Global Service TraininG

caTerpillar FundamenTal enGliSh

damaGeS and deFecTS
Module 17 - TexT RefeRence

Serv2047

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SERV2047 - 12/14 -8- Module 17 - Damages and Defects

inTroducTion

• identify terms for basic types of This Caterpillar Fundamental English Damages and Defects module teaches terms
damages and some causes. for basic types of damages and some causes.

The module concentrates on nouns and introduces ten verbs, as well introducing
several additional words related to the theme.

Critical words to understand are:

• To check: This is used for looking at or for something, for brief inspections, or
for making a check mark.
• To inspect: This is usually a more thorough operation.

It would be helpful to use damaged parts from a scrap pile to see various types of
damage, as long as they are not too complicated or specific types of damage.
The damage could be classified in general categories.

damage is physical harm that is done to something. defect is a problem or fault

that makes something not perfect: something that causes weakness or failure.

Two of the new nouns in the module are pieces and particles. pieces are parts of a
whole such as a glass breaking into many pieces. particles are very small parts of
matter such as particles of sand.

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verbS

• identify verbs. Some of the new verbs include:

• To bend
• To break
• To twist,
• twisted
To wear
Three of the verbs are irregular, as the table below illustrates:
present tense (now i...) past tense (Yesterday i...)
bend bent
break broken
wear worn

bent, straight, and long are adjectives that describe the pipes in the illustration on
the left. Bent is a part that is not straight. Twisted is turned along the longitudinal
axis, like a shift under high torque.

As the illustration on the right demonstrates, break is a noun meaning a complete

separation, and wear is a noun which means damage caused by use.

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10
10

• identify additional verbs. Additional verbs include:

• To cut (irregular past tense: cut)
• To hit (irregular past tense: hit)
• To change, changed
• To remove, removed
• To install, installed
• To turn, turned

change has more than one use, as these sentences demonstrate:

• Can you change the tire? (make a replacement)
• The temperature changes. (from cold to warm)
Cut is a noun which means a separation caused by a sharp edge. A cut can be
done with a sharp edge of a knife, or a rock (cut in a tire), or with a cutting
edge that cuts the soil.

removal is a noun meaning the act of moving or taking something away from a
place. installation is a noun that means the act or process of making a machine, a
service, etc., ready to be used in a certain place.

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nounS

• identify nouns. Some of the new nouns include:

• Treads
• Nail
• Battery
• Cable
• Terminal
• Corrosion
• Rust
• Acid
• Action

Examples of sentences using these nouns are:

• A worn tire has no treads.
• A nail in the tire caused a hole.
• Corrosion at the battery terminals causes damage to the
• cables.
• The action of acid and metal causes corrosion.
Rust is a type of corrosion.

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SERV2047 - 12/14 -12- Module 17 - Damages and Defects

12

• identify additional nouns. Additional nouns include:

• Impact
• Shock
• Accident
• Crack
• Scratch
• Notch
• Edge

The relationship of shock, impact, and to hit can be explained with this example:
When you hit an object with a hammer, the weight and the speed of the hammer
give the size of the impact as a force. The sudden contact of the hammer and
its impact cause a shock in the object as a reaction.
distortion is a permanent change in shape or form. Flexible things do not distort
as easily as rigid materials.

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SERV2047 - 12/14 -13- Module 17 - Damages and Defects

Bearing Result Maintenance Failure

Level Separation Seizure

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addiTional wordS

• identify additional words. Additional new words include:

• Bearing
• Maintenance
• Level
• Seizure
• Result
• Failure
• Separation
Examples of sentences using these nouns are:
• Good maintenance prevents most failures.
• A bearing seizure stops an engine in a short time.
• Check the oil level in the engine.
• A cut is a separation of material with a sharp edge.
• The result of a wrong installation is damage to many
parts.
Two new adjectives are:
• Sharp: Having a thin edge that is able to cut things or a fine point that is able
to make a hole in things.
• axial: Situated around, in the direction of, on, or along an axis. (Axially is the
adverb form of axial.)
no is an adverb used to give a negative answer or reply to a question or request.

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