NATIONAL UNIVERSITY OF CIVIL ENGINEERING

DEPARTMENT OF ENGLISH
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ENGLISH FOR ARCHITECTURE AND

BUILDING CONSTRUCTION

WORK BOOK
The third edition

SUGGESTED ANSWER KEY

MATERIAL CIRCULATION

HANOI
December 2018

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 CONTENTS

Unit 1 Properties and Shapes 2

Unit 2 Location 4

Unit 3 Structure 6

Unit 4 Measurement 1 8

Unit 5 Process 1. Function and Ability 10

Unit 6 Process 2. Actions in Sequence 12

Sample Test 1 14

Sample Test 2 15

Sample Test 3 16

References 17

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Unit 1. Properties and Shapes

Part 1.

1.C 2.C 3. B 4. D 5. D 6. C 7.A 8. B

9. A 10. B 11.C 12. B 13. C 14.D 15.A 16.D

17.D 18.C 19.C 20.B 21. D 22.B 23.B

Part 2.

1. framed 2. structural 3. related 4. corrosion 5. covered

6. dividing 7. made 8. stretched 9. conductor

Part 3:
1. The cross-section of a rectangular prism is rectangular in shape.
2. The steel beam is I-shaped in cross-section.
3. Concrete can be formed into rods and used as columns.
4. The polythene membrane prevents moisture from rising into the concrete floor.
5. Which building component is C-shaped in cross-section?
6. The dome of an Egyptian house is shaped like a hemisphere.
7. The longitudinal section of a cylinder is rectangular in shape.
8. You can see through glass, but not through wood.
9. The spaces between the rods can be filled with light sheet materials.
10. Which building has diamond-shaped windows?
11. Black cloth blinds can be used to keep light out of a room.
12. Glass wool does not transmit heat easily.
13. These walls act as both space-dividers and structural support.
14. Glass cannot be dented or scratched easily.
15. Stone has the property of high compressive strength.

Part 4:
1. Steel can resist high tensile forces.
2. The minaret is pencil-shaped.
3. The windows of the church are diamond-shaped.
4. Timber has the property of high tensile strength.

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5. Wood can burn because it is combustible.
6. Brick does not transmit sound easily.
7. The church has diamond-shaped windows.
8. Mineral wool has the property of high thermal insulation.
9. The Arabic arch is shaped like a horseshoe.
10. Copper is a good conductor of heat, so heat can be transferred through it easily.
11. Stainless steel can resist corrosion.

Part 5:
1. The actual size of block is 75/8’’ x 75/8’’ x 155/8’’.
2. The weight variance is mainly due to the different weights of the aggregate used.
3. There are small cells in the blocks to reduce the weight of the block.
4. Two kinds of blocks are mentioned in this passage. They are type N and type S.
5. The difference between the two types of blocks is the aggregate used.

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Unit 2. Location

Part 1:
1.C 2.C 3.B 4.C 5.A 6. A 7.C 8.A

9.B 10.C 11.B 12.A 13.C 14.D 15.B 16.B

17.A 18.C 19.D 20.B

Part 2:

1. situated 2. Looking 3. orientation 4. located 5. protecting 6. serving

7. Viewed 8. boundary 9. maximum 10. relative 11. entrance

Part 3:
1. A car park is bounded by a road to the west.
2. An irrigation ditch runs along the northern of the building site.
3. People waiting to enter the house need protecting from the weather.
4. The building site has vehicular access from a road to the north.
5. The dining room is situated in front the kitchen.
6. The short axis of the theatre is orientated east-west.
7. The side walls are right angles to the front wall.
8. The front wall is parallel to the back wall.
9. The main bedroom is located over the dining room.
10. The entrance which is located on the north side leads into a hall.
11. This helps to keep the inside of the house cool in summer.
12. The chimney stack extends beyond the top of the roof.
13. There is a letter box at the bottom of the door.
14. The architect placed the bathroom to the left of the bedroom.
15. The orientation of the long axis of house A is north-south.
16. In which direction do the longer walls of the house face?
17. Does this help to keep the inside of the house warm in winter?

Part 4:
1. The back of the building is a north-facing wall.
2. The long axis of the building is orientated east-west.
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3. A high wall runs along the southern boundary of the hospital.
4. The front wall is at right angles to the side walls.
5. The dining room is adjacent to the kitchen.
6. Viewed from the front, the living room is in front of the kitchen.
7. The factory is bounded by a road to the north.
8. The front of the house faces south.
9. There is a door between the windows.
10. Bedroom 2 is located over the family room.

Part 5
1. The primary purpose of a home is to serve the specific, individual needs of the home’s occupants.
2. A home should recognise the influence that climate, topography, solar access, vegetation, culture,
etc., can and should have on its design
3. It is a home that doesn’t use any more material than necessary for function and aesthetics, and uses
construction systems that are appropriate for the home’s site.
4. Designing a house for just one stage of life makes it become obsolete quickly.
5. Because it enriches the lives of the occupants, makes the house last longer without needing repair
and contributes to the quality image of the whole community

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Unit 3. Structure

Part 1.

1.D 2. A 3.D 4.B 5.C 6. D 7. B 8.B

9.B 10.C 11.A 12.B 13. C 14.D 15.B 16.C

Part 2.
1. machined 2. covering 3. used 4. wearing 5. built 6. joint

Part 3.
1. The wooden joists span a distance of 2 metres.

2. The sideways force on the floor board is transmitted through the nails to the joist.

3. The steel skeleton is composed of straight members.

4. The steel frames are spaced at 4 metre centres.

5. The beams are bolted to the steel stanchion caps.

6. The brick walls carry the wooden joists which support the floor.

7. At what centres are the steel frames spaced?

8. The factory is constructed from four elements.

9. The foundations of the factory is made up of precast concrete panels.

10. The steel channel is joined to the steel column by welds.

11. The joint between the base plate and the column base is filled with mortar bed.

12. The corrugated sheets are made of steel.

Part 4: Rewrite each of the following sentences in such a way that it means exactly the same as
the sentence printed above it.
1. The roof beam and the steel stanchion are bolted together.
2. The stanchions support the floor beams and the roof beams.
3. What distance does the vault span?
4. The steel channel is welded to the steel column./ joined to the steel column by welds.

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5. What is the post-and-lintel structure composed of?
6. The span of the arch is one metre.
7. The floorboard is joined to the joist by nails.

Part 5.
1 .The types of roofs mentioned in this passage are pitched (sloped) and flat roofs.
2. The use of different types of roofs depends on a large degree on the area of the country.
3. Pitched roofs must be used in areas with heavy rain or snow.
4. Water left to evaporate on a flat surface can cause problems.
5. Flat roofs are slightly angled or raised in the center to ensure water run off.

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Unit 4. Measurement 1
Part 1.
1.B 2. B 3.A 4. B 5. C 6.A 7.C 8.B
9.A 10. B 11.D 12.D

Part 2.

1. length 2. approximately 3. measurement 4. height 5. width

6. ranging 7. heavily 8. reinforcement 9. thickness 10. performance

Part 3.
1. The treatment room has a length of approximately 12 metres.

2. The kitchen window is approximately 3 square metres in area.

3. The stress of the concrete block is measured in newtons per square metre

4. Coarse aggregate ranges in size from 5 mm to 40 mm.

5. The library is approximately 240 cubic metres in volume.

6. The classroom is 4 metres high.

7. The maximum density of concrete required is 2200 kilogrammes per cubic metre.

8. The area of the room should not be greater than 50 square metres.

9. An architect wants to build a concrete wall with a volume of 10 cubic metres.

10. The maximum compressive stress of concrete allowed is 5N/mm².

Part 4:

1. The auditorium is approximately 50 metres long.

2. They make concrete from cement, coarse aggregate, fine aggregate and water.

3. The dining room is 25 metres in internal area.

4. The treatment room has a height of 3 metres.

5. The tables used in infant schools are not as high as the ones used in universities.

6. Coarse aggregate varies between 5 mm and 40 mm.

7. Some Britons are taller than 2100 mm, but the doorway height in Britain is usually 2100 mm.

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Part 5.

1. Self-compacting concrete differs from conventional concrete in high flow-ability and capacity to

self-compact under its own mass gravity without any mechanical effect.

2. Self-compacting concrete is considered a good building material because it reduces defects on the

surface of the concrete structure and increases durability of concrete.

3. It is suitable for structures of complex shapes, thin-wall structures and those of heavy reinforcement

or those requiring high surface finishing quality.

4. Properties of the concrete mixture such as bleeding, flow-ability and self-compactness determine the

quality of self-compacting concrete.

5. We should use a large amount of fine particles (known as micro-fillers) in the concrete mixture.

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Unit 5. Process 1. Function and Ability
Part 1.
1.C 2.B 3. B 4. C 5. A 6. B 7.C 8. B

9. C 10.D 11.A 12. C 13. A 14.D 15.B 16.C

Part 2.

1. capable 2. insulator 3. ability 4. requirements 5. combustibility

6. impervious 7. strength 8. resistance 9. kept 10. remove

Part 3.
1. A library is used for storing and reading books.

2. The function of air conditioner is to control the temperature.

3. A lecture room serves as a place for giving lectures.

4. The heat flow rate of the radiator is measured in joules.

5. The university functions as a place for educating students.

6. Mineral wool provides thermal insulation for walls.

7. The function of the pump is to circulate hot water through the continuous pipe.

8. The external walls are designed to resist loads.

9. What enables the occupants of a building to be safe from fire?

10. The partition enables the building to provide visual screening.

11. Ceramic tile is used to provide good appearance for walls.

12. The function of a radiator is to transfer heat from hot water to the air in the room.

Part 4:

1. The hamburger shop is capable of serving up to 100 customers in one hour.

2. Solid walls have the ability to support the structural loads.

3. The restaurant has the capacity to serve up to 350 customers a day.

4. The lowest floor enables the building to prevent/control the passage of moisture

5. This building structure is able to withstand wind and earthquakes.

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6. The partition functions as a space-divider.

7. The lowest floor acts as a moisture barrier of a building.

8. The lowest floor is designed to control the passage of heat.

Part 5:

1. Wall systems are the vertical planes of a building, which define and enclose its internal spaces.

2. The major function of the exterior walls of a building is to provide protection from the weather for
its interior spaces.

3. The exterior skin should be durable and resistant to the weathering effects of sun, wind and
precipitation.

4. The requirements for natural light, ventilation, view, physical access and some esthetic factor

determine the size and location of door and window openings.

5. In China and some eastern countries superstitious belief also determines them.

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Unit 6. Process 2. Actions in Sequence
Part 1.

1.A 2.D 3. C 4. C 5. D 6.A 7.A 8. D

9. C 10.A 11.B 12. A

Part 2:

1. fixing 2. decorator 3. working 4. Excavation 5. completion

6. contractors 7. specified 8. putting

Part 3: Use the words and phrases in each item to build a complete sentence. You can make any
changes or additions if necessary.

1. Excavation was delayed for 2 weeks because the excavator broke down.

2. Work now starts on the building.

3. By putting on extra men the building was completed on schedule.

4. This resulted in the bricklayers working 3 weeks longer than expected.

5. Why have the steel frames been erected before the wall planks are fixed?

6. The workmen begin the initial state by excavating the ground.

7. The concrete foundations require solid ground to support them.

8. The weatherproof membrane is laid over the balustrade fixing panels.

9. As soon as the plumbers have finished, the carpenters begin.

10. While the cladding is being fixed some of the heating equipment is installed.

11. The decorators should finish no later than the end of week 50.

12. Bricks were in short supply during week 15 to 20.

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Part 4:

1. Why are the column base plates fixed before after the foundations have been constructed?

2. The plumbers begin their work immediately after the bricklayers have finished.

3. Several building contractors are invited to offer to construct the building at a certain price.

4. If the excavator had not broken down, excavation would not have been delayed for 2 weeks.

5. The steel erectors work at the same time as the bricklayers.

6. The machine drivers should finish by the end of week 8.

7. The plumbers work simultaneously with the roofing contractor.

8. After the workmen have completed the preparation of the site, they begin the initial stage.

9. The decorators work until the end of week 50.

10. This architect has been given the job of designing a building.

11. It took the roofing constructor seven weeks to lay the roof covering.

12. The suspended ceilings are fixed after the services have been installed.

13. The glaziers should finish their work no latter than the end of week 44.

14. The cladding fixers work up to the end of week 30.

15. The pipework and sanitary fittings are installed by the plumbers.
16. The doors, windows and screens are manufactured by the joiners in the factory.
17. The carpenters fix the floor joists, roof timbers, floors and windows.

Part 5.

1. The engineers of modern times have the advantage of empirical information and scientific data that

permit him to make careful calculation in advance.

2. The four factors that an engineer must consider when he plans a structure include the dead load, the
live load, the impact and the safety factor.

3. A live load is the weight of all the people, cars, furniture, machines, and so on that the structure will
support when it is in use.

4. The engineer must understand the different stresses to which the materials in a structure are subject.
These include compression and tension.

5. A material might fracture along the line of stress.

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SAMPLE ESP TEST No. 1
Part 1.

1.C 2.C 3.B 4.D 5. B

Part 2.

6. Concrete and reinforced concrete are widely used throughout the non-temperate zones
7. Concrete is most frequently used for the structure, foundations and floor slabs of buildings
8. Because concrete walls tend to be thin and concrete has a low resistance to the passage of heat
9. Salts in aggregates and water can cause corrosion of the reinforcement and spalling of the concrete
cover
10. The rapid evaporation and shortage of water can result in low strength, cracking and high
permeability.
Part 3:
11. The church is shaped like a triangular prism.
12. The short axis of the factory is orientated north-south.
13. The stone posts are spaced at 1 metre centers.
14. Mineral wool does not transmit heat easily.
15. The electric current of the room is measured in amperes.
Part 4:
16. What element acts as a space-divider in the building?
17. The bottom of each stanchion is joined to a base plate by welds.
18. The concrete column has the capacity to take a compressive force of 2000 newtons
19. A high wall runs along the southern boundary of the building.
20. The classroom is 10 metres long.

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SAMPLE ESP TEST No 2
Part 1:

1.A 2.B 3.D 4.B 5.C

Part 2:

6. Architecture is the design of buildings, executed by architects

7. The pronoun it in the second line refer to architecture

8. Construction became a basic factor in architectural thought during the Roman era.

9. Architecture was symbolic in forms and decoration before that time.

10. Modern architects provide expert knowledge in design and construction for both buildings and their

landscape.

Part 3:

11. The cross-section of the library is rectangular in shape.

12. The post-and-lintel structure is composed of straight members.

13. The function of an air conditioner is to control the temperature

14. The university functions as a place for educating students.

15. The chimney stack extends beyond the roof of the house.

Part 4:

16. The site is bounded by a railway line to the east.

17. Brick can resist high compressive forces.
18. The steel channel and the steel column are bolted together.
19. It took the roofing contractor seven weeks to lay the roof covering.
20. The shop has the capacity to serve up to 200 customers per day

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SAMPLE ESP TEST No 3
Part 1:
1.B 2.D 3. A 4. C 5.B

Part 2:
6. Wood is strong durable, light in weight, and easy to work. It offers natural beauty and warmth to
sight and tough and it can be used in construction in many and varied forms.
7. There are two major classes of wood. They are softwoods and hardwoods
8. Hardwoods are used for flooring, stairs, paneling, furniture, and interior trim.
9. The manner in which a tree grows affects its strength, its susceptibility to expansion and contraction,
its effectiveness as an insulator
10. Tensile forces perpendicular to the grain will cause the wood to split.

Part 3
11. The stadium is bounded by a motorway to the east.
12. The apartment has a width of approximately 9 metres.
13. Mineral wool provides thermal insulation for walls. .
14. The lowest floor is designed to resist the passage of moisture.
15. The wooden joists span a distance of 3 metres.

Part 4:
16. Steel can resist high tensile forces.
17. The decorators work until the end of week 50
18. The partitions are erected after the suspended ceilings have been fixed.
19. The factory is capable of manufacturing up to 200 windows a day
20. The short axis of the library is orientated north-south

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 References

Cumming, J. Architecture and building construction. Longman, 1985.

Hall, Eugene J. The language of civil engineering in English [illustrations by Oscar

Fernandez]. New York : Regents Publishing Co., 1977.

Taylor, R,. Principles of good home design. Estate News Zillow Blog : Dublin, Ohio , 4 Sep

2013.

https://books.google.com.vn/books?isbn=148314108X . Design Primer for Hot Climates

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Framing_(construction)

Some materials by colleagues at National University of Civil Engineering

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