Prefixes, stems / roots, suffixes

If you take the trouble to learn as many as a hundred Greek and Latin roots (such as -am-, -aqu-, -audi-, -bell-, -ben-, -gap-, -cent-, -cogn-, -cred-)| prefixes (ambi-, anti-, со-, com-, counter-, de-, dis-, en-, extra-, inter-); suffixes (-асу, -age, -ance, -ant, -ition, -ion, -dom, -ее, -ful, -ness, -(e)ry), you will be prepared to understand thousands of words that you have never encountered. This is the technique that can really pay big dividends.

 

-lat-(Latin root) = wide, side -> laterally, bilateral, latitude, unilateral;

-crypt-(Greek stem) = secret, hidden -> cryptography, cryptic.

Exercises

1. Isencope pp. 106-118 (to the teacher's choice).

 

Write the following words in abbreviated form

 

Decibel, diameter, high fidelity, kilovolt, watt, pound, meter, micro, mile, number, minute, revolutions per minute, scale, versus, yard, inch, barrel.

Make it plural

Medium, focus, nucleus, index, addendum, fungus, radius, stratum, phenomenon, hypothesis, axis, synopsis, bureau, basis.

 

Translate the following phrases that are often met in Technical English

 

без перекоса

больше необходимого

быть включенным / выключенным

быть замкнутым / разомкнутым

быть прижатым к чему-то

быть прикрепленным к чему-то

быть прямо противоположным чему-либо

быть установленным

включить задний / обратный ход

включать первую, вторую, третью скорость

вращаться по / против часовой стрелки

вызывать колебания

годен для использования

годен для эксплуатации

давать задний ход

замедлять / снизить скорость

заменить YX-om

изображен в разрезе

изображен пунктиром

наклон влево / вправо

наощупь

настраивать на частоту

находиться в пределах/диапазоне

оказывать давление на

ослабить давление

останавливаться

отвечать требованиям

поддерживать движение

поддерживать реакцию

полон / заполнен до отказа

по сравнению с

посторонний предмет

проверять по шаблону

прочно закреплять что- то

работать на холостом ходу / при нулевой нагрузке

регламентные работы

свободно вращаться

соединять что-либо параллельно /последовательно с чем-либо

с равномерной скоростью

с ручным управлением

устанавливать что-то в верхнее / среднее /нижнее
положение

труднодоступный

удельный вес

большой ток

герметичный

срок службы

технические данные

материализованный приме / предметный семинар

технологичность

рекомендуемая величина

Translate some Greek and Latin words

C osmopolitan, telepathy, symbiotic, dehydrate, apathy, monochromatic, nautical, cryptic, genealogy, homogenious, pathetic, psyche, sophistry, protozoa.

Amiable, bellicose, benevolent, centennial, incredulous, abduct, equate, fracture, elusive, juncture, eloquent, conscious, venture, vision, vital, transfusion, illegible, precognition, indomitable, contemporary.

Translate some verbs used in passive constructions

 

1. A new theory has been put forward.

2. The reaction is affected under very high pressure.

3. This metal is heated and then cooled in the air.

4. To allow, to give, to offer, to promise, to show, to tell

a) + direct object:

This phenomenon may be given a very simple physical interpretation.

b) + indirect object with by:

He was shown a new device by Mr. X.

5. To act on, to refer to, to substitute for, to rely on, to depart from, to account for, to bring about, to subject to, to apply to.

The changes taking place are not easily accounted for. This circuit may be applied to either Signal Common (input or output) as designed for safety or convenience.

6. To affect, to approach, to follow, to join, to succeed, to penetrate, to require.

The first discovery was succeeded by many others. The ignition was followed by combustion. For external clock frequencies below 400 kHz, external modulator/demodulator capacitors are required.

7. To take care of (that), to take advantage of, to take steps, to show preference to, to place emphasis on, to call (draw, give, pay) attention to, to make use of, to make mention (of)...

Selenium is made use of in photocells. This method will be soon done away with. Care is to be taken to remove all the impurities. Mention should be made... Steps are taken to diminish friction.

 

Translate the following sentences

Passive constructions

1. This engine is usually referred to as an internal combustion engine because fuel is burned within its cylinders or combustion chambers.

2. An interesting case involving parallel forces occurs when a body is acted on by two forces which are equal in magnitude but opposite in direction and whose lines of action do not coincide.

3. The resistance of a given conductor depends on the material it is made of.

4. A battery or other source supplies a potential difference for the circuit it is connected to.

5. The performance of a given tube depends upon the efficiency free electrons are produced with.

6. Whatever the nature of the tube and the arrangement of electrodes, an emitting electrode is not dispensed with.

7. When a beam is subjected to bending, internal stresses are set up.

8. Freezing points as well as boiling points are affected by external pressure.

9. The magnetron is a vacuum tube whose current is influenced by a magnetic field.

10. In the common radio tubes electrons are thrown off from the cathode when it is heated.

11. Radioactive isotopes offer an excellent method of treatment for many diseases, and are already being widely used for treatment by medical establishments.

12. Electrical circuits were dealt with in Chapter I and this chapter will be confined principally to magnetic circuits.

13. When a body or structure is subjected to external loads, internal forces are created by the corresponding elastic deformation of the body or structure which oppose the external forces and thereby maintain equilibrium.

14. The danger of a whirling propeller is universally recognized, and regulations have been carefully prepared to minimize this hazard.

15. Atmospheric pressure, which is due to the weight of the air, is measured by the height of a column of mercury.

16. The air is warmed by the sun, not directly by the sun’s rays but due to the fact that the earth absorbs the radiation from the sun, converts this into heat, and then transfers this heat to the air by convection.

Sequence of tenses

 

1. He showed that the rays consisted of three kinds, which he had named "alpha", "beta" and "gamma" rays, after the first three letters of the Greek alphabet.

2. Rutherford found that the rays moved with a velocity of twenty thousand miles per second.

3. He proved that the particles comprising the cathode stream were far smaller than the smallest atom known.

4. Joule showed that mechanical energy could be converted into heat and that the amount of heat developed was always exactly proportional to the amount of mechanical work done.

5. Perrin proved that these particles followed the same laws which had been worked out for the mixtures of gases.

6. It was often thought that the principle of operation of a dynamo was quite unconnected with that of a motor.

7. Although no one knew exactly how much uranium would be needed or how high the pile must be before the furnace would begin to work continuously, they did know that there must be a way of stopping a chain reaction.

8. We were told that much attention would be paid to the problem of fuel consumption, as that type of aircraft was designed for non-stop flights.

1. 10.The newspaper reported that some hours before there had taken place a launching of a new rocket.

Participle I

1. There being no other traffic, the driver can maintain a constant speed of, say, 60 km/hr.

2. Part of the energy being changed into heat, not all the chemical energy of the cell battery is transformed into electric energy.

3. The water leaves the wheel with a large relative velocity but a small absolute velocity, practically all its original energy having been given to the wheel.

4. The cyclotron may be regarded as a modification of the linear accelerator, the particles being transferred from one to the other at the proper instants by the action of a magnetic field.

5. The positive pole having been brought near the negative pole, the latter attracts it.

6. Two bodies having potentials of 100 volts and 50 volts a potential difference exists between them of 50 volts.

7. The current distribution over the cross section of the conductor being non-uniform, the resistance increases.

8. The traveled distance having been given in meters and the time in seconds, speed was measured in m.p.s., that is, in meters per second.

9. When there are no forces pulling or pushing a body that body must always be in equilibrium.

10. When rubbing a glass rod with a piece of silk, you develop a large difference of potential.

11. Two bodies being placed in contact with each other, the temperature of the hot body falls, while that of the cold one rises.

12. Class A insulation is the most common in industrial equipment, class B and class C being used rather seldom.

13. The critical point is that point on the course which under existing conditions is equally distant from the point of departure and desired destination.

14. An altimeter contains a vacuum box of corrugated metal, one side of the box being fixed, while the other side presses against a spring bar which is able through a system of levers to move the indicator needle.

15. In order to make calculations of power when using alternating current, some definite current and voltage values must be chosen.

16. Members of the delegations were given the opportunity to acquaint themselves with the scientific research being carried on in the former Soviet Union in the peaceful uses of atomic energy, and with functioning nuclear reactors and accelerators of elementary particles.

17. The great majority of transformers are built with iron cores, the outstanding exception being air-core transformers for use at high frequencies beyond the audio range.

Participle II

 

1. When subjected to alternating magnetization, the loop is traversed once for every cycle of the current, and so the energy wasted per second is proportional to the frequency.
2. The gas mixture produced by the carburetor is of no value unless it is ignited, and gas ignited quickly produces more force if first compressed.
3. Relays, if improperly designed or cared for, may give far more trouble than any other part of the electrical and radio circuits.
4. The forces of wing ribs applied to the spar are concentrated.
5. This process is carried out until the small cylinder is brought up to its proper pressure as determined by a gauge.
6. The booster is usually a coil which has a vibrating contactor and produces high voltage when connected to a battery.
7. The voltage induced in a winding located in a magnetic field was investigated experimentally by Faraday.
8. If the network has several voltage sources, each branch current is composed of several component currents, each component produced by one of the individual voltage sources.
9. When reading a map an airman must be able to interpret the map from the landsman's point of view; he must understand the conventional signs that are the special knowledge of the seaman; and he must recognize those things as they appear to him when seen from an aircraft traveling at high speed through great range of altitude.
10. The charged particles gradually pick up speed, revolving in a closed curve along a circular vacuum chamber in the magnetic field of a giant electromagnet.
11. The motor designed according to the scheme discussed above, the speed of rotation of the armature is proportional to the rate at which energy passes through the meter to the consumer.

Gerund

1. The main point of a transformer is changing voltage although the power of both sides of the transformers is equal.

2. We know of the velocity of electromagnetic waves changing when the wave front crosses a boundary between two media.

3. After introducing new technology in that branch of industry some changes must be made as soon as possible.

4. The fact of a new device having provided the means of silencing the airplane noise was a new step in the development of aviation technique.

5. In passing from the nozzle through one set of blades the velocity of the steam is lowered.

6. We were informed of a new record of a non-stop flight having been established.

7. The engineer insisted on those reservoirs being used for holding aviation gasoline.

8. The main advantage of this instrument over the moving coil type is that it is capable of measuring both alternating current and direct current.

9. The simplest process of producing metal articles is that of casting the molten metal into a suitable mold.

10. The kinetic energies of the alpha particles are deduced from observations of the distance they travel in the air before being brought to rest by collisions.

11. We know of valve transmitters being divided into two types: self-oscillators and power amplifiers.

12. Because of gas density being independent of temperature, gas tubes have a distinct advantage over those filled with a metallic vapor such as mercury.

Words in –ing

1. A common example of a couple is afforded by the forces acting in a compass needle in the earth's magnetic field.
2. When a boiling liquid is open to the atmosphere, the vapor escapes into the air as fast as it is formed.
3. Every electrical circuit carrying alternating current radiates a certain amount of electrical energy in the form of electromagnetic waves.
4. By employing a number of amplifying tubes in cascade, almost any desired amount of amplification can be obtained.

5. 5.The transformer being of high efficiency, the power input to the primary will be but slightly more than the amount of power being supplied by the secondary.

6. 6.An advantage of grouping the cooling pipes of a transformer into radiators is the possibility of blowing air over them by means of fans driven by electric motors.

7. The two windings generally have a widely different number of turns, the ratio of turns being directly proportional to the ratio of the no-load voltages.

8. As we know, mechanical energy is transformed into heat, the process being one example of the conservation of energy.

9. The forces exerted against the liquid by the walls are shown by arrows, the forces being everywhere perpendicular to the walls of the vessel.

10. Liquids and gases differ markedly in their compressibility, a gas being easily compressed, while a liquid is practically incompressible.

11. In engineering work in Britain and everyday life as well, the term 'density' is used for the weight per unit volume, the common unit being the pound per cubic foot.

12. All the other factors being equal, the video channel occupied by a three-color television system must be three times as wide as that required for an equivalent black-and-white system.

13. A vacuum bottle is constructed with double glass walls, the space between the walls being evacuated so that heat flow by conduction and convection is practically eliminated.

14. We shall begin this part of the subject by discussing motion of rotation about a fixed axis, for example, the motion of a grinding wheel or the fly wheel of an engine.

15. Scientifically speaking, energy is the capacity of doing work.

16. Generally speaking, doing work on an object simply means transferring energy to that object.

1. The Indian method of lighting a fire by rubbing a stick rapidly against another one is another illustration of heat produced because of motion.
2. The radiation reaching the earth from the sun does a great many things besides lighting and warming the earth and its atmosphere.
3. The electric arc is used for welding two or more pieces of metal, a tremendous amount of heat being present when the current moves from one electrode to the other in a welding machine.
4. The temperature at which the melting of a substance occurs is the melting point of that substance.
5. The firing of the gas mixture in the combustion chamber is called ignition.
6. Various methods of cooling transformers are adopted in practice, depending upon the size and the local conditions.
7. Very small transformers are cooled by the atmosphere, no special cooling arrangements being necessary.

24. A sufficient development of the theory of transformation leads to the theory of expanding an arbitrary function in series of characteristic functions of Sturm-Liouville systems.

25. The properties of Laplace transformation that we have derived up to this point enable us to solve many problems in engineering and physics involving ordinary and partial differential equations.

26. Certain integrals containing parameters can be evaluated easily by means of the transformation.

27. In roll size drawings, the drawing number and title are also placed on the back, in order that they can be read when the drawing is rolled.

28. Lines used in making drawings are made up of various widths and types, such as, dashes with long and short breaks, wavy, or jagged, etc.

29. When moving oxygen cylinders have the cap screwed securely in place.

30. The rate of cooling is not important, although rapid cooling may impair the flatness of the material.

31. When considering storage batteries, it is often convenient to use "ampere hours" in calculating the charge and discharge of a battery.

1. Iron possesses the property of confining the electrical field, preventing it from being dissipated over a large area.

33. Discs utilizing copper oxide coatings are used for rectification at low voltages.

34. In using wireless for control, instead of turning the electrical vibrations into the movements of a diaphragm which then produces sounds, they are used directly for the opening or closing of switches.

35. From the transmitting antenna the radio waves carrying the program move out in all directions at the speed of light.

36. There are different methods of generating high-frequency current for heating.

37. When the water motor is disconnected from the circuit by closing valves on both sides of it, there will be a high pressure built up due to the paddle wheel tending to force water against the closed valve.

Infinitive

1. If the forces have no tendency to increase or decrease the displacement, the body is considered to be in equilibrium.

2. The number of protons was assumed to be sufficient to account for the atomic weight.

3. We know the velocity of a particle to be continuously changing if this particle has non-uniform motion.

4. The acceleration of an automobile is said to be positive when force is supplied by the motor to speed up the car.

5. One of the most important things for the pilot to know is how high he is flying.

6. For a system of forces to be in equilibrium, each force must be the equilibrant of the system.

7. It is essential for the operators to be screened behind lead baffles and tanks of water which absorb the neutrons produced.

8. As the forces are balanced there will be no tendency for the vessel to move.

9. There is a natural tendency for all carburetors to give an increasingly rich mixture as engine speed and altitude increase.

10. If the valve in the cylinder appears to move too easily, it should be replaced immediately.

11. Suppose a given number of electrons to make their way between the ions of a copper wire.

12. The chief reason for the use of such bearings in machinery is to reduce wear and to simplify lubrication problems.

13..The most common alternating current for lighting and power purposes is assumed to go through 50 cycles in 1second.

14..Heat absorbed by a liquid causes the liquid to evaporate.

15. We want you to take into consideration that voltage, resistance and capacity are the three important properties to influence the flow of current in an electric circuit.

16. To cut down the flow of water in a given pipe you need only to shut off a valve in that pipe.

17. To charge an object by induction one should hold a charged body at some distance near the object to be charged.

18..We know copper to be distinguished by its red colour from all other metals.

19. Attempts to add copper and zinc in alloys for the production of sheet metal are known to have been at first unsuccessful because of the poor corrosion resistance of such sheets.

20. In that experiment the steam pipes are known to have been covered to reduce heat losses.

21. The natural tendency of heat to flow from a higher to a lower temperature makes it possible for a heat engine to transform heat into work.

Subjunctive mood

1. So that an electric current may flow through a circuit, it is necessary that there should be an electro-motive force acting in the circuit.

2. Were there no loss of energy by friction, the motion would continue indefinitely once it had been started.

3. If the core were solid, it would form a closed path of very low electrical resistance, so that heavy parasitic currents, called eddy currents, would be set up in it.

4. He proposed that this fact be used to define a temperature scale which would be independent of the properties of any particular substance.

5. It is theoretically possible that a part of the nuclear energy might be liberated by transforming either the lightest or the heaviest of the elements into others of medium weight.

6. Potential in a point is equal to the work that would be required for transferring the unit charge from infinity to this given point.

7. Mendeleyev found it necessary to alter some atomic weights in order that the elements should fall into positions in the periodic system assigned to them by their chemical properties.

8. These experiments show that when a number of forces are exerted on a body at the same time, each force acts independently of the others and produces the same acceleration as if it alone were present.

9. As an added safety precaution it is suggested that a typewritten check list be installed on the instrument panel of each airplane.

10. If the plates are charged plus and minus, the crystal acts as if it were being compressed by a great pressure.

Multifunctional words

 

1. Almost all universal motors are of the series type and operate on either direct or alternating current.

2. For all heating and lighting purposes, the two-phase system can be considered as two single-phase systems either of which may be used separately.

3. Radio transmitters will use but one carrier frequency at a time for transmission.

4. Such machines also can be used to supply direct currents from alternating currents, but this is usually done with a rectifier.

5. A two-winding transformer is known to consist of two coils so arranged that the magnetic lines of force of one coil pass through the other one.

6. Radiomen know well that alternating current is the very current that makes radio possible.

7. We know that the electrical system in an automobile and an airplane uses direct current as does also the telegraph.

8. In many instances it is necessary to consider the rate at which work is done as well as the total amount of work accomplished.

9. The processes above involve a change in either the magnitude or the direction of the velocity of the body.

10. Both momentum and impulse, unlike energy and work, are vector quantities.

11. In making up a condenser one has to take into consideration its size, as the amount of charge that a condenser stores, of course, depends on its size.

12. But for the ohms, amperes, volts, and watts the electric measurements would be impossible.

13. One should know that the ohm is the unit of resistance.

14. The higher the compression ratio, the larger the proportion of the heat energy of combustion turned into effective work at the crankshaft, other things being equal.

15. Rigidity in aeroplane structure is almost as essential as strength, for excessive deflection or bending under load may lead to a loss of control, with very serious consequence.

16. The generator cannot begin producing current until its field is generated, but its field, in its turn, depends upon the current that is produced.

17. No flow of water occurs unless there is a difference in pressure, and the greater the difference in pressure the greater the flow.

18. Neither a voltmeter pointer nor that of an ammeter can swing rapidly enough to follow the rise and fall of the current or voltage cycle.

19. In other words, as far as the motion of its centre of mass is concerned, a body of any shape acted on by any number of forces, can be replaced by a point mass at its centre of mass and all of the forces on it can be considered to act at this point.

20. The more easily the electrons can be displaced the less will be the resistance, and the higher the temperature the greater will be the number of current carriers.

21. Inductance is a property of a circuit, just as is resistance, and is therefore possessed by d. c. as well as a. c. circuits.

22. The average value taken throughout a complete cycle is equal to zero, as there is as much current flowing in one direction as there is flowing in the other direction.