Are you the type of person who likes to follow precise instructions or do you like to improvise?
In this unit, you will learn the vocabulary to explain step-by-step instructions, and you will begin to understand what happens in a mechanical engineering lab.
Vocabulary
Click on the word or expression you do not know to see a definition and/or translation.
Activity 1: Vocabulary
Activity 2: Grammar: Giving instructions
Activity 3: Capsule & comprehension questions
Activity 4: Pronunciation
Activity 5: Reading & comprehension questions
Activity 6: Writing
Practice saying these ordinal numbers.
1st first
2nd second
3rd third
4th fourth
5th fifth
6th sixth
7th seventh
8th eighth
9th ninth
10th tenth
And listen to the others. Try to write down the other numbers you hear and then say them, too.
To give instructions, you can say:
First, you…
Second, …
Third, …
Fourth, …
Next, …
Then,…
Etc.
For the final instruction, you can say, “Finally, …”
Watch the capsule
Answer the 5 comprehension questions.
Practice saying these numbers. Can you hear the difference? Can you say them correctly?
Read the following text and answer the questions.
Terry: Hey, Mike, I’m stuck on this question. Can you help me?
Mike: What’s the question?
Terry: I need to convert 3 cups of flour into grams. I know 1 cup is 120 grams.
Mike: Okay, that’s an easy one. You can multiply 3 cups by 120 grams.
Terry: Right, so 3 × 120 = ?
Mike: 360 grams. That’s the weight of 3 cups of flour.
Terry: Great, thank you! Now, I’m not sure about this next question. What’s the difference between a tablespoon and a teaspoon?
Mike: Don’t you remember? We learned that last week. A tablespoon is 15 milliliters, and a teaspoon is 5 milliliters.
Terry: I was sick last week. I didn’t come to class. Remember? Anyway, that makes sense. So, if a recipe calls for 2 tablespoons of oil, I need to use 2 × 15 milliliters.
Mike: Oh yeah, I remember that you weren’t in class. But that’s right. And if it calls for 3 teaspoons of salt, you need to use 3 × 5 milliliters.
Terry: Got it! Now, I’m thinking about baking a cake. First, I need to mix 250 grams of sugar with 150 grams of butter. How many cups of sugar should I use?
Mike: To convert grams to cups, we need to know that 1 cup of sugar is 200 grams. So, you have 250 / 200.
Terry: 1.25 cups of sugar. I’ll need to use 1 and a quarter cups.
Mike: That’s right! What kind of cake are you making?
Terry: I don’t know. What’s your favourite kind?
Mike: I really love carrot cake.
Terry: Well then, you are in luck. That is what I am going to make. Would you like to help me grate some carrots?
Writing activity
- First…
- Second…