English for the Scientist

45 x 90 Minute Module

The material in this course is not meant to teach science, but to learn the vocabulary and phrases required to communicate scientific topics and experiments in English.

The course embraces the following – and more as required:

  • Tenses and Grammar:
A quick review of the main forms
  • Social Etiquette:
Introductions, greetings, good byes, small talk
  • Scientific Topics:
Describing numbers, dimensions, objects, shapes and sizes
Describing angles, lines, reading basic and complex formulae
Describing position, movement, action and direction
Describing qualities of material, colour, appearance, a simple process and experiment
Classification, definition, description, detailed description and predicting
Simple instructions and explanations, compare and contrast, similarity, cause and reason
Hypothetical results, suggesting possible cause and result
Reporting actions, observations, results and conclusions
Describing an experiment stating results, accounting for phenomenon
Understanding explanations, giving instructions, interpreting results
  • Writing Skills:
Writing for academic purposes
An experiment report
Writing the academic CV
Writing effective and polite e-mails and letters
  • Telephone Skills:
Using the Telephone – preparation, making arrangements, clarification
  • Presentations:
Principles of effective presentations
  • Communication Skills:
Asking polite questions, asking and giving recommendations, opinions, making requests, interrupting