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Link Words
Relating one idea to another is an essential function of language. This can be achieved through the use of linking words, which are conjunctions and adverbs that serve to connect thoughts. For instance, they can indicate that:
- the information adds to what has already been mentioned (and...),
- the information contrasts with the previous statement (but...),
- the information serves as a reason, a result, or an example (because, for instance...).
Compound nouns and Adjectives
In this unit we look at compound nouns and adjectives. These are groups of two or more nouns or adjective which are combined to express a complex single idea. Compounds are widely used in scientific and technological English as they allow new concepts with multiple meanings to be expressed in a concise way. There are a large number of frequently used formulaic compounds: "Greenhouse effect", "Geneva Peace Conference", "gamma ray detector" but there is no definitive list as combinations are always being "invented" to express new concepts.
Unit 3 Purpose and Process
This unit deals with two closely linked concepts: purpose and process. Purpose
is concerned with the question of why or for what reason something is done
or exists, while the process describes how it is done.
The process is frequently associated with the passive form.
Lecture 5 Cause and Conséquence
Axiomatically, science is concerned with questions of "Why?", "How?" and
"What?" - in other words, with causes and consequences, with reasons and
results. These functions can be expressed in a variety of ways, ranging from
link words, to verbs and nouns. We have already seen some of these in a
different context in the Link Words unit.
Unit 6: Hypothesis
A fact is something certain. It can be proved. It exists. Science, however, is not only concerned with what is already known, it is also very much concerned with what remains to be discovered. Exploring zones of doubt and ambiguity, making hypotheses and building models are essential functions of scientific activity. A hypothesis can be expressed in three main ways:
- by conditionals,
- through the use of certain conjunctions, adverbs and verbs,
- by modals (see next unit).
In this section, we focus on the different forms and uses of the conditional. Conditionals link two ideas - a hypothetical cause and its result.
