Lexical Characteristics

LESSON 1:
NATURE OF ENGLISH FOR

SCIENCE AND
TECHNOLOGY
Objectives: At the end of this
lesson, you will be
able to:
1.determine the nature of EST;

2.identify characteristics of EST
English for Science and Technology (EST)
generally refers to English used in:

• scientific publications
• Papers
• Textbooks
• technical reports
• academic lectures
Due to its main functions of statement, description,

exposition, definition, classification, instruction,
comparison, exemplification, inference and
reasoning, EST has achieved its own language
characteristics that contribute to the formal,
concise, precise, impersonal and economical style
of scientific documents.
Is used to describe
physical and natural phenomena
their processes
properties
laws
application in productive activities
Characteristics of English for Science and
Technology (EST)
LEXICAL SYNTACTIC RHETORIC

CHARACTERISTICS CHARACTERISTICS CHARACTERISTICS
LEXICAL CHARACTERISTICS
The high-level profession and preciseness of
ST materials are tactfully achieved by such
lexical characteristics of EST as the frequent
use of science and technology (ST) words, the
replacement of verb phrases by verbs and the
extensive use of abstract nouns and descriptive
adjectives.
The Frequent Use of ST Words
Although function words and general words
constitute the largest part of EST vocabulary,
the frequent use of ST words in EST and the
complicated way that they vary in formation,
meaning and use still form a remarkable
feature of EST vocabulary.
ST words fall into 4 categories according to
the way that they are different in formation,
meaning and use:
(1) Pure ST words such as hydroxide, diode,

promethazine and isotope etc. These words mostly
composed of Latin or Greek morphemes are monosemic
and professionally used in a special field.
(1) Pure ST words such as

hydroxide, diode, promethazine and
isotope etc. These words mostly
composed of Latin or Greek
morphemes are monosemic and
professionally used in a special field.
(2) Semi ST words such as frequency, density,

energy, magnetism, etc.. Compared to Pure ST
words, these words are also monosemic but more
commonly and frequently used in fields of different
professions.
(3) Common ST words such as feed, service, ceiling, power,
operation, work, etc.. These are specialized common words
carrying different meanings in fields of different professions. For
example, the word feed with the basic meaning of to give food to
a person or an animal can be used in different fields with
different meanings such as to supply water, to provide
electricity, to deliver, to load, cutting feed, power source, ect.
Such polysemous common ST words are freely collocated with
other words and are most widely and frequently used in fields of
various professions.
.(4) Built ST words such as microbicid, waterleaf, medicare, CSMA,
which are built through different ways of word building such as
affixation, compounding, blending, acronyms, etc.. Built words are much
more frequently used in EST than in general English to achieve the
conciseness and preciseness of scientific documents. Such extensive use
of various types of ST words seems to be a challenge for EST users;
however, an awareness of the monosemy of pure and semi ST words, the
specialization of common words and the polysemy of specialized
common words together with knowledge of word-building will eventually
lead to a good command of ST words.
Much of the strength of a clause
comes from its verb. Therefore, to
express your ideas accurately, choose an
appropriate verb and use it well. In
particular, use it in the right tense,
choose carefully between active and
passive voice, and avoid dangling verb
forms.
Verbs are for describing actions, states, or
occurrences. To give a clause its full strength and keep
it short, do not bury the action, state, or occurrence in
a noun (typically combined with a weak verb), as in:
"The catalyst produced a significant increase in

conversion rate." Instead write, "The catalyst increased
the conversion rate significantly."
The examples below show how an action, state, or

occurrence can be moved from a noun back to a verb.
Comparatively, single verbs of limited use are more
monosemous and more formal, while verb phrases are more
colloquial, synomemous and more widely used in spoken
English.
For example, absorb shares the same meaning with take in

both meaning assimilate, but the latter flexibly carries different
meanings of understand, deceive, shorten when used in different
informal contexts. In order to avoid the ambiguity or
colloquialism as well as to achieve the formality and preciseness
of ST literature, formal verbs are preferentially used instead of
verb phrases in EST.
ABSTRACT NOUNS
Abstract nouns name things you cannot identify with your

five senses. Emotions, ideologies, or concepts fall into this
category.
For example, religion is something people practice, but its
noun form is not tangible, making it an abstract concept. Unlike
concrete nouns, abstract nouns may be an adjective or verb with a
suffix to create the noun form. For example, the adjective “happy”
becomes the abstract noun “happiness.” Suffixes that form
abstract nouns may include “-ness,” “-ity,” “-ion.”
Abstract nouns commonly describe an emotion or a concept.
In English grammar, these nouns can be subjects and objects, just
like any other noun.
1. Emotions: Examples of common abstract nouns describing

emotions include happiness, sadness, fear, disgust, and anger.
2. Ideas or concepts: Abstract nouns can be descriptors of

intangible ideas or concepts, such as freedom, love,
community, government, youth, Stoicism, and Cubism. These
intangible concepts, which people can experience and feel,
often unite people in conversation.
3. Subjects: As with other nouns, you can use an
abstract noun as the subject of a sentence.
For example, in the sentence “Honesty is the
best policy,” the word “honesty” serves as the
subject.
4. Objects: For example, “The soccer team
never loses faith.” In this sentence, the
abstract noun “faith” is the direct object of
the sentence.

Lexical Characteristics

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LESSON 1:

NATURE OF ENGLISH FOR

1.determine the nature of EST;

generally refers to English used in:

Due to its main functions of statement, description,

LEXICAL SYNTACTIC RHETORIC

(1) Pure ST words such as hydroxide, diode,

(1) Pure ST words such as

(2) Semi ST words such as frequency, density,

"The catalyst produced a significant increase in

The examples below show how an action, state, or

For example, absorb shares the same meaning with take in

Abstract nouns name things you cannot identify with your

1. Emotions: Examples of common abstract nouns describing

2. Ideas or concepts: Abstract nouns can be descriptors of

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