Posts Tagged ‘grammar’
Advice about improving your Aviation English and passing an ICAO English test from Aviation English Asia.
Article written by Michael James Egerton
In this article we are going to look at past tenses, and how they can be used to indicate the sequence of events. We will then look at an example of how they can be used to report an aviation incident, followed by some Aviation English exercises. Using past tenses correctly (and intelligibly so that people understand what you mean) is very important when working with checklists and when reporting information. You will also find this exercise to be very useful if you have to report information about a video or recording as part of an ICAO English test.
Learn English as it is used in an aviation context
Take a look at the following sentences:
- The captain told him to pull out the quick reference handbook and run the checklist.
- The aircraft had just leveled off at its cruise altitude of 35,000 ft. when the master caution lit up.
- The first officer did so and the flight proceeded uneventfully.
- The first officer canceled the warning, scanned the overhead panel, and said, “We have a bleed failure.”
Emergency and abnormal situations such as these occur onboard aircraft every day. They range from life- threatening and highly time-critical to mundane and relatively trivial. Sometimes these situations can be anticipated so pilots have checklists to help them.
Aviation English Exercise 1:
- What tenses are used in each of the sentences?
- What is the correct order of the sentences?
- What clues are in each sentence to help you find the correct order?
- What other “time phrases” are used?
Structure
There are two tenses used in the sentences above – past simple and past perfect. Here is a description of the function of each:
Past simple is used to talk about
- actions that are complete in the past – eg The first officer cancelled the warning
- a specific time in the past (possibly at the same time as another event) – eg The aircraft was at 35,00 ft when the master caution lit up.
- a sequence of events – eg He canceled the warning, scanned the overhead panel, and said, “We have a bleed failure.”
Past perfect is used to talk about
- completed action in the earlier past – eg The aircraft had just levelled off at its cruise altitude of 35,000 ft. when the master caution lit up.
- duration before something in the past
Aviation English Exercise 2:
Think about the procedures you would follow if there was a fire on board the aircraft. Then consider how such an event could be reported. Look at the following sentences and reorganise them into the correct order. The correct answers will be posted on our Facebook Page Discussion Forum.
- Thick, black smoke billowed everywhere.
- Despite the reduced visibility in the cockpit and the loss of the displays and systems, the crew completed a successful emergency landing and all passengers were evacuated without injury.
- The long flight had been uneventful until the aircraft was 240 miles from its destination—then everything seemed to go wrong at once.
- Electrical systems began to fail and the glass cockpit displays flickered off and on randomly for over two minutes before going completely black.
- A small fire in the front galley could not be extinguished.
Aviation English Vocabulary
Make sure you are familiar with the following words:
billowed visibility evacuated uneventful flickered extinguished
You should be able to guess their meaning from context, but if not you can also find their synonyms on the Facebook Page Discussion Forum.
What to do next
For feedback and more information about Aviation English Asia’s courses please visit http://aviationenglish.com. We can help you improve your English whether you are an experienced pilot, a cadet entry pilot, a controller, aerospace engineer or flight attendant, with custom courses designed specifically for your needs. If you haven’t already please join the Aviation English mailing list for instant access to free demonstration units of the ICAO Aviation English Online course, special offers and details of courses in your area.
Of course, feel free to leave a comment or even a suggestion for a future article. We value all of your feedback.
Advice about improving your Aviation English and passing an ICAO English test from Aviation English Asia.
Article written by Michael Egerton
Using English grammatical structures accurately is an important skill needed by pilots and controllers in their ICAO English test but also for other airline employees in their everyday duties, particularly if you need to say something in a subtle way or obscure information. When learning English you should also learn the function of a structure rather than just memorising the structure itself. When you know what a structure is for, and why it is used your Aviation English will improve rapidly.
In this article we are going to look at passive and active voice, and why they are used in English. We will then look at an example of how they can be used in an aviation context, followed by some Aviation English exercises.
Reading comprehension
Six passengers on-board a flight from Turkey to Russia on 24th September were made to stand because there were not enough seats. The adult travellers stood for the entire five-hour flight, except for when the plane hit turbulence, during which time the passengers were forced to sit in the aisle without seatbelts.
The passengers were subjected to ‘standing room only’ after the Tatarstan Airlines flight from Antalya to Ekaterinburg was replaced by another aircraft with fewer seats just before take-off. The standing passengers were without oxygen masks or life vests on the overcrowded jet.
One passenger told the UK’s Daily Mail newspaper “The adults had no choice but to fly standing for five hours. When the plane flew through turbulence, they went from standing to sitting in the aisle where they had no safety belts.”
The cabin crew told passengers to put children on their lap – but the children were too big. The angry passengers have each demanded $4,900 in compensation but were only offered $212 by the tour company which had booked many passengers on the flight.
A spokesperson from the tour company defended the airline, saying the passengers could have waited for a later flight. “People had a choice to fly on that plane standing up, or wait seven hours for another plane,” said Evgenia Fedorova “All the tourists decided to fly back despite uncomfortable conditions.”
The incident has not been denied by the airline and aviation regulators are said to be probing the incident.
Comprehension questions
Before answering the questions, read the article again and identify which sentences use passive voice and which sentences use active voice.
- Why was passive/active voice used?
- Why do you think the airline made the decision to make passengers stand?
- Was it a good decision?
- What were the dangers of having passengers standing during a flight?
- Would you have liked to have been one of the cabin crew working on that flight?
- If you were a member of the airline how would you explain to a passenger that they had to stand?
Structure
The structure of passive voice is:
Subject + finite form of to be + Past Participle
Passive voice is used for the following purposes:
- To emphasise an object, eg six passengers were made to stand
- To de-emphasise the subject/agent, eg the airline told passengers to sit in the aisle (not good for the airline)
- If you don’t know who is responsible for an action
When rewriting active sentences in passive voice:
- the object of the active sentence becomes the subject of the passive sentence
- the finite form of the verb is changed (to be + past participle)
- the subject of the active sentence becomes the object of the passive sentence (or is omitted)
Aviation English Exercise
How do you say the following sentences in passive voice?
- Cabin crew made passengers stand because there were not enough seats.
- Cabin crew forced passengers to sit in the aisle without seatbelts.
- Another aircraft with fewer seats replaced the Tatarstan Airlines flight from Antalya to Ekaterinburg.
- One passenger told the UK’s Daily Mail newspaper …
- The cabin crew told passengers to put children on their lap.
- The passengers have each demanded $4900 in compensation.
- The airline has not denied the incident.
- Aviation regulators are probing the incident.
What to do next
For feedback and more information about Aviation English Asia’s courses please visit http://aviationenglish.com. We can help you improve your English whether you are an experienced pilot, a cadet entry pilot, a controller, aerospace engineer or flight attendant, with custom courses designed specifically for your needs. If you haven’t already please join the Aviation English mailing list for instant access to free demonstration units of the ICAO Aviation English Online course, special offers and details of courses in your area.
Of course, feel free to leave a comment or even a suggestion for a future article. We value all of your feedback.
Advice about improving your English and passing an ICAO English test from Aviation English Asia.
Article written/adapted by Michael Egerton
The ability to form and ask questions is very important in Aviation English. In this article you can watch a video of an interview with a Boeing 747 test pilot talking about his life and career. He talks about his motivation for becoming a pilot and also his career path. Watch the video and then answer the comprehension questions below.
Comprehension questions
- Is it true that Mark wanted to be a paperboy when he was a boy?
- Where did he learn to fly?
- Why does he spend as much time in the simulator as he does in the cockpit?
- According to Mark, what makes a good test pilot?
- In what ways is a test pilot different from a normal pilot?
- Name some differences between the old 747-400 and new model 747
- Where did Mark fly to recently?
- Who does he credit for being able to release the parking brake?
What questions would you like to ask a Boeing 747 test pilot? Write your answers as a comment below and we will give you some feedback on your structure.
What to do next
For feedback and more information about Aviation English Asia’s courses please visit http://aviationenglish.com. We can help you improve your English whether you are an experienced pilot, a cadet entry pilot, a controller, aerospace engineer or flight attendant, with custom courses designed specifically for your needs. If you haven’t already please join the Aviation English mailing list for instant access to free demonstration units of the ICAO Aviation English Online course, special offers and details of courses in your area.
Of course, feel free to leave a comment or even a suggestion for a future article. We value all of your feedback.
Advice for improving your English and passing the ICAO English test from Aviation English Asia.
Article written by Michael Egerton
There are many different types of ICAO English test. Some ICAO tests are created by independent testing institutions eg RELTA, VAET, TEA and EALTA whereas others are created and administered by airlines themselves. Some ICAO tests focus on your ability to use technical vocabulary, and what you would say in a particular situation during flight, others are more focused on plain English and your ability to talk about unexpected situations. We’ve even heard of some ICAO tests being purely conversational. With so many different types of ICAO test it’s difficult to know how you should prepare for the test.
We don’t recommend that you try and memorise expected answers to a test, but you can predict the kind of question that could be asked – particularly those that relate to giving personal information. In this article I will provide some sample test questions that you could realistically be expected to answer – not just for the ICAO English test but at many stages throughout your career.
Sample ICAO test questions
- What’s your name and date of birth?
- What do you like about your job?
- How do your family feel about your job?
- What aircraft would you most like to fly?
- What is the best thing about being a pilot?
- Did you ever have any doubts about becoming a pilot?
- How did you become interested in aviation?
- What do you do to maintain your health?
- What is the most difficult part of your job?
- What happened during your first solo?
Of course, your answers will be different from your colleagues so memorisation isn’t going to help. And yes, some people (not our students) really do try to memorise answers! You are going to need to be able to answer questions for yourself and in the correct tense, with suitable articles, prepositions and clauses.
You will also need sufficient plain English vocabulary to answer common questions. In short, your assessor will be able to find out a lot about your level of English by how you answer simple questions. So let’s practice grammar by looking at the questions above – consider which are about the past, which are about the present, and which are about the future? How would you answer them?
ICAO English test answers
These are some answers to questions asked in an ICAO English test. What do you think the questions were? The answers don’t necessarily relate to the questions above.
- June 25th
- Definitely the F14 Tomcat because of the swing wings
- Being able to visit many different locations around the world.
- I experienced some unexpected weather conditions.
- They are very supportive but it requires a lot of hard work to maintain relationships.
- As part of military service.
- Ever since I was a child.
- I used to collect model aircraft when I was a boy and I became fascinated about how they work.
- Kuala Lumpur
- Air Asia
Practice paraphrasing
There is more than one possible question to match each answer above, and also more than one way to ask a question. Practice paraphrasing by asking the questions you came up with in a different way. For example:
- When were you born? / What is your date of birth?
- What is your motivation for becoming a pilot? / Why did you want to become a pilot?
What to do next
For feedback and more information about Aviation English Asia’s courses please visit http://aviationenglish.com. We can help you improve your English whether you are an experienced pilot, a cadet entry pilot, a controller, aerospace engineer or flight attendant, with custom courses designed specifically for your needs. If you haven’t already please join the Aviation English mailing list for instant access to free demonstration units of the ICAO Aviation English Online course, special offers and details of courses in your area.
Of course, feel free to leave a comment or even a suggestion for a future article. We value all of your feedback.
Advice for learning English from Aviation English Asia.
Article written by Michael Egerton
One of the most complicated areas of English is the correct use of articles. In English there are two articles – a/an and the. In this article you can learn some simple rules that will help you use articles correctly. But first of all, look at the sentences below. Can you explain how and why the articles are used?
- 1. I had a baguette and a cup of coffee for lunch.
- 2. The baguette was good but the coffee was awful.
- 1. My brother is a pilot.
- 2. He is the captain of a Boeing 737.
- 1. I saw a security officer holding a machine gun.
- 2. Airport security officers are allowed to carry guns.
- 1. I feel cold. Can you pass me a blanket.
- 2. I feel cold. Can you pass me the blanket
The Airbus A380 is the biggest passenger aircraft
The definite article – the
Here are four rules to explain the use the definite article the. After reading match each rule with one of the examples below.
Rule 1: the – used where there is only one. For example, “I saw the nice lady from HR.” Here, we’re talking about a specific noun. There is probably only one nice lady from the HR department.
Rule 2: the – used before geographical nouns eg seas, rivers, hotels, pubs, museums and newspapers.
- names of rivers, oceans and seas: the Nile, the Pacific, the Atlantic, the Black Sea
- points on the globe: the Equator, the North Pole
- geographical areas: the Middle East, the Northern Hemisphere
- deserts, forests, gulfs, and peninsulas: the Sahara, the Persian Gulf, the Forest of Dean,
Rule 3: the – used with superlative adjectives. For example, the Cadet Pilot Programme is the easiest way for local people to start an aviation career.
Rule 4: the – used when both the speaker and listener already know the thing, design or idea being talked about. For example, “The car was blue.” Here, we’re talking about a specific car, the car that hit my Cessna. The definitive article is also used to talk about aircraft when describing or comparing their features, eg the Airbus A380, the Boeing 747.
Examples – which of the above rules do they demonstrate?
- We have a cat and a dog. The cat is white and the dog is black.
- The Atlantic Ocean, the Sun, the River Nile, the Black Swan
- The WOMBAT test was really easy
- Have you checked the fuel?
- The Airbus A380 is the largest passenger airliner. Concorde was the fastest passenger aircraft.
- The Air Traffic Controller’s daughter is really pretty.
- I passed the ICAO English test
The indefinite article – a/an
Here are four rules explaining the use of the indefinite article a/an
Rule 1: a/an – used with professions. For example, “I’m a lawyer“.
Rule 2: a/an – used with some expressions of quantity. For example, “I need a bottle of water”.
Rule 3: a/an used in expressions with “what + countable noun”. For example, “What a beautiful day for flying!”
Rule 4: a/an used to refer to a thing or idea for the first time. For example, “I met a nice girl last night.”
Examples – which of the above rules do they demonstrate?
- I’m an accountant. My brother is a pilot.
- What an incredible landing!
- The passengers will board in a few minutes.
- A couple of landing cards please.
- I practice English 3 times a week.
- I’m reading a good book. The author is Peter Nock.
No article required
There are four rules explaining the use of no article.
Rule 1: no article used before some forms of transport.
Rule 2: no article used with exclamations with “what + uncountable noun”
Rule 3: no article used before some geographical nouns, languages, meals, airports, mountains and stations. For example,
- names of most countries/territories: Australia, China, Canada; however you do need to use the before countries that are a collection of states eg, the Netherlands, the Dominican Republic, the Philippines, the United States
- names of cities, towns, or states:London, Singapore, Vancouver
- names of streets: Scenic View Road, Oxford St.
- names of lakes and bays: Lake Michigan, except with a group of lakes like the Great Lakes
- names of mountains: Mount Everest, Mount Fuji except with ranges of mountains like the Andes or the Himalayas
- names of continents (Asia, Europe)
- names of islands (Hong Kong Island, Lantau, Lamma) except groups of islands like the Philippines, or the Canary Islands
Rule 4: no article used before plural and uncountable nouns to refer to things in general.
Examples – which of the above rules do they demonstrate?
- What amazing weather!
- I had dinner with the captain.
- I bought “Pronunciation for Pilots” online.
- Mt Fuji is in Japan.
- I go to work by train.
- What noisy passengers!
- She can speak Portuguese.
- I like girls.
- Police officers in Hong Kong carry guns.
- Peanuts can be dangerous during flight.
Activity – Newspaper headlines
Newspaper headlines rarely use complete sentences. Look at the list of headlines below and see if you can write them as a complete sentence using verbs in the correct tense and articles as appropriate. You can find the answers on our Facebook Discussion forum.
Example:
- Headline – FAA to announce new taxi instructions
- Full sentence – The FAA is going to announce some new taxi instructions.
Global Airline Traffic Surpasses Pre Recession Level
Heroic Flight Attendant Lands Plane
FAA Slow to Require Action On Cockpit Fires
Passengers Stranded On Desert Island
Pilot Loses Certificate For Buzzing Beach
Fuel Dump By FedEx Plane Most Likely Cause of Mysterious Crop Damage
Early 787 Simulation Raises Concerns
Magnificent Man and His Homebuilt Flying Machine Go For Record at Age of 94
6 Year Old OHIO Girl Placed on FAA Watch List
Tiny Turtle Returns Plane to Gate
What to do next
For feedback and more information about Aviation English Asia’s courses please visit http://aviationenglish.com. We can help you improve your English whether you are an experienced pilot, a cadet entry pilot, a controller, aerospace engineer or flight attendant, with custom courses designed specifically for your needs. If you haven’t already please join the Aviation English mailing list for instant access to free demonstration units of the ICAO Aviation English Online course, special offers and details of courses in your area.
Of course, feel free to leave a comment or even a suggestion for a future article. We value all of your feedback.
Making use of free Aviation English Resources
Advice for learning English from Aviation English Asia.
Article written by Michael Egerton
We’ve had a lot of interest from readers looking for free online courses for improving their Aviation English. In this article I’m going to share with you my recommendations for free Aviation English resources. Of course, this blog will continue to give you some free Aviation English lessons, but the best possible resource is our mailing list.
The best way to get free ICAO Aviation English exercises
Visit our website http://aviationenglish.com and subscribe to get:
- FREE instant access to 4 demo units of ICAO Aviation English Online
- FREE advice about learning English
- FREE downloads and study guides
- News about courses in your country
- Special offers and promotions
The first of these is very special – the ICAO Aviation English Online course has 4 levels, each of 12 units. Each unit is about 8-12 hours of English practice. Subscribers can try 4 of these demo units from each of the four levels before you buy the course.
The content of the course is also very interesting for pilots and controllers because it covers important information that you will need in your career, not just for the ICAO test. It’s also the only conplete Aviation English course, offering courses from ICAO levels 2-4. If you are preparing for an ICAO English test I strongly recommend that you join our mailing list and try out these free Aviation English lessons.
What do you get in the free demos?
Over 30 hours of Aviation English exercises including.. listening and reading comprehension, true or false questions, gap fill exercises, multiple choice, vocabulary practice and the opportunity to practice radiotelephony. If your grammar and listening skills are weak I recommend that you try the lower level courses which give you more grammar and listening practice. The ICAO Level 3 Upper level course is more focused on technical vocabulary, so don’t worry about trying out the low level units. There is plenty of good practice material there for you. After trying the demo units, I’m sure that you will want to buy the complete course.
Looking for more free ICAO English exercises?
One of the most important skills that you can develop easily is reading. There are thousands of aviation articles on the internet but only a handful are suitable as learning material. Such is the skill of an aviation English teacher who can carefully select suitable articles for use in the classroom. Keep an eye on our blog and Facebook Page for these articles.
You can also read technical websites like http://www.skybrary.aero which is a wiki created by a number of flight safety and training organisations. It makes fascinating reading and you can learn something new each time you visit.
For listening practice try listening to a favourite airport on http://liveatc.net. Always listen for the key information in each transmission and you will soon become familiar with different accents. Be careful though, listening to air traffic control can become addictive. There is now an iphone application available which makes listening in, even more convenient.
Our YouTube channel features a selection of videos, some even with ATC transcripts. If you have any interesting videos to share, please let us know.
Interact with Aviation English Asia
If you want to improve your English, talk to us! We have a wide range of methods that you can use to engage in a conversation. If you have a question, ask it on our Facebook Discussion forum, you can also make contact with other Aviation English learners having similar experiences.
Our team of pilots, Subject Matter Experts and Aviation English teachers will be happy to talk with you. We will post a discussion question each week. If you have friends and colleagues, suggest that they “like” our page too.
You can find us here:
Disadvantages of free Aviation English resources
It is always good to practice English at every opportunity, and make good use of free resources on the internet. But if there is so much free material out there, then why pay for a course? As aviation English teachers we want you to be independent learners so doing as much self-study as you can is a good thing. The difficulty is when you get information overload and don’t know where to direct your attention. With self-study you also lack the feedback and guidance of a teacher, who could perhaps show you your errors or teach you an easier way of practising a skill.
Another difficulty on the internet is that it is easy to become distracted by advertisements and other things like msn messenger. It can be very easy to lose track of time and study is not always productive. ICAO Aviation English Online is more effective as it has a Learning Management System that tracks your progress and time spent on the course. As well as showing you your mistakes, if you miss too many study sessions, or fall behind in your study we can give you a reminder. When you have a consistent study rhythm it’s relatively easy to achieve a half-ICAO level within 12 weeks.
It’s also easy to take the things that you learn online into the real world as it’s also designed for blended learning in a classroom. So you can practice and expand everything that you learn online with a teacher and other learners in a classroom. At the end of the day it’s all about being able to communicate effectively with real people.
What to do next
For feedback and more information about Aviation English Asia’s courses please visit http://aviationenglish.com. We can help you improve your English whether you are an experienced pilot, a cadet entry pilot, a controller, aerospace engineer or flight attendant, with custom courses designed specifically for your needs. If you haven’t already please join the Aviation English mailing list for instant access to free demonstration units of the ICAO Aviation English Online course, special offers and details of courses in your area.
Of course, feel free to leave a comment or even a suggestion for a future article. We value all of your feedback.
English learning advice from Aviation English Asia.
A look at grammar and beyond to help flight attendants communicate with English-speaking passengers.
Written by Michael McBride
In this article, focussed on cabin crew English, we will examine language for making suggestions and advice to passengers on board. A flight attendant will be expected to have information about the origin and destination and to give information clearly and thoughtfully. We will look at grammar, examples, vocabulary and you will be able to practise with a visual scenario and a quiz at the end.
Giving advice – grammar for cabin crew
It is important to keep advice simple and clear. Modal verbs will be particularly useful.
- You should/must/have to + base of verb
- “You should visit the Tower of London.
However, be careful with the meaning. To offer a general suggestion use “should”, to be more emphatic (stronger emphasis) use “must” or “have to”. This is if you have a strong knowledge and experience of the place in question. Usually “must” and “have to” are used to talk about an obligation or necessity. “Must” and “have to” are slightly different – must is used to talk about an obligation where you have authority, whereas “have to” is use to talk about an obligation where the authority is coming from an external source, eg
- I must go home now I’m tired (it’s the speaker’s decision)
- I have to be at work at 8am (the obligation is from the employer)
You can use these phrases to exaggerate (make bigger) the importance of something, eg
- You must visit Harrod’s department store. It’s an essential destination for every visitor to London.
You can also use regular verbs to offer information.
- I recommend/suggest verb-ing
- “I suggest visiting the Empire State Building.”
These verb constructions possibly give more authority and formality, particularly with business passengers. Suggest and recommend are again slightly different – recommend is only used when you have had personal experience of something.
Remember you will probably be busy and have other important tasks, so keep it simple and clear. To offer more information use the linker because plus it is + adjective/phrases.
- ….because it is beautiful and well known.
If you do have time, you could ask short closed questions to show interest with the passenger and to make them feel more comfortable.
- “Have you been before?” / “Is this your first time in x ?”
Other communication techniques
Giving advice to passengers after they have asked you a question requires a friendly, approachable attitude. Even if you are busy you need to show you are happy to speak to the passenger with good body language and posturing.
- If you have nothing in your hand keep hands open and if the passenger is seated try and make full eye contact. You may consider changing your posture, eg bending downwards so they are not looking directly up at you.
- Gesturing involves your hands while you speak. When giving information it shows more confidence if you keep hands apart and move them from time to time.
- When asking the passenger a question to show interest remember to use rising intonation towards the end of the question. “Do you go there often?”
Vocabulary for cabin crew – how to remember and what to remember
When learning any new vocabulary you need to learn in groups or categories, for example:
- Parts of the aircraft
- Food and drink
- Safety procedures
- Tourist information
Also you should be realistic, for every lesson or day of study, only expect to learn and remember 5 -10 new words. You must decide what is the most important for your job.
The topic of this article is about giving information to passengers, and in particular this includes tourist attractions, so that is one vocabulary group. Now consider word families:
- a tourist / tourism / tour
- a sightseer / sightseeing / sightsee
- explore / exploration / explorer (e.g. Christopher Columbus)
Which part of speech are the above words, eg verbs, nouns or adjectives? When you learn new vocabulary it is helpful to write (n), (adj) or (adv) after each word to help you remember how they should be used. In time you will be able to recognise patterns between words. Also study the English words for the major tourist attractions in the country/city you are flying to. If you fly to Europe, for example, equip yourself with a little bit of knowledge of the top 10 tourist attractions, for example: –
The Eiffel Tower, River Seine, Louvre (Paris)
Big Ben, Buckingham Palace, Trafalgar Square (London)
English for cabin crew – practice activity
Picture scenario
Now look at the picture below, imagine the passenger is asking the flight attendant for information about what to do in London.
- What questions do you think the passenger will ask?
- Work out the answers to the questions as a cabin crew member. (Remember, grammar, intonation and body language)
- What do you think will happen next?
How would you answer her questions in English?
Now study the picture and describe everything you see including: –
(a) What are the names of the objects?
(b) What expressions (use adjectives) can you see on their faces?
(c) What body language and gestures are being used?
What to do next
For feedback and more information about Aviation English Asia’s cabin crew courses please visit http://aviationenglish.com. We can help you improve your English whether you are an experienced pilot, a cadet entry pilot, a controller, engineer or flight attendant, with custom courses designed specifically for your needs. If you haven’t already please join the Aviation English mailing list for instant access to free demonstration units of the ICAO Aviation English Online course, special offers and details of courses in your area.
English learning advice from Aviation English Asia.
Article written by Michael Egerton
In this article you are going to learn techniques to describe pictures in ICAO English tests. As mentioned in a previous article, The ICAO English test – guidance and advice, describing a picture is a common part of many ICAO English tests.
What language skills are required?
Quite often the pictures will be of unusual or unexpected events such as damage to an aircraft, a crash/collision or a malfunctioning piece of the aircraft’s equipment. You will need to develop your vocabulary so that you can easily explain these situations without being lost for words. As a pilot or controller you will need vocabulary to describe
- each part of an aircraft,
- weather and time of day,
- the physical layout of an airfield and
- various types of damage that can occur.
You will also need a good command of verb tenses so that you can describe:
- what is happening now
- what has happened before
- what is likely to happen in the future
You should also learn the language skills needed to explain why these events have occurred. This will involve (among others) modal verbs of possibility/probability, conjunctions and infinitives of purpose.
You should also use prepositions to describe the physical location, or path of movement of the various objects in the picture.
Phrases for describing pictures
Start by giving a brief description of each picture.
- The picture/photo shows …
- This is a picture of …
- In this picture I can see …
- This is an incident that happened …
There are different phrases you can refer to parts of each pictures. For example:
- on the left / on the right (hand side)
- in the background / in the foreground
- behind x / in front of x
Depending on the picture you will need to use appropriate tenses. For example:
- an aircraft is trying to land (present continuous because it is something happening at the moment the photo was taken)
- the aircraft in this picture has collided with a ground vehicle (present perfect because it is something that happened in the recent past with a result in the present)
- a ground vehicle is about to make a wrong turn that will surely cause a problem for aircraft that are landing.
The assessor might also ask you to give your opinion about the picture.
- In my opinion …
- I think that …
- It looks like …
- x seems to be …
Exercise
- Take a look at the following picture for 30 seconds.
- Describe it in as much detail as possible for 90 seconds
- Explain how you think the situation occurred for 30 seconds.
- Post your description as a comment on our blog. We will review it and give you feedback.
Five tips for describing pictures in the ICAO English test
1. Keep it simple
Try to avoid complicated expressions or grammatical structures if you are not sure how to use them. Don’t waffle (speak unnecessarily about a topic), and if you have nothing to say it’s better to wait for the assessor to prompt you.
2. Ask the assessor for an explanation if you don’t understand the task
If you don’t understand what you are supposed to do, ask the assessor to explain. For example, you could say:
- Could you repeat the question, please?
- I’m sorry, could you explain what the word …. means ?
- Could you please ask the question in another way?
3. Use full sentences
Avoid answers which are single words or answers that sound like a list of bullet points. Demonstrate that you know how to form sentences correctly and can use a range of structures to express yourself.
4. Be aware of the time limits
When you are asked to describe a photo and explain why something has happened, make sure that you leave some time for explaining your own opinion if that is a required part of the task. You should also avoid rushing, as speaking slowly and clearly is an essential skill in aeronautical communications. You will have better pronunciation if you slow down and don’t swallow your words.
5. Practice
Before the ICAO English test, practice describing pictures with a colleague (if you already know someone who will also be taking the speaking test, ask him/her to practice with you). Students at Aviation English Asia are a friendly bunch who really make the effort to help each other. Of course, all our English courses for ICAO compliance offer thorough practice of these skills in each unit.
What to do next
For feedback and more information about Aviation English Asia’s courses please visit http://aviationenglish.com. We can help you improve your English whether you are an experienced pilot, a cadet entry pilot, a controller, engineer or flight attendant, with custom courses designed specifically for your needs. If you haven’t already please join the Aviation English mailing list for instant access to free demonstration units of the ICAO Aviation English Online course, special offers and details of courses in your area.
English learning advice from Aviation English Asia.
A look at different passenger profiles and language functions to resolve problems on-board.
Written by Michael McBride
In this article, we will focus on problematic situations that can occur during flight. This could involve dealing with intoxicated passengers or uncooperative people in the air. We will look at different questions to consider when faced with a difficult situation, suitable grammar forms and you will also have the chance to practise using visual examples.
Passengers – a diverse mixture
As a member of cabin crew on a commercial airline you will come across a large mix of people from all backgrounds and cultures. Although there are many stereotypes in society, it may be useful to be aware of them for quick and efficient handling of passengers.
- A stereotype is a cultural and social expectation that may not be wholly true and accurate but exists in society and we cannot avoid them.
Would you provide the same service to an elderly man the same way you would treat a 20 year old man heading on holiday? What language and service would you provide someone with full religious garb, or a pregnant woman finding it difficult to enjoy the flight? Or simply, how would you treat an angry passenger compared to a co-operative and peaceful passenger?
Of course your airline will tell you to treat everyone with the same high-class service, but you must have some awareness of different people so the language you use can be adapted for each situation. The wrong form of service language could make a situation worse. Let’s now consider this with grammar and context.
Credit: http://www.telegraph.co.uk
Describing appearance and emotions – grammar and context
It is useful to ask yourself questions when you have to deal with a problem passenger and keep in mind these questions need to be answered within a few seconds: –
- Who are they?
- Why do you think they are complaining or not co-operating?
- How will you resolve the situation?
- What language will you use?
With your trainer at Aviation English Asia you will work on adapting language to specific contexts and types of passenger, but now let’s focus on grammar and vocabulary in a more general approach for difficult passengers.
After considering the problem at hand e.g. a passenger is complaining about their meal, and evaluating the situation consider your language. It is advisable to not use overly direct and plain language. Using formal verbs like “reject” and “decline” could create more tension and escalate the problem. Use of apologetic language may soften the situation, look at the following and consider which is more effective?
- “I’m sorry, sir, but your card hasn’t been accepted.”
- “Sir, your card has been declined.”
The first example may use more words but projects politeness and calm. Notice also the use of contractions is vital, for instance, “hasn’t” as opposed to “has not.” Contractions are made for spoken English but long forms are also used, but they show more emphasis and authority, which is not effective when trying to calm down a passenger.
Politeness and consideration should always be used. This can also be reinforced by modal verbs that are not strong but still project advice, suggestion and recommendation. For example: –
- Sir, you may like to try this meal instead.
- Madam, would you like to try this option?
- You could try this meal instead, sir.
Escalated problems, in other words situations you probably cannot handle on your own need to be directed to your senior colleague. With this it will also bring a new set of language tools if your senior only speaks in English.
Basic description language includes: –
- Use of adjectives and nouns e.g. angry passenger
- Keep it simple and use the present simple or progressive tenses e.g. he is not moving from his seat.
- Using stronger tone and stress will show your English speaking supervisor the situation is more important compared to if you use a lighter tone. Think of the importance of the problem.
Practice – context and language.
Situation 1
Credit: http://www.sfballetblog.org
- Context. What type of passengers?
- Predict. What could be potential problems?
- Communicate. What language will you use?
This picture shows a group of young travellers, maybe college students heading for Spring Break. There is a possibility they may be noisy and even over-bearing towards other passengers.
Situation 2
Credit: Sky News
- Context. What type of passengers?
- Predict. What could be potential problems?
- Communicate. What language will you use?
Looking at the body language and gesturing of the male passenger there could be a problem with his meal. Did he order it? Is there a problem with what is on the plate? Also consider his age and background.
Situation 3
Credit: unknown
1 Context. What type of passengers?
2 Predict. What could be potential problems?
3 Communicate. What language will you use?
A number of situations could be predicated here, from complaining to even an argument between passengers. How would you handle the situation, would you need more help from a supervisor?
Exercise:
Think of some more situations and consider what you would say.
Checklist
- Be aware of your passengers and who they are
- Ask yourself a series of questions to evaluate the situation
- What could happen next, will you need a supervisor? How would you speak to the supervisor, how would you describe the passenger?
What to do next
For feedback and more information about Aviation English Asia’s cabin crew courses please visit http://aviationenglish.com
aviationenglishasia
Conan She
Michael Egerton
Michael McBride
Aviation English Asia Blog 