Technical Vocabulary and Terminology
What this domain tests
This section checks the words of your trade and the words shared across trades: tools and equipment, materials, processes, measurements, abbreviations and word families. Questions may ask you to name a tool from its function, choose the correct term in a sentence, or interpret a label or abbreviation.
Tools, processes and results
Keep the three layers separate. A tool does the job (spanner, screwdriver, hacksaw), a process is the action (to tighten, to saw, to drill), and the result or state is the noun (torque, a cut, a hole). Mixing them causes errors: a drill makes a hole; a drill bit is the cutting part; drilling is the process.
Word families and affixes
Recognise how words are built: -er/-or often marks the agent or tool (welder, connector), -ing marks the process (welding), -ed marks the finished state (welded), and prefixes change meaning: un- (unsafe), dis- (disconnect), re- (reconnect). Suffixes such as -proof, -resistant, -able and -tight describe properties: waterproof, heat-resistant, adjustable, airtight.
Abbreviations and symbols
Common exam abbreviations include mm, cm, m, kg, V, A, W, Hz, AC/DC, max., min., approx., Ø (diameter) and PPE. Read them as whole units; do not expand or change them in the answer unless asked.
Collocations
Technical English uses fixed verb + noun pairs: tighten a bolt, loosen a nut, drill a hole, strip a wire, bleed a brake line, earth a circuit, apply pressure, carry out a test, replace a cover. Learning the pair prevents you choosing a synonym that sounds right but is never used.
Worked example
'Use a Phillips screwdriver on the cross-head screws.' Question: Which tool is correct for these screws? Reasoning: Phillips is the cross-head pattern; a flat-head screwdriver fits a single slot. The function described ('cross-head') identifies the tool, even if you do not recognise the brand name.
Traps that cost marks
- Confusing a tool with its part (drill / drill bit) or with the process (drilling).
- Choosing a near-synonym that does not collocate: you apply pressure but you do not put a test.
- Mixing units or reading Ø as radius.
- Ignoring a prefix that reverses meaning (connected versus disconnected).
- Using everyday meaning where the trade has a specific one.