. I'm from (2)
I'm the architect on this project.
Jun: Ah, I'm a building (3)
Isabelle: Pleased to (4) you.
2 Karol: Hi! Karol Nowacki.
Santiago: Santiago Cruz.
Karol: What do you do, Santiago?
Santiago: I'm a crane (5) And you?
Karol: Me? I'm a(n) (6)
3 Kamal: Hi! My (7) _ . is Kamal Boukhaled.
Santiago: Hi, Kamal. I'm Santiago.
Kamal: (8) are you from?
Santiago: From Caracas, Venezuela.
Kamal: Ah, Caracas. A beautiful city. I come from (9)
4 Kamal: Hello. (10) name's Kamal Boukhaled.
Karol: Hi, Kamal. I'm Karol Nowacki And this is Isabelle Roux.
Kamal: Hello, Isabelle.
Isabelle: Pleased to meet you.
Karol: What do you (11) , Kamal?
Kamal: I'm a plumber.
Karol: I'm a roofer. And Isabelle designs buildings.
Kamal: She's a(n) (12) ?
Isabelle: Yes, that's right.

4 1 The construction industry

 Reading 3 Read this text and underline the verbs.

Harun Rashid is 35 vears old. He comes from Alexandria,

but lives and works in Cairo.

Harun is a general contractor. He hires subcontractors to

work on building projects. He also organises the material
and equipment. Harun has a lot of experience in the
construction industry.

Harun always works hard. Sometimes he has meetings

with clients. Sometimes he visits construction sites. And
sometimes he deals with suppliers. He is always busy.

But Friday is different. Harun never works on Fridays.

Friday is a day off.

Correct these sentences.

1 Harun Rashid is a plumber.
2 He hires clients to work on building projects
3 He has a lot of experience in the tourist industry.
4 He never visits construction sites
5 He always works on Fridays
Language

Present s i m p l e : be

We use be to say w h o s o m e b o d y is or what s o m e t h i n g is. I'm Santiago Cruz. He's Harun Rashid.
This is a construction site. We're roofers.

We use be to ask personal questions. What's your name? My name's Karol.

Present s i m p l e : r e g u l a r v e r b s

We use the present s i m p l e to talk about routines, We work in an office.

permanent situations a n d general truths. Water freezes at 0°C.

We use adverbs of f r e q u e n c y a n d time e x p r e s s i o n s with Harun Rashid never works on Fridays.

the present simple. They work every Saturday.

Speaking 5 Work in pairs and introduce yourselves. Use this model to help you.
A B
Hi!/Hello./Good morning.
Hi!/Hello./Good morning.
I'm /My name's .
What's your ?
I'm /My name's .
Pleased to meet you.
Where are you ?
I'm from And you?
I'm from
 Finding out more
Listening 1 flp' '*]ff
1
Listen and repeat the letters of the alphabet.

Speaking 3 Work in pairs. Student A look at the information on this page. Student B look at
the information on page 68.

Student A
Read the letters to Student B. Write the letters Student B says. What do the
letters mean?

HVAC rpm AC JCB

HVAC = heating, ventilation and air conditioning

rpm = revolutions per minute
AC = alternating current
JCB = JC Bamford Excavators Limited (a construction equipment manufacturer)

4 Practise this conversation with your classmates. Write the names.

A B
What's your name?
Jun Takahashi.
How do you spell that?
My first name is Jun - J-U-N.
My family name is Takahashi •
T-A-K-A-H-A-S-H-I.
Thank you.

6 1 The construction industry

 Listening 5 Listen t o t h r e e c o n v e r s a t i o n s . W r i t e t h e j o b s y o u hear for each p e r s o n
1-.i.
1 Ahmed: Rob:
2 Tariq: Pierre:
3 Jacek: Kim:
4 Luis: 8 Antonio:
Language

Wh- q u e s t i o n s
Wh- questions begin w i t h a q u e s t i o n w o r d (e.g. What, Where, How).

We use what w h e n we want to know about s o m e t h i n g . What's your name?

What do you do?

We use where to ask about places. Where do you work?

We use h o w to ask about the way to do s o m e t h i n g . How do you spell that?

Questions w i t h b e

We reverse the order of the verb b e to f o r m a question. He is on site today. • Is he on site today?

6 Read t h e t h r e e c o n v e r s a t i o n s i n a u d i o s c r i p t 5 o n page 72 a n d u n d e r l i n e t h e
questions i n the conversations.

7 C o m p l e t e these sentences w i t h What, Where o r How.

- d o y o u live? t i m e is it?
_ d o y o u do? o l d are you?
_ are you? . is t h e site?
_'s y o u r address? . are y o u from?

8 Put t h e w o r d s i n 1-6 i n t h e c o r r e c t o r d e r t o make q u e s t i o n s . T h e n m a t c h t h e

q u e s t i o n s t o answers a-f.
1 • w h a t / he / d o / does / ?
2 ncan/you/help/I/?
3 O h o w / spell / y o u / t h a t / d o / ?
4 Q where / w o r k / y o u / do / ?
5 O what / y o u / do / do / ?
6 Q are / t h e / manager / site / y o u / ?

a) He's a crane operator.

b) I'm a plumber.
c) O n a b u i l d i n g site.
d) C-H-E-S-T-E-R-T-O-N-S.
e) I ' m l o o k i n g for K i m .
0 Yes, I a m .

Speaking 9 W o r k i n p a i r s . Take t u r n s t o ask a n d answer q u e s t i o n s a b o u t t h e p e o p l e i n 5.

A B
W h a t does K i m do?
She's a site manager.
W h a t a b o u t Tariq?
T a r i q is a
OK. Your t u r n .

The construction industry 1 7

 The c o n s t r u c t i o n i n d u s t r y
Listening 1 Listen and w r i t e the missing letters.

t nn 1 r d br d h s

s h _ 1 _ o sp_ t_1 a . a . t m t o _ f i c _ b _ o _ k

Listen a n d w r i t e t h e t y p e s of c o n s t r u c t i o n y o u hear.
4
5
6
Speaking 3 Choose a r o l e c a r d . I n t r o d u c e y o u r s e l f t o o t h e r s t u d e n t s . Use t h e m o d e l b e l o w
to help you.

Name: Kasia K a t o l s k y Name: T h o m a s S m i t h

Job: b u i l d i n g i n s p e c t o r Job: roofer
T y p i c a l p r o j e c t s : factories, s c h o o l s T y p i c a l p r o j e c t s : r e s i d e n t i a l p r o j e c t s (houses,
From: Katowice, Poland apartments)
F r o m : T o r o n t o , Canada

Name: M o h a m e d b i n A l i Name: Park Ji-Wung

Job: site manager Job: crane o p e r a t o r
Typical projects: hospitals T y p i c a l p r o j e c t s : bridges, flyovers
From: Dubai, U n i t e d A r a b Emirates (UAE) F r o m : Seoul, Korea

A B
Hi! I'm
M y name's
Hi! I ' m Raja Anand./My name's
Raja A n a n d .
W h a t d o y o u do?

I ' m a general c o n t r a c t o r .
W h a t t y p e s of c o n s t r u c t i o n
d o y o u w o r k on?
We b u i l d a p a r t m e n t blocks.
W h e r e are y o u from?
I'm f r o m M u m b a i , India.

8 1 The construction industry

 Reading 4 Read t h i s t e x t a n d c o m p l e t e c h a r t s A a n d B.

The construction industry in the UK
consists of four different sectors. The
residential sector deals with houses and
apartments. The industrial sector deals
with big projects like factories and power
plants. The infrastructure sector is for
projects like roads, bridges and tunnels.
The commercial sector is for things like
schools, hospitals and office blocks. The
client pays for the project and hires general
contractors to deal with subcontractors,
equipment and materials.

industry in
the U K

industrial

(factories, (roads, (schools,

power plants) bridges, hospitals,
tunnels) office b l o c k s )
subcontractor subcontractor subcontractor subcontractor

Vocabulary 5 W o r k i n p a i r s . Take t u r n s t o d r a w different t y p e s of c o n s t r u c t i o n a n d say w h a t

t h e y are.

6 C o m p l e t e these sentences w i t h t h e v e r b s i n t h e b o x .

are consists of deal with hires pays for

1 T h e general c o n t r a c t o r subcontractors.
2 General c o n t r a c t o r s subcontractors, equipment and materials.
3 The team a site manager, t h r e e roofers a n d a p l u m b e r .
4 Roads, b r i d g e s a n d t u n n e l s infrastructure sector projects.
5 The client the project.

Language

We add -s, -es, or -/es to make a noun p l u r a l . apartment -»apartments

box • boxes
factory > factories

Read t h e t e x t i n 4 again a n d u n d e r l i n e t h e p l u r a l s .

Speaking 8 W o r k i n g r o u p s . T h i n k a b o u t t h e c o n s t r u c t i o n i n d u s t r y i n y o u r area. List

examples of t h e f o l l o w i n g .
1 clients
2 general c o n t r a c t o r s
3 subcontractors
4 residential sector projects
5 infrastructure sector projects
6 commercial sector projects
7 industrial sector projects

The construction industry 1 9