Stone



**- What are stones? ** Stones are naturally occurring solid aggregates of minerals **- How many kinds of stone do you know? ** Three types: Igneous, sedimentary, and metamorphic. **- What characteristics do stones have? **  Are consistent, hard and resistant. **- Why are stones used in construction? ** Because their properties are suitable to give strength and durability of buildings. Furthermore, stones are very accessible.

Humanity has used stone for constructions from ancient times. Not only for its durability, also because it gives character of monumentality to the structures. Today, when stone still is in use, you can know with certainty all its characteristics. Stone as a building material has its advantages and disadvantages. The advantages are: its durability and adaptability to sculptural treatment, and that it is used in its natural form. The disadvantages of stone are: difficult to transport and cut; high cost; weakness when it's in tension, and unsteadiness with load pushing at angles. Stonework can be divided into two types, rubble and ashlar masonry. The first is roughly broken stones bounded in mortar, while the second is normally cut blocks. Undoubtedly, Ashlar masonry is most suitable for monumental architecture, because of its qualities. Another aspect is that best stone bonding is that in which blocks are placed in an uneven way. Currently, stone isn't used in its pure condition, but it is used to generate other building materials. Therefore, it is still important in the architecture field. media type="file" key="STEEL.mp3" align="center"

- **Find two definitions in the text **  1. “The simplest and cheapest stonework is rubble; roughly broken stones of any shape bounded in mortar”   2. "The strongest... ashlar masonry... consists of regularly cut blocks (usually rectangular)" - **Find two statements of comparison and contrast ** 1. “stone masonry (in contrast with brick) does not depend on strong bonding for stability where it supports only direct downward loads”  <span style="display: block; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; text-align: center; vertical-align: baseline;">2. “Although it has generally been replaced as a structural material by cheaper and more efficient manufactured products, it is still widely used as a surface veneer for its practical and expressive qualities” <span style="color: #215868; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">- **<span style="color: #215868; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">Find two statements expressing cause and effect ** <span style="display: block; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; text-align: center;">1. “In most areas where stone is available, it has been favoured over other materials for the construction of monumental architecture.”  <span style="display: block; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; text-align: center; vertical-align: baseline;">2. “the weight creates problems of stability when loads push at an angle” <span style="color: #215868; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">- **<span style="color: #215868; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">Find two adjectives in the superlative form ** <span style="display: block; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; text-align: center;">1. Simplest  <span style="display: block; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; text-align: center; vertical-align: baseline;">2. Cheapest <span style="color: #215868; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">- **<span style="color: #215868; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">Find two adjectives in the comparative form **  1. Cheaper