I.

MANUFACTURING

1. Are you familiar with the concept of manufacturing? Brainstorm as many words as possible related to
manufacturing. You may think about industrial domains, techniques, machines, etc. Three suggestions
have been provided for you.

_ manufactory _ __ mill __ __ industry __ ______________ ______________

MANUFACTURING
______________ ______________ ______________ ______________

______________ ______________ ______________ ______________ ______________

2. By putting together all the concepts related to manufacturing, give your own definition of
manufacturing.

_Manufacturing is __________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________

3. Read the text underneath which details on the evolution of manufacturing. As you read pay attention
to what were the elements that brought about the evolution in manufacturing. Can you think of
others?

Manufacturing is the processing of raw materials into finished goods through the use of tools and
processes. Manufacturing is a value-adding process allowing businesses to sell finished products at a
premium over the value of the raw materials used. Humans have historically sought ways to turn raw
materials, such as ore, wood, and foodstuffs, into finished products, such as metal goods, furniture and
processed foods. By refining and processing this raw material into something more useful, individuals
and businesses have added value. This added value increased the price of finished products, rendering
manufacturing a profitable endeavour. People began to specialize in the skills required to manufacture
goods, while others provided funds to businesses to purchase tools and materials. How products are
manufactured has changed over time. The amount and type of labour required in manufacturing
vary according to the type of product being produced. On one end of the spectrum, products are
manufactured by hand or through the use of basic tools using more traditional processes. This type of
manufacturing is associated with decorative art, textile or leather work, carpentry and some metal work.
At the other end of the spectrum, mechanization is used to produce items on a more industrial scale. This
type of manufacturing does not require as much manual manipulation of materials and is often associated
with mass production. The industrial process used to turn raw materials into products in high volumes
emerged during the Industrial Revolution of the 19th century. Before this period, handmade products
dominated the market. The development of steam engines and related technologies allowed companies to
use machines in the manufacturing process reducing the number of personnel required to produce goods
while also increasing the volume of goods that could be produced.
(adapted from https://www.investopedia.com/terms/m/manufacturing.asp)

4. Read the text again and find in the text synonyms for the words and phrases underneath. The first one
has been done for you.

1. unprocessed ____ raw __________________________

2. bonus __________________________________
 3. looked for __________________________________
4. coal __________________________________
5. activity __________________________________
6. to buy __________________________________
7. woodwork __________________________________
8. to transform __________________________________
9. controlled __________________________________
10. vapours __________________________________

5. Extending a word’s chain of synonyms is always a good idea, especially when aiming at improving
one’s vocabulary. Match the words on the left to their synonyms on the right. The first one has been
done for you (1. d)

1. 1. raw a. a. employment
2. 2. tool b. fare
3. 3. ore b. c. attempt
4. 4. obstruction c. d. crude
5. 5. price d. e. staff
6. 6. endeavour e. f. apparatus
7. 7. labour f. g. merchandise
8. 8. power g. h. mineral
9. 9. personnel h. i. hindrance
10. 10. goods j. might

6. Word family. Starting from the word ‘manufacture’, derive the word so as to obtain other words
belonging to the same word family. The first one has been done for you.

Manufacture
1. __ manufacturer ____
2. _________________
3. _________________
4. _________________
5. _________________
6. _________________
7. _________________
8. _________________
9. _________________

Production line

7. Read the text below and cross out the wrong answer. Pay special attention to spelling and/ or context as
an element to disambiguate the meaning. The first one has been done for you.

A production line is the traditional method which people 1. associate/ asocciate with manufacturing. The
production line is 2. arranged/ arangged so that the product is moved 3. secuentialy/ sequentially along
the line and stops at work centers along the line where an operation is performed. The item may move
along some kind of 4. conveyor/ conveior, or be moved manually by staff or 5. fork lift/ forklift. For
example, operations along the production line could include 6. assembly/ asembly, painting, 7. dring/
drying, testing, and packaging. If needed, some parts can be removed from the production line and 8.
stored/ stoored as semi-finished goods. The production line manufacturing process is very 9. sweeted/
suited to high volume manufacturing of a single product or product group. For example, a production line
 may be used to manufacture a range of vacuum cleaners, where the only difference between the models is
the colour of the plastic assembly and the 10. attachments/ atachements that are included in the final
product. (adapted from https://www.thebalance.com)

8. Write a paragraph which should represent your idea about the benefits that the assembly line has
brought to the development of manufacturing. As you write you may feel the need to use any of the
terms below that are directly connected to the development and implementation of the assembly line.

interchangeable parts conveyor system station robotic arm

automation ingenuity groundbreaking technologies mass production
core platform standardized production

_____________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________

9. The benefits of the assembly line have been largely acknowledged by industry. There have been created
four types of assembly lines and here are their characteristics. Match each type to the definition that
best illustrates its functioning, components, etc. The first one has been done for you (1. c).

1. classic a. in the case of this assembly line there are fewer humans and more
machines. Machines governed by computers almost entirely staff
today’s automated systems. Many manufacturers adopted this
model over the past decade or two. In theory, it reduces long-term
costs, and it certainly cuts down the likelihood of human errors.
Most of these systems still follow classic procedures, however, and
many build similar products. One great advantage these systems
have over human labour is the ability to handle hazardous
materials
2. automated b. on this assembly line products still come together piece by piece.
However, teams of workers man each station instead of
individuals. As a result, it makes assembly vastly easier for a range
of different products, especially big, complicated items. Team
members move around to different tasks, and assignments change
periodically. In turn, this helps manufacturers get the most out of
their assembly line workers, many of whom suffer from physical
and mental problems after performing a single task for too long. In
the end, the manufacturer enjoys faster, more aware workers.
3. intermittent c. it is the sort of manufacturing process early car manufacturers like
Ford made memorable. This type of assembly line uses a number
of steps, performed by different workers, to create a single
product. That product is usually large and/or complex. Regardless
of size or complexity, however, each product is essentially
identical.
4. lean d. it does not produce identical products. Although products are very
similar, this type of manufacturing allows customization and
 variety. Furniture may come in various colours and materials.
Some items may feature special, decorative details or special
upholstery fabric. It allows manufacturers to assemble similar parts
quickly while leaving room for customization. Many
manufacturing plants and builders use this technique for partial
assembly.
(adapted from https://ltcroll.com/different-types-assembly-lines-manufacturing/)

10. Automation is a way of increasing the speed of manufacturing. Can you think of any disadvantages of
automation?

 _ negative influence on employment and

wages _
 _______________________________
 _______________________________
 _______________________________
 _______________________________
Disadvantages of automation
 _______________________________
 _______________________________
 _______________________________
 _______________________________
 _______________________________

11. ‘-Ing’ forms are quite numerous in English and they have a number of functions, such as gerunds,
present participle, adjectives. Decide on the function of the ‘-ing’ structures in the sentences
underneath. The first one has been done for you.

1. I love reading. __ gerund __

2. He has been reading that book since you left. _________________
3. She is good at reading in Chinese. _________________
4. The reading laboratory has been renovated. _________________
5. He is reading the book about the greatest miracles in history. _________________
6. She was the fastest at reading backwards. _________________
7. Reading at a very young age is brain-stimulating. _________________
8. The reading machine has helped many sight-impaired children. _________________

Manufacturing processes

12. Manufacturing presupposes a series of processes that the raw material undergoes before being
transformed into a final product. Here are some technological processes that are largely used in
industry. Match the words on the left representing the technological processes to their definitions on
the right. The first one has been done for you (1. h).

1. 1. moulding a. a. a manufacturing process in which a liquid material is usually

poured into a desired shape, and then allowed to solidify.
2. 2. labelling b. b. it is any of various processes in which a piece of raw material is cut
into a desired final shape and size by a controlled material-removal
process.
3. 3. casting c. c. the appropriate name to describe the technologies that build 3D
objects by adding layer-upon-layer of material, whether the material
 is plastic, metal, concrete or, one day, human tissue.
4. 4. forming d. d. the management of the flow of things between the point of origin
and the point of consumption in order to meet requirements of
customers or corporations.
5. 5. imaging e. e. a manufacturing process in which parts are added as the semi-
finished assembly moves from workstation to workstation where the
parts are added in sequence until the final assembly is produced.
6. 6. machining f. the science, art and technology of enclosing or protecting products
for distribution, storage, sale, and use.
7. 7. additive manufacturing g. g. a slip of paper, cloth, or other material, marked or inscribed, for
attachment to something to indicate its manufacturer, nature,
ownership, destination, etc.
8. 8. assembly line a. h. the process of manufacturing by shaping liquid or pliable raw
material using a rigid frame called a mould or matrix. 
9. 9. packaging b. i. a process where parts are attached permanently by welding or other
methods. It can be called chemical process.
10. 10. logistics c. j. the metalworking process of fashioning metal parts and objects
through mechanical deformation; the workpiece is reshaped without
adding or removing material, and its mass remains unchanged.

13. Technical verbs are verbs that describe technical processes. They express transformations from one
state into another or describe technological processes. Here is the story of cement. Read the description
of the technological process and fill in the gaps with the technical verbs in the box underneath. The
first one has been done for you.

preheated taken out cooled transported burned

extracted shipped ground stored crushed

The manufacturing of cement

Step 1: Extraction and preparation of raw materials
The raw materials needed to produce cement are (1) _ extracted _ from the quarries (limestone, clay,
schist, etc), after thorough geological research and chemical analysis in specific quantities and
proportions. These raw materials are (2) ___________ through a milling process and then (3)
___________ to the plant. 
Step 2: Raw grinding and burning
Grinding produces a fine powder, known as raw meal, which is (4) ___________ and then sent to the
kiln. The kiln is at the heart of the manufacturing process and in order to heat the materials, a  2,000°C
flame is required. Once inside the kiln, the raw meal is (5)___________ to around 1,500°C. At this
temperature, chemical reactions take place to form cement clinker. When it is (6) ___________, the
clinker is (7) ___________ and stored ready for grinding to produce cement.
Clinker and gypsum are very finely (8) ___________ giving cement. During this phase, different mineral
materials, called additives may be added alongside the gypsum. Used in varying proportions, these
additives give the cement specific properties. Finally, cement is (9) ___________ in silos before being
(10) ___________ in bulk or in bags.

14. In the previous exercises there were several technical verbs that have helped present the becoming of
limestone into cement. It is always helpful to be aware of means of enriching one’s vocabulary by
derivation. Derive the following verbs in order to obtain nouns. The first one has been done for you.

1. to extract __ extraction _______________________

2. to prepare __________________________________
3. to grind __________________________________
4. to burn __________________________________
5. to ship __________________________________
6. to store __________________________________
7. to cool __________________________________
8. to transport __________________________________
9. to crush __________________________________
10. to bind __________________________________

15. Derivation is a means of obtaining various speech parts. Besides nouns, as in the previous exercise,
derivation helps with the formation of verbs, adjectives, adverbs. Derive the words at the end of certain
lines in order to obtain words that best fill in the gaps in the text. Analyze the context carefully in order
to decide what speech part is necessary for each gap. The first one has been done for you.

Casting is a process in which (1) _ liquefied _ material, such as (1) (1) LIQUID
(2) ___________ metal, is poured into the cavity of a designed mould (2) (2) MELT
and allowed to (3) __________. After solidification, the workpiece is(3) (3) HARD
(4) __________from the die to undergo various
(4) (4) MOVE
(5) __________ treatments or for use as a final product. Casting is (5) (5) FINISH
(6) __________used to create intricate solid shapes, and cast products
(6) (6) TYPE
are found in a wide range of (7) __________, including automotive (7) APPLY
components, aerospace parts, electronics, (8) __________devices, and (8) MECHANIC
construction supplies. Although casting is one of the (9) __________ (7) (9) OLD
known manufacturing techniques, modern advances in casting
technology have led to a broad array of (10) __________ casting (10) SPECIALIZE
methods.

16. One letter different words. Here are some pairs where words share most of their spelling. Nevertheless,
there is one letter or at the most there are two letters that differentiate them. Read the contexts and
decide upon the best choice. Change whatever you consider in order to obtain correct sentences. The
first one has been done for you.

a. pour≠ poor
1. The molten aluminium is _ poured _ into a mould.
2. It is a region _ poor _ in mineral deposits.

b. iron ≠ ion
1. An ______________ can be either positively or negatively charged.
2. They had to strike while the ______________ was still hot.

c. hit ≠ heat
1. Turn the ______________ down to 325°F and continue cooking until internal temperature reads
140°F on a thermometer.
2. ______________ the nail with the hammer.

d. led≠ lead
1. He ______________ the allied forces during the war.
2. The ______________ is a highly malleable and toxic element.

e. hut ≠ hot
 1. This ointment is ______________, so apply it sparingly.
2. In the middle of the forest they stumble upon a ______________.

f. alley ≠ ally
1. Canada looked for an______________ in World War II.
2. Due to the earthquake the ______________ was blocked by the debris.

g. fill≠ file
1. The water was about to ______________ the basin.
2. The secretary ______________ the documents lest they should get lost.

h. steal ≠ steel
1. As a major source for ______________ during World War II, Sheffield was a frequent target of
bombing raids.
2. When they ______________ things, they want to get all the bonus points.

i. fore ≠ four
1. There are ______________ photos there of representative presidential candidates.
2. In talking to experts in the field, only a few women immediately came to the ______________.

17. Here are the steps that are taken when manufacturing glass. Yet, the steps are not in the right order.
Read the steps and put them in the correct order. The first and the last steps have been given to you.

a. The molten glass is removed from the furnace, cooled to a uniform

Step __
temperature and cut into ‘gobs’ to form glass containers.
b. Once the glass bottle or jar is empty, it can be recycled either through kerbside
Step __ recycling or a public recycling facility. Glass is a unique packaging material
as it is 100% infinitely recyclable.
c. The glass containers are inspected to make sure they meet high quality
Step __ standards. Any containers that fail to meet these standards are recycled and re-
melted.
d. Sand, limestone, soda ash and recycled glass (cullet) are sent to the furnace to
Step 1
melt.
e. Beneficiation is the process of treating raw materials to improve their
Step 9
properties. 
f. The gobs are diverted into forming machines and then mould them into
Step __
beautiful, functional glass containers.
g. The furnace heats the batch mixture to about 1500 degrees Celsius, creating
Step __
molten glass.
h. Once the bottles have passed inspection, they are packed on pallets. Quality
Step __ bottles and jars are then distributed to customers to be filled with food and
beverage products.
i. Formed containers pass through the lehr, a machine that reheats and gradually
Step __
cools them to relieve any stresses and strengthen the glass.
(adapted from https://recycleglass.co.nz/glass-making/)

18. Wrought iron is a material which is obtained after a technological process. The text below is a
shortened version of its making. As you read the text and discover how wrought iron is obtained, fill in
the gaps with the missing words. The first one has been done for you.

less forge mass superior obtained

 while hammer ductile brittle both

Wrought iron, one of the two forms in which iron is 1. __ obtained __ by smelting; the other is  cast iron.
Wrought iron is a soft, 2.________________, fibrous variety that is produced from a semi-fused mass of
relatively pure iron globules partially surrounded by slag. It usually contains 3.________________ than
0.1 percent carbon and 1 or 2 percent slag. It is 4. ________________ for most purposes to cast iron,
which is overly hard and 5.________________ owing to its high carbon content. Dating back to antiquity,
the first iron was smelted directly from iron ore by heating the latter in a 6. ________________
with charcoal, which served 7.________________ as a fuel and a reducing agent. 8. ________________
still hot, the reduced iron and slag mixture was then removed as a lump and worked (wrought) with a
9.________________ to expel most of the slag and weld the iron into a coherent 10. ________________.
(adapted from https://www.britannica.com/technology/wrought-iron)

19. This is an exercise which works on idiomatic structures that contain the word ‘iron’. Match each idiom
to the explanation that best matches its meaning. The first one has been done for you (1. e).

1. 1. An undertaking or project in progress a. a. To strike while the iron is still hot

2. 2. To work on fixing any small problems which are
b. b. An iron hand in a velvet glove
present in a project
3. 3. To make most of an opportunity or favourable c. c. My advice is not to start a conversation
conditions while one has the chance to do so. with Lou because he can talk the legs off an
iron pot.
4. 4. To remove some obstacle or difficulty in the d. d. The iron entered into Virgil’s soul.
process of solving or compromising
5. 5. Harsh treatment of somebody that is hidden behind
e. e. John is said to have many irons in the
a gentle manner fire.
6. 6. Someone became deeply and permanently affected f. f. My husband has got such a cast-iron
by imprisonment or ill-treatment stomach; he can eat hot chillies and feel
perfectly afterwards.
7. 7. It is used when someone is overly talkative g. g. The mediator ironed out the troubles
between management and the Union.  
8. 8. It is used to show that someone is very healthy h. h. Tom: How are you today?
Bill: all oak and iron bound, thank you!
9. 9. The ability to eat foods that others may find i. Instead of negotiating, they chose the
unusual, or too spicy, without experiencing any ill blood and iron strategy that they thought
effects like nausea or upset stomach more advantageous.
10. 10. When military force is preferred to diplomacy j. They managed to iron out the kinks
while setting down their business.

20. Here are some manufacturing processes that have been archaeologically documented to have existed
as early as the Stone Age. Add for each activity three products/ objects/ animals that underwent that
type of manufacturing. The first one has been done for you as a model.

1. grinding __corn, barley, sorghum _____

2. baking __________________________
3. spinning __________________________
4. weaving __________________________
5. dyeing __________________________
6. fermenting __________________________
7. distilling __________________________
8. extracting __________________________
9. working __________________________