engineering

Structured English

Structured English is a engineering topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand Structured English rather than just read about it. In short: Structured English is the use of the English language with the syntax of structured programming to communicate the design of a computer program to non-technical users by breaking it down into logical steps using straightforward English words. Structured English gives aims to get the benefits of both the programming logic and natural language: program logic helps to attain precision, whilst natural language helps wit…

Key takeaways

Structured English belongs to engineering; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect Structured English to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of Structured English from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

Structured English is the use of the English language with the syntax of structured programming to communicate the design of a computer program to non-technical users by breaking it down into logical steps using straightforward English words. Structured English gives aims to get the benefits of both the programming logic and natural language: program logic helps to attain precision, whilst natural language helps with the familiarity of the spoken word. It is the basis of some programming languages such as SQL (Structured Query Language) "for use by people who have need for interaction with a large database but who are not trained programmers".

Elements Advanced English Structure is a limited-form "pseudocode" and consists of the following elements:

Operation statements written as English phrases executed from the top down Conditional blocks indicated by keywords such as IF, THEN, and ELSE Repetition blocks indicated by keywords such as DO, WHILE, and UNTIL The following guidelines are used when writing Structured English:

All logic should be expressed in operational, conditional, and repetition blocks Statements should be clear and unambiguous Logical blocks should be indented to show relationship and hierarchy Use one line per logical element, or indent the continuation line Keywords should be capitalized Group blocks of statements together, with a capitalized name that describes their function and end with an EXIT. Underline words or phrases defined in a data dictionary. Mark comment lines with an asterisk

Example of Structured English APPROVE LOAN

IF customer has a Bank Account THEN IF Customer has no dues from previous account THEN Allow loan facility ELSE IF Management Approval is obtained THEN Allow loan facility ELSE Reject ENDIF ENDIF ELSE Reject ENDIF EXIT

Criticism Though useful for planning programs, modules and routines, or describing algorithms it is less useful when numerous decisions need to be made.

Other specification tools System processes at a lower level involve lot of computations and require more precision and clarity. This can be achieved with tools such as decision trees or decision tables.

See also Natural language programming Self-documenting code Structured programming Pseudocode Decision tree Decision table Controlled natural language

References

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Structured English

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Structured English claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In engineering, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to Structured English before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about Structured English ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of Structured English

In research: Structured English appears in engineering research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses Structured English in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: Structured English is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics Algorithm description languages, Structured English, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for Structured English outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

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How to study Structured English in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what Structured English means in your own words.
Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
Explain Structured English out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is Structured English in simple terms?

Why does Structured English matter?

Because it connects several engineering ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study Structured English?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on Structured English.