As an English teacher, I love to teach ESP. In this context, I don’t mean “ESP” as in “extra sensory perception” like seeing ghosts or predicting the future. I wish! Instead this “ESP” means “English for specific purposes”. This is when an English course focuses on specialized vocabulary or communication skills needed for a particular area of study or profession. Think about all the special words you need to know if you are a dentist or doctor or engineer, or the unique way that lawyers communicate, and even all the unique language knowledge you need just to pass your university chemistry or physics class! Because of the examples I just mentioned, I usually teach ESP to adults, although sometimes younger learners need ESP when it is time for them to learn math or science (think of specialized vocabulary words like “multiply”, “fraction”, “numerator” and “denominator” which an elementary student must learn in maths class).
I love teaching ESP because it gives me a chance, as an English teacher, to have a view into the specialized knowledge of many other professions – I’ve taught ESP to archeologists and architects, physicists and physicians! As a matter of fact, I just finished a fascinating unit about classical architecture with an upper-intermediate student. We read about the Taj Mahal and the Florence Cathedral. As you can imagine, we found a lot of specialized language in these articles, so here’s my list of 11 vocabulary words you must know when talking about classical architecture. I’ve categorized the words as upper-intermediate level, which are words you should know if you want to get a 5.5 or 6.0 on your IELTS exam, and advanced vocabulary, which are words you should know if you want to get a 6.5 or 7.0 on the IELTS. All definitions are courtesy of the excellent resource, the Cambridge Learners Dictionary.
classical architecture vocabulary:
upper-intermediate (B2 level or 6.0 on IELTS)
- dome – a curved, round roof of a building
- monument – a building or other structure that is built to make people remember an event in history or a famous person
- cathedral – the largest and most important church in a particular area
- concrete – a hard substance that is used in building and is made by mixing sand, water, small stones, and cement (= grey powder that is mixed with water and becomes hard when it dries)
- iron – a dark grey metal used to make steel (=very strong metal) and found in small amounts in blood and food (formula Fe)
- bricks – a small, hard, rectangular block used for building walls, houses, etc
- structure – the way that parts of something are arranged or put together
advanced (C1 level or 7.0 on IELTS)
- marble – hard, smooth stone that is often used for decoration
- crane – a large machine used for lifting and moving heavy things (don’t confuse it with the bird of the same name!)
- reinforced – something that has been made stronger (learn this as a collocation: “reinforced by something”)
- pinnacle – the highest or best part of something (learn this as a collocation also: “pinnacle of something”)
Simeon Brown 