Grammar & Pronunciation
Grammar and Pronunciation for Tech Professionals
For B2 engineers, the highest-ROI grammar is tense for updates, passive voice for bugs and process, and softeners for disagreement. Pronunciation priorities are word stress and -ed endings on technical verbs. Use this hub to fix the patterns that most affect credibility at work — not every grammar rule.
Named packs
Start with these precision kits
Pronunciation that holds up in meetings, plus grammar patterns that affect credibility in tech English.
Pronunciation foundations
Listen firstWord stress, -ed endings, and common tech mispronunciations.
Common Tech Mispronunciations in English
Listen firstArticle: Common Tech Mispronunciations in English.
Word Stress for Developers
Listen firstArticle: Word Stress for Developers.
How to Pronounce Ed Verbs in Technical English Full Developer Guide
Listen firstArticle: How to Pronounce Ed Verbs in Technical English Full Developer Guide.
Connected Speech in English
Listen firstArticle: Connected Speech in English.
Voice & precision
Active/passive voice, modifiers, and parallel structure for clear technical speech.
Active Voice for Developers
Article: Active Voice for Developers.
Passive Voice for Business Communication
Article: Passive Voice for Business Communication.
Technical Modifiers in English
Article: Technical Modifiers in English.
Placement of Modifiers in Technical English
Article: Placement of Modifiers in Technical English.
Parallel Structure in English
Article: Parallel Structure in English.
How to Use the Imperative Present Tense
Article: How to Use the Imperative Present Tense.
Certainty & softeners
Sound confident without sounding blunt — hedges and precise disagreement.
How to Express Certainty and Soften Messages in English at Work
ESL English learning: Master hedging, certainty phrases, and softening language for tech meetings, standups, and Slack conversations.
How to Avoid Commonly Confused Words in English at Work
ESL English learning: Master easily confused word pairs like affect/effect, implement/execute, and iterative/incremental to write clearer tech docs and Slack messages.
How to Express Disagreement Precisely in English at Work
ESL English learning: Master opposition vs adjacency vocabulary to distinguish objections from alternatives in design reviews and technical discussions.
More resources
Frequently asked questions
- Which English grammar matters most for software engineers?
- Tense in standups, passive vs active for bugs (“the service was restarted”), modal verbs for suggestions (“we could / we should”), and softeners for disagreement. Master those before advanced grammar.
- How do I pronounce -ed endings in technical English?
- Use /t/, /d/, or /ɪd/ depending on the final sound (deployed /d/, shipped /t/, tested /ɪd/). Mispronouncing -ed is a common B2 issue that makes speech harder to follow.
- Why does word stress matter in tech English?
- Wrong stress on words like “coNTract” vs “CONtract” or “reFILL” vs “REfill” slows listeners down. Stress guides help colleagues understand you the first time.
- When should I use passive voice at work?
- Use passive for process and blameless updates: “The job was retried after the timeout.” Prefer active when you own an action: “I restarted the worker.”
Related topics
See all topics
Listening
Real tech-English audio and listening practice: standups, code reviews, pronunciation, and workplace English.
Meetings & Standups
Scripts, phrases, and culture notes for standups, retros, and sprint reviews.
Code Reviews & PRs
Feedback phrases, pull request vocabulary, and softener language for code reviews.
Interviews
Mockly interview prep modules: self-intro, STAR, strengths, technical rounds, and culture.
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