wkshts 4 sally 1/10/02 8:57 am Page 2

Oxford Advanced Learner’s Dictionary Worksheets

1 Getting to know the dictionary

.............................................................................................................
Look at the entries from the dictionary and find the answers to the following questions:
1 What kind of food is a scone?
2 What is a synonym for scold?
3 Is the following sentence correct?
Please can you pass me a scissors?
4 How would a speaker of American English express the following sentence?
By the time we arrived, they had scoffed all the food.
5 Which letter is not pronounced in the word scion?
6 What could you use to cut your fingernails with? And what would you use to cut
flowers with?
7 How many parts of speech can the word scoop be?
8 Which of these sentences is correct?
She scolded them that they had arrived so late.
She scolded them for arriving so late.
9 You are in an important business meeting. Would it be appropriate to say:
I’ll scoot now. I’m late for my next meeting.?
10 Where in the dictionary can you find a picture of a scooter?
11 What does a newspaper do when it scoops its rivals?
12 Put in the correct preposition:
They scoffed ________ all my suggestions.

...........................................................................................................................
scin•til•lat•ing /"sIntIleItIN/ adj. very clever, amusing
and interesting: a scintillating performance / conversation
 Statistics on unemployment levels hardly make for scintil-
lating reading.
scion /"saI@n/ noun 1 (formal or literary) a young member
of a family, especially a famous or important one
2 (technical) a piece of a plant, especially one cut to make
a new plant
scold /sk@Uld; AmE skoUld/ verb ~ sb (for sth / for doing
sth) (formal) to speak angrily to sb, especially a child,
because they have done sth wrong g TELL OFF: [VN] He
scolded them for arriving late. [also V speech, V]
scold-
ing noun [usually sing.]: I got a scolding from my
mother.
scone /skQn; sk@Un; AmE skA;n; skoUn/ noun (BrE) a
small round cake, sometimes with dried fruit in it and
often eaten with butter, jam and cream spread on it—

s
nail clippers
nail clippers scissors picture on page A1
scissors
scoop /sku;p/ noun, verb
 noun 1 a tool like a large spoon with a deep bowl, used
handle
handle
blade
blade for picking up substances in powder form like flour, or
for serving food like ice cream 2 the amount picked up by
a scoop: two scoops of mashed potato 3 a piece of import-
blade
blade
shears
shears ant or exciting news that is printed in one newspaper
tongs
tongs before other newspapers know about it
 verb [VN] 1 [usually +adv. / prep.] ~ sth (up) to move or lift

wire
wirecutter
cutter secateurs
secateurs
pliers
pliers
scis•sors /"sIz@z; AmE "sIz@rz/ noun [pl.] a tool for cut-
ting paper or fabric, that has two sharp blades with
handles, joined together in the middle: a pair of scissors—
see also NAIL SCISSORS
scis•sor adj. [only before noun]:
The legs move in a scissor action.
scler•osis /skl@"r@UsIs; AmE -"roU-/ noun [U] (medical) a
condition in which soft tissue in the body becomes hard, in
a way that is not normal—see also MULTIPLE SCLEROSIS

scler•otic /skl@"rQtIk; AmE -"rA;t-/ adj.
scoff /skQf; AmE skO;f; skA;f/ verb 1 ~ (at sb/sth) to talk
about sb/sth in a way that makes it clear that you think
they are stupid or ridiculous: [V] He scoffed at our amateur-
ish attempts.  Don't scoff—she's absolutely right.
[also V speech] 2 [VN] (BrE) (AmE scarf) (informal) to eat
a lot of sth quickly: Who scoffed all the grapes?
sth with a scoop or sth like a scoop: She scooped ice cream
into their bowls.  He quickly scooped the money up from the
desk.  First, scoop a hole in the soil.  Scoop out the melon
flesh. 2 [+adv. / prep.] ~ sb/sth (up) to move or lift sb/sth
with a quick continuous movement: She scooped the child
up in her arms.  He quickly scooped his clothes from the
chair. 3 to publish a story before all the other newspapers,
television companies, etc: The paper had inside informa-
tion and scooped all its rivals. 4 (informal) to win sth, espe-
cially a large sum of money or a prize: He scooped £10 000
on the lottery.
scoot /sku;t/ verb [V, usually +adv. / prep.] (informal) to
go or leave somewhere in a hurry: I'd better scoot or I'll
be late.  They scooted off to Dublin for the weekend.
scoot•er /"sku;t@(r)/ noun 1 (BrE) (also "motor scooter
AmE, BrE) a light motorcycle, usually with small wheels
and a curved metal cover at the front to protect the
rider's legs—picture at MOTORCYCLE 2 a child's vehicle with
two small wheels attached to a narrow board with
an upright handle. The rider holds the handle, puts one
foot on the board and pushes against the ground with the
other.

2
wkshts 4 sally 1/10/02 8:57 am Page 14

Oxford Advanced Learner’s Dictionary Worksheets

11 Vocabulary building
.............................................................................................................
Food and cooking
A Page A1 in the section of illustrated pages provides
you with vocabulary connected with bread, cakes doughnut trifle bagel pancakes submarine
and desserts. baguette Christmas pudding crème brûlée
éclair double-decker sponge
1 Put these words into the right category:

types of bread types of sandwich cakes hot desserts cold desserts

2 Which of these cakes would not usually have icing?

fairy cake wedding cake meringue Danish pastry

3 Fill in the gaps:

a Various kinds of fruit can be used as the ______________________ for pies.
b A wedding cake often has several ______________________ built on top of each other.
c Bread that is sold already cut is called ______________________.

B Which word for a kind of food shown on page A1 also has the meanings shown below?
Use the dictionary entries for the individual words to help you.
1 language that uses a lot of words but does not say anything important
2 a ship that can travel underwater
3 a situation in which it is impossible to move
4 a sea creature with a light body full of holes
5 a long piece of paper, fabric or film, wrapped around a tube
6 a thick liquid that you use on your skin

C The dictionary has special topic pages on cooking. (Look at the contents page for the page
numbers.)
Read the descriptions on these pages of the different methods of cooking , then correct these
sentences.
1 Have you cooked the water for the tea?
2 My mother always roasted her own bread.
3 Simmer the vegetables in a frying pan.
4 To make the chips, steam the potatoes in hot oil.

D 1 Write down three different ways to cook

a sausages b fish c potatoes
2 Choose a typical dish that you know how to make and write down the main steps for
preparing it.

14
wkshts 4 sally 1/10/02 8:57 am Page 15

Oxford Advanced Learner’s Dictionary Worksheets

3 What would you use to

a stand a cake on when you take it out of the oven?
b protect your hands when you take something out of the oven?
c stir the ingredients for a stir-fry
d put a chicken in to cook it in the oven
4 Label the kitchen utensils in the picture. You can check the answers in the dictionary.
The illustration is near the entry for kitchen.

5 Match up the utensils with the food and a suitable verb

lemon colander ladle rolling pin whisk peeler grater

squeezer

potato

pastry

lemon ✗
soup

cream

cheese

vegetables

drain

squeeze

roll out

serve

grate

beat

peel

15
wkshts 4 sally 1/10/02 8:57 am Page 12

Oxford Advanced Learner’s Dictionary Worksheets

10 Choosing the right word

.............................................................................................................
The dictionary can tell you a lot more than just the meaning of words. It also gives information
on the different types of situation in which they are used and the particular attitude that they
express. This information is often shown in the labels that appear in italic print in brackets before
definitions. Examples of labels are formal, informal, literary and spoken. There is a full list inside
the front cover of your dictionary. (In some editions it is inside the back cover.)

A Liz went to a party last night. Today she is telling her friend about it in an e-mail.

Hi! My name’s Marzia and I’m from Parma in Italy. I’m a nurse in an old people’s
home. It’s not a bad job. The pay is terrible, but the hours are quite good. My
From: Liz
boss is a monster, but never mind. To: Kate
Subject: Jen’s party

Message: Thanks for your e-mail. Glad you’re enjoying your trip. I just had to write back at once cos I’m
sure you want to get all the low-down on Jen’s party. It’s a real shame you missed it.

There were these two new blokes there last night – Chas – he’s just moved into the area with
his sisters, and a friend who’s staying with them. Chas was really fanciable and dead easy to
talk to, and his sisters were really trendy. But the one we were all eyeing up was the friend, Fitz.
He’s fit! And rumour has it that he’s seriously rich. The blokes thought he was a great guy, and
the girls said he was even better-looking than Chas. But by the end of the evening we’d all
gone off him cos of the snotty way he behaved. Talk about toffee-nosed! He was sniffy about
everybody and everything. I mean, how stuck-up can you get? It was really off-putting and we
got so fed up of it. I don’t care if he is rolling in it – he can stuff his millions and his country
house – give me Chas any day!

1 Read the e-mail and look up any words that you do not understand. Then find ten
expressions that are labelled informal, slang or spoken in the dictionary.
2 Decide which of the words that Liz uses to describe Chas and Fitz are things she
approves of and which words describe the things she does not like.

B Read this extract from Jane Austen’s novel, Pride and Prejudice:

Mr Bingley was good-looking and gentlemanlike; he had a pleasant countenance, and

easy, unaffected manners. His sisters were fine women, with an air of decided fashion. His
brother-in-law, Mr Hurst, merely looked the gentleman; but his friend Mr Darcy soon drew
the attention of the room by his fine, tall person, handsome features, noble mien; and the
report, which was in general circulation within five minutes after his entrance, of his having
ten thousand a year. The gentlemen pronounced him to be a fine figure of a man, the ladies
declared he was much handsomer than Mr. Bingley, and he was looked at with great
admiration for about half the evening, till his manners gave a disgust which turned the tide
of his popularity: for he was discovered to be proud, to be above his company, and above
being pleased; and not all his large estate in Derbyshire could then save him from having a
most forbidding, disagreeable countenance, and being unworthy to be compared with his
friend.
… On the strength of Darcy’s regard Bingley had the firmest reliance, and of his
judgment the highest opinion. In understanding Darcy was the superior. Bingley was by no
means deficient; but Darcy was clever. He was at the same time haughty, reserved, and
fastidious; and his manners, though well bred, were not inviting. In that respect his friend
had greatly the advantage. Bingley was sure of being liked wherever he appeared; Darcy was
continually giving offence.

12
wkshts 4 sally 1/10/02 8:57 am Page 13

Oxford Advanced Learner’s Dictionary Worksheets

1 When you have read the passage, make a list of the expressions that are used to describe
Mr Bingley and Mr Darcy.

Mr Bingley Mr Darcy

2 Now decide which are good points and which are negative. Mark the positive things with
a tick (✓) and the negative things with a cross (✗). Look up the meanings of any words
you are unsure of in your dictionary.
3 Which of the words were shown in the dictionary as literary or formal? Are any of them
not likely to be used today?

C 1 Look at this list of adjectives and decide whether they are used to describe a person’s
face and features, figure, hair or clothes. Write them in the circles. Are there any that can
be used for more than one category? If so, does the meaning change?
2 Try to add at least two more adjectives to each circle. The usage notes at the entries for
fat and thin will be useful. Use your dictionary to check how the words are spelt and
used. (The example sentences will help you.)

cropped freckled dowdy stocky willowy greasy balding

trendy wrinkled haggard wavy sharp slightly built fair
scruffy thin tall pale snappy

features/ clothes
face

figure

hair

13
wkshts 4 sally 1/10/02 8:57 am Page 10

Oxford Advanced Learner’s Dictionary Worksheets

9 Reading and vocabulary work

.............................................................................................................
A Read the text of the newspaper article below and find the words that mean:
1 somebody who goes on a visit that lasts for one day
2 a short journey that you make for pleasure
3 a period of time when an animal that has or may have a disease is kept away from others
4 to obey a rule, an order, etc.
5 a disease of dogs and other animals that causes madness and death
6 to give a person or an animal a vaccine, in order to protect them against a disease
7 to pay money for something
8 a dog trained to guide a blind person

Walkies to France for pets with passports

Day trippers to France will no
longer have to leave Rover when
they head for Dover. From
Monday dogs – and cats, too –
will be allowed to join their
owners on cross-Channel jaunts
by tunnel or ferry without facing
quarantine on their return,
provided they comply with anti-
rabies regulations.
The animals must have been
vaccinated against the disease
and have an electronic ‘passport’
tag to prove it. Then all they will
need is someone prepared to
stump up £30 for the fare. The
new rules follow years of
lobbying by the Passports for
Pets campaign about the cruelty
and cost of keeping pets locked
▲
▲
up for six months.
For the first year, they will
apply only to cats and dogs from
European Union countries and
Norway, as well as guide dogs
from Australia and New
Zealand. If the scheme proves
successful, however, it will be
extended to include all kinds of
domestic pets from a longer list
of countries.
To mark the occasion, 16 dogs
and a cat will make a ceremonial
first crossing from France with
their owners through the Channel
Tunnel aboard Le Shuttle.
Among the owners will be the
head of Passports for Pets, Lady
Fretwell, with her basset hound
Claude. Bill Whitehouse, who
lives in France and has refused to
visit his native Britain for five
years because he could not bear
to leave his Rhodesian Ridgeback
dog Ximo in quarantine, is also
included in the pioneering party.
In addition, French woman
Valerie Adams and her cat Heloise,
along with Corporal Colin Binge –
returning from a tour of duty
in Germany with his wife Nicola
and dog, Ivan, a 13-year-old
Munsterlander – will be on the
train. At the French side of the
Chunnel at Coquelles, customs
officers will check that each
animal is carrying a microchip
tag before it is allowed to set off
for Folkestone.

Tips
walkies an informal way of talking about a walk with a dog
Rover a typical name for a dog
Dover a port on the south coast, where many people cross
from France into England
Le Shuttle the train that takes cars and passengers through
the Channel Tunnel

Now check in your Advanced Learner’s Dictionary that you have matched up the words and
meanings correctly.

10
wkshts 4 sally 1/10/02 8:57 am Page 11

Oxford Advanced Learner’s Dictionary Worksheets

B Use the dictionary entries to help you answer these questions:

1 Which of the words in your list from question A are only used in British English?
2 Which word is old-fashioned, unless you are using it to be humorous?
3 Look in the dictionary to find two words with similar meanings to vaccinate.
4 Can you think of a word that rhymes with rabies?
5 Which letter is not pronounced in campaign?
6 What is a person from Norway called? (Look in the back of the dictionary, in Appendix 2.)
7 What noun is related to the verb prove?
8 Look up the verb apply in the dictionary. It has six meanings. Which one is being used in
the text? Which ‘short cut’ gave you the right idea?

C Rewrite these sentences using a different word for the word in bold type. Use your
dictionary to help you.
1 If the scheme proves successful, it may be extended.
2 Dogs will be allowed into Britain provided that they have passports.
3 Someone will have to stump up £30 for the fare.

D How many words connected with TRAVEL can you find in the article?
If you look up some of these words in the dictionary, you will find more connected words. For
example, if you look up jaunt, you will find the word journey in the definition. If you look up
ferry, you will find boat. And then, if you look up boat, you will find an illustration with
many different kinds of boats.
Find a way of arranging the words in groups according to their meanings. You could
use a diagram like the one below.

journey

return

T R AV E L

types of train
transport

ferry
liner boat
hovercraft

11
wkshts 4 sally 1/10/02 8:57 am Page 9

Oxford Advanced Learner’s Dictionary Worksheets

8 Writing
.............................................................................................................
A Focus on: word families
Use the word family boxes in the Advanced Learner’s Dictionary to fill in the gaps in the
following passage. Look up the words in the box (conceive, etc.) to find the word families.

The commercial world

A dvertising is all around us, and the modern world
is 1_______________without it. We may think that
we ignore it, but it is an 2_______________ fact that our
3_______________ of the world is shaped by it. When
we buy a car, we may say that the only important thing
is that it is 4_______________ , but if we are
5
_______________ , must we not admit that we were
attracted to the exciting lifestyle of those beautiful
people in the adverts who drive along empty roads
through breathtaking scenery and never get stuck in
the rush-hour traffic on the school run? And
that our amazing 6_______________ to remember the
7_______________ name of that French perfume has
less to do with our gift for languages than our
8_______________ exposure to it night after night in
those ads with the romantic music?
The scene changes: two beautiful slim people
9
on an otherwise _______________ tropical island. The
10
_______________ of the chocolate bar being advertised
here have succeeded in making us forget that their
product is unhealthy and 11 _______________ . These
people have found paradise, and we want to be part of it.

1 conceive 2 deny 3 perceive 4 rely 5 true 6 able

7 pronounce 8 repeat 9 inhabit 10 produce 11 fat

B Focus on: ‘which word’ notes and special vocabulary pages

1 Choose the correct words to complete this passage about a Scottish amateur choir ‘Canta
Caledonia’, which is taking part in a singing competition that will be shown on national
television. You will sometimes need to follow up the link that is at one of the words in
bold type. For example, the words include and consist of are discussed in the note at
comprise. There is a link at include saying ➭ note at COMPRISE.

‘Canta Caledonia’ includes/
consists of just two professional
musicians. ‘The rest of the choir
are just amateurs, with no formal
training in classic/classical music,
but their different interests and
skills complement/compliment
each other,’ says conductor Chris
Paul.‘We’ve been looking forward
to/waiting for this competition
for months, firstly/at first because
it will give us the possibility/
chance/ occasion to prove that we
are among the best choirs in
Britain, and secondly because at
incidents/events/occurrences
like this you meet so many other
people who share your interests.
In the break/recession/interval
you find yourself speaking/
talking to people from all over
the country, who are united in
one thing – their love of music.
Of course, we all want to win, but
that’s not the main purpose/cause
of the competition. I think we
have a good chance. We used
to/are used to singing in public,
but it will be interesting to see
what affect/effect the TV cameras
have on everyone’s nerves!’

2 You are going to write a review of a concert you have been to or a CD that you have
listened to recently. Prepare a list of the vocabulary you will need by looking in your
Advanced Learner’s Dictionary at the entries for music, musical, and the special pages on
musical instruments.
Then look at the vocabulary-building boxes at good, nice, and bad, for other adjectives
you can use to avoid repeating yourself.

9
wkshts 4 sally 1/10/02 8:57 am Page 8

Oxford Advanced Learner’s Dictionary Worksheets

7 American English
.............................................................................................................
A American English differs from British English in various ways. Look at the words below and
say what differences there are between the way that they are used in British English and
American English. The entries in the dictionary will help you. There may be a difference of
pronunciation, spelling, grammar or meaning.

visit draughty
slay
farm travelling protest
village dive
in the back
cigarette pavement
constitute hospital
B Who said that?
Look at these sentences and decide who said them – Phil from York or Bill from New York.
The special notes on American English in the dictionary will help you. (For a list of these
notes look in the appendix section at the back of the dictionary.)
1 Our train is on track four.
2 It’s a bit cold to sit outside.
3 The proposals are being discussed presently.
4 I went scuba-diving during the summer vacation.
5 I’ll post your letter on the way to town.
6 Ring me when you get back.
7 Did you take out the garbage yet?
8 She works Monday through Saturday.
9 The restrooms are on the first floor.
10 He’s been in hospital for an operation.

C Did I understand that right?

Why might the following statements by a speaker of American English be misunderstood by a
British English speaker?
1 Pete is a fine hockey player.
2 Where is the bathroom?
3 I’ll meet you in the restaurant on the first floor.
4 The cat was sick yesterday.
5 I just love biscuits with gravy!
6 I’d like to wash up now.
7 We have a quiz in math tomorrow.
8 Do you have the address of the dormitory where you’ll be living?
9 Protesters were throwing rocks at the police.
10 All our kids have to wear braces.

8
wkshts 4 sally 1/10/02 8:57 am Page 7

Oxford Advanced Learner’s Dictionary Worksheets

6 Idioms
.............................................................................................................
Idioms can be found within the individual dictionary entries after the symbol IDM . For more
information about idioms – what they are and how to use them – look at the study page B12.
A The following sentences all contain idioms. In each case the missing word is a part of the
body. Fill in the blanks. Looking up the word in bold type in the dictionary will help if you do
not know the answers.
1 Have I done something wrong? They all seem to be giving me the cold ___________________.
2 She’s got a chip on her ___________________ about not having gone to university.
3 You need a thick ___________________ in order to be a politician.
4 It’s no good complaining. You’re just going to have to grit your ___________________
and get on with it.
5 What do you mean, you didn’t think I could do it? I’m not just a pretty
_________________ , you know.
6 He sat there looking all innocent – as if butter wouldn’t melt in his _________________ .
7 I’m sure she’ll help if you twist her ____________ .
8 I’m not very impressed with their behaviour but I’ll turn a blind ____________ this time.
9 OK, I’m sorry. There’s no need to rub my _________________ in it.
10 What’s got into him? He’s like a bear with a sore _________________ this morning.

B Match the following idioms with the situation in which they are likely to be used.

Somebody keeps criticizing you.

I had to wing it.
You had not prepared well for something that
Who’s rattled your cage? you had to do.
I thought as much. Something happens that confirms what you
expected.
Get a life!
Somebody seems to be very bad-tempered.
Get off my case, can’t you?
Somebody is being very boring and doing things
that are not interesting.

C Look at the following idioms which cb

describe people, or a situation that they cb
are in, or a way of behaving. Decide
whether they are describing something be the goods
good or something bad and tick the have an open mind
appropriate box.
be out of the loop

be the bee’s knees

be at a loose end

be in over your head

be slow on the uptake

keep your cool

7
wkshts 4 sally 1/10/02 8:57 am Page 6

Oxford Advanced Learner’s Dictionary Worksheets

5 Phrasal Verbs
.............................................................................................................
A You and your friends are part of a fan club which recently flew to England to watch your
team play in an important European championship. Unfortunately the company that arranged
the travel to the game, Fantours, turned out to be very inefficient and you missed the match.
Here is the letter of complaint that you wrote to the company when you got home.

In this letter, the words in bold type

Dear Sir or Madam can all be replaced by phrasal verbs,
ice that we received from which would be more usual in
I am writing to complain about the poor serv conversational English. Find a phrasal
am.
your company on our recent trip to Birmingh
On arrival in England, we were to be take n to the stadium by coach. verb which has the same meaning as
h broke down and we each of the verbs in bold type in the
Unfortunately, within minutes of leaving, the coac letter by matching up the verbs and
c. When he finally
had to alight and await the arrival of a mechani
was wrong with the coach. particles in the circles.
arrived, it took him an hour to discover what
and dismissed our fears
Your representative assumed a superior air
that we would miss the beginning of the match. find get about
aurant while we were
We refused the offer of lunch in a nearby rest get give make aside back
time to see the second half put put think down for for off
waiting as we hoped that there would still be
but the cost of turn wait on on out up
of the match. We contemplated getting taxis,
would have been prohibitive. wave up with
transporting the whole group to the stadium
d no better, because
When we finally arrived at the stadium, we fare
g date on them and we
the tickets issued to us by Fantours had the wron The dictionary can help. At the entries
ed to return home without
were not allowed into the ground. We were forc for alight, etc. a phrasal verb with the
tative could offer was to
seeing our team play. The only help your represen same meaning is shown. Now imagine
d these forms to him
give us complaints forms. Although we returne that you are telling a friend about the
from your company.
immediately, we have not received any response trip. Use phrasal verbs instead of the
ppointment of
Obviously, nothing can compensate for the disa verbs in bold type in the letter to
the European
missing the game - our team’s first match in talk about what happened. You could
of our money and an
championships - but we expect a full refund begin:
to tolerate any further
apology at the very least. We are not prepared ‘We had a terrible time when we flew
excuses from Fantours. to England! We'd only just left the
I look forward to hearing from you soon. airport when the bus broke down and
we had to get off ...’
Yours faithfully
Jean Dupont

B Read pages B10 – 11 of your Advanced Learner’s Dictionary and notice how the
dictionary gives you information about where to put the object in a sentence using them their officers
a phrasal verb. Then read the article below and look up the phrasal verbs in it in the crime suspects
dictionary. Notice where the object goes – does it go after the particle or before it? it a new idea

Then look at the objects in the box on the right and decide where to put them in
the text. Make sure that you get the word order right.

Many people have _______ (taken
up)_____________ as a hobby, but
for some police officers, in-line
skating has become an essential
professional skill. In an attempt to
_______ (cut down on)________
and improve public safety, the
London police force has _________
(come up with) _____________. The
latest piece of equipment that
will be issued to officers is:
Rollerblades™. Police officers
will be ________ (putting
on)________ so as to be able to
________ (catch up with)________
more easily on the crowded paths
of the capital's parks. Police forces
in France, Holland and America
have already __________ (kitted
out) __________ with skates and
the idea has been a great success.

6
wkshts 4 sally 1/10/02 8:57 am Page 5

Oxford Advanced Learner’s Dictionary Worksheets

4 Pronunciation
.............................................................................................................
The dictionary gives a lot of help with pronunciation. If you learn how to use the phonetic
alphabet, you will be able to find out how to pronounce any word that you come across, even
if it is something that you have not heard before. Note that the phonetic symbols and the
sounds they represent are shown along the bottom of the pages of the dictionary. There is also
a complete list, together with some more detailed notes, at the back of the dictionary.

A Specialist terms are often difficult to

pronounce. Check the following words
and make sure you know how to say The
them. Then match them up with the title Phonetics Tree
of the specialist book where you might GARDEN
of
English
s
find them.
FLOWERS
bothy fricative
ceilidh gymkhana Legal
chassis
chrysanthemum
habeas corpus
hypotenuse 10ur0ite Matte
rs
Yoyuour
conifer isosceles Favo
Recipes and y
deciduous
dialysis
jodhpurs
kedgeree
Pon

◆
diphthong laryngitis
eyrie marchioness THE
CAR OWNER
fascia rhythm
GEOME
TRY Musical MANUAL
’S
The
fauna
flautist
thyme
viscount
for
SCHOO
LS Notes Aristocrac
of Britain
y
fuchsia writ

The
The family GUIDE to
B Find the odd one out! medical WILD
Not all words that have similar spellings SCOTL AND ANIM
handbook ALS
are pronounced the same. Put a circle AND
round the word in each of the groups BIRD
S
below which does not rhyme with the
other two. Use the dictionary to help you.

daughter laughter slaughter conceit deceit albeit food brood flood

freight weight height whey key prey tough through rough

C Which go together?
In the shaded area there are gall adjourn born curl
nine groups of three words that
rhyme in British English, even bawl leer purr fear brought fawn
though their spellings are
different. Find the words with flirt pear fraught heir hurt mayor haul
the same sound.
Example: fear, leer, weir myrrh yearn weir quart stir mourn

pearl pert whirl fern

5
wkshts 4 sally 1/10/02 8:57 am Page 4

Oxford Advanced Learner’s Dictionary Worksheets

3 Help with grammar and usage

.............................................................................................................
The dictionary gives help with many aspects of grammar and usage and if you make good use of
all the information in it, you should easily be able to improve your written work. The exercises
below will remind you of some of the types of information available.

A Forms of verbs and nouns

1 What is the past tense of rely, lean, slit? 3 What is the comparative form of common,
2 What is the plural of crisis, veto, criterion? easy, stupid?

B Using verbs
Read pages B6-9 to remind yourself about the verb patterns which are used in the dictionary
to show how verbs are used in sentences.
Look at the following sentences and decide, with the help of the dictionary entries for the
relevant verbs, whether they are correct or not.
1 He smiled his approval. ––––
2 Now I can confirm you that the room will be available. ––––
3 We regret informing you that the book is out of stock. ––––
4 He considers himself for an expert on the subject. ––––
5 The students were allowed two hours to complete the test. ––––

C Using words together

Read page B3 to remind yourself about collocation (the way in which particular words are
used together), and how it is shown in the dictionary. Then match a word or expression in the
right-hand circle with one in the circle on the left.

bundle of cake
vitally flowers fog
bunch of
dense thick hair serious
rain
heavy moist naked papers feet
deadly body important
bare

D Prepositions
In the dictionary you can find the correct preposition to use with nouns, verbs or adjectives.
Try and sort the scraps of writing below into a sensible order, and number them. The correct
prepositions will help you find your way.
in any other career, but I
1 I’d got the job! I was delighted about my chances couldn’t go on being dependent

for various similar positions, and at the news because it was an from college. I had
I was starting to get pessimistic opportunity that I had been waiting submitted more than
a hundred applications

on my parents
for much longer. of ever getting a job offer in my for for almost a year ever
chosen line of work. I was not interested since I had graduated

4
wkshts 4 sally 1/10/02 8:57 am Page 3

Oxford Advanced Learner’s Dictionary Worksheets

2 A dictionary quiz
.............................................................................................................
Try the following quiz. It will introduce you to many of the features of the Oxford Advanced
Learner’s Dictionary. Write your answers in the column on the right.

a
b 1 How many different meanings can you find for the verb favour? 4
––––––––––––

cd
2 You can find information about the preposition used after
fed up in a _ note. ––––––––––––
3 The correct preposition after fed up is _. ––––––––––––
4 The difference between fast, quick and rapid is explained in a

ef
box called _ _. ––––––––––––
5 How many parts of speech can feast be? ––––––––––––
6 On a computer, you _ something from a menu. (For the answer
to this question, look at the topic page on computing.) –––––––––––– ,

g
7 Another expression for the verb fare is ‘_ on’. ––––––––––––
8 What adjective meaning ‘very important’ is often used with the
noun feature? ––––––––––––

hi
9 Feedback is advice, criticism or _. ––––––––––––
10 The first main area of meaning of the adverb fast is _. ––––––––––––
11 In the expression She drives a 4x4, X is pronounced _.

j
(Look at the list of numbers on the page facing the beginning
of letter A.) ––––––––––––

kl
12 If you see somebody with a fanzine are they likely to be eating/
driving/reading it? ––––––––––––
13 A parsnip is a) a root vegetable or b) a citrus fruit (answer a
or b). (Look at the pages of illustrations.) ––––––––––––

m
14 At the bottom of the vocabulary-building box about fat, you

n
find a cross-reference to a _ at thin. –––––––––––– .
15 What symbol represents ‘information’? (Look at the list of
symbols on the page facing the beginning of letter A.) ––––––––––––

o
16 The fifth meaning of the verb feed is to _ _. ––––––––––––
17 Complete the idiom: far _ away.

p
––––––––––––
18 You write your _ in the top right-hand corner of a personal letter.

q r
(Look at the study page B13.) ––––––––––––
19 What does the abbreviation FAQ stand for? _ _ _. –––––––––––– .

Now read your answers quickly out loud for a hidden message from your dictionary!

3
wkshts 4 sally 1/10/02 8:57 am Page 16

Oxford Advanced Learner’s Dictionary Worksheets

Key to exercises
.............................................................................................................
11 Getting to know the dictionary
1 cake
2 tell off
3 Please can you pass
me a pair of scissors?
4 They had scarfed all
the food.
5 c
6 nail scissors or nail
clippers; secateurs
7 two
8 She scolded them for
The Car Owner's Manual: chassis, fascia
The Aristocracy of Britain: marchioness, viscount
arriving so late. The Family Medical Handbook: dialysis, laryngitis
9 No, the word scoot is The Guide to Scotland: bothy, ceilidh
labelled (informal). Wild Animals and Birds: eyrie, fauna
10 At the entry for B laughter; albeit; flood; height; key; through
motorcycle. C gall bawl haul; adjourn yearn fern; born fawn mourn;
11 It publishes a story curl pearl whirl; leer fear weir; purr stir myrrh;
before all the other brought fraught quart; flirt hurt pert; pear heir mayor
newspapers.
12 at 55 Phrasal verbs

22 A dictionary quiz
Note: The message from the dictionary needs to be
A alight/get off; await/wait for; discover/find out;
assume/put on; dismiss/wave aside; refuse/turn down;
read out loud. contemplate/think about; fare/get on; return/give back;
compensate/make up for; tolerate/put up with
The message is: For (4) help with which word to (2)
select, get key information quickly by reading a note. B Many people have taken it up as a hobby, but for some
I give advice/information and address frequently police officers, in-line skating has become an essential
asked questions. professional skill. In an attempt to cut down on crime
and improve public safety, the London police force has
33 Help with grammar and usage come up with a new idea. The latest piece of equipment
that will be issued to officers is: Rollerblades™. Police
A1 relied; leaned/leant; slit
2 crises; vetoes; criteria officers will be putting them on so as to be able to catch
3 commoner/more common; easier; up with suspects more easily on the crowded paths of
stupider/more stupid the capital's parks. Police forces in France, Holland and
B1 Correct America have already kitted their officers out with skates
2 Now I can confirm that the room will and the idea has been a great success.

3
be available.
We regret to inform you that the book
is out of stock.
4 He considers himself (to be) an expert
on the subject.
5 Correct
C bunch of flowers; bundle of papers; dense fog;
vitally important; deadly serious; moist cake; heavy rain;
bare feet; naked body
D I'd got the job! I was delighted at the news because it
was an opportunity that I had been waiting for for almost
a year ever since I had graduated from college. I had
submitted more than a hundred applications for various
similar positions, and I was starting to get pessimistic
about my chances of ever getting a job offer in my
chosen line of work. I was not interested in any other
career, but I couldn't go on being dependent on my
parents for much longer.
44 Pronunciation
Note: The students are not expected to learn the
meaning of these words; the aim is for them to
practise reading the phonetic transcriptions. There is
information about pronunciation and phonetic
symbols at the back of the dictionary.
A BrE to mean murder
Garden Flowers: chrysanthemum, fuchsia
The Phonetics of English: diphthong, fricative
Trees: conifer, deciduous
100 Favourite Recipes: kedgeree, thyme
Legal Matters: habeas corpus, writ
You and your Pony: gymkhana, jodhpurs
Geometry for Schools: hypotenuse, isosceles
Musical Notes: flautist, rhythm
66 Idioms
A 1 shoulder 5 face 9 nose
2 shoulder 6 mouth 10 head
3 skin 7 arm
4 teeth 8 eye
B I had to wing it./You had not prepared well for
something that you had to do. I thought as
much./Something happens that confirms what you
expected. Get a life!/Somebody is being very boring
and doing things that are not interesting. Get off my
case, can't you?/Somebody keeps criticizing you.
C
Good: be the goods; have an open mind; be the bee's
knees; keep your cool
Bad: be out of the loop; be at a loose end; be in over
your head; be slow on the uptake
77 American English
Note: Students need to be aware that differences between
British and American English affect all areas of language
use: grammar and syntax, as well as vocabulary and spelling.
A
visit: used in AmE with the preposition with
draughty: spelt drafty in AmE
slay: used more frequently in newspapers in AmE than in
farm: the r is pronounced in AmE
travelling: spelt traveling in AmE
protest: used without a preposition in AmE, as in They
intend to protest the decision. In BrE this would be They
intend to protest against the decision.
village: not used in AmE to talk about a place in the US. In
AmE village is used to mean a small place in another country
that seems more old-fashioned than a town in the US.

16
wkshts 4 sally 1/10/02 8:57 am Page 17

Oxford Advanced Learner’s Dictionary Worksheets

dive: In AmE the past tense can also be dove.

in the back: usually in back in AmE, as in There's room
10
10 Choosing the right word
A 1 cos; low-down; bloke; fanciable; dead (easy); trendy;
for three in back. eye sb up; fit; seriously (rich); guy; go off sb; snotty;
cigarette: pronounced with the stress on the first toffee-nosed; sniffy; stuck-up; off-putting; fed up; be
syllable in AmE. In AmE cigarettes come in a pack; in BrE rolling in it; you can stuff...; give me...any day.
they come in a packet. 2 Words showing approval: fanciable; trendy; fit; great
pavement: For the part at the side of the road, where guy; better-looking; be rolling in it. Words showing
people walk, AmE uses sidewalk. In AmE pavement is disapproval: snotty; toffee-nosed; sniffy; stuck-up.
used for the surface of the road itself, where cars drive.
constitute: different pronunciation in AmE and BrE B Mr Bingley: good-looking; gentlemanlike; pleasant
hospital: always used with an article in AmE countenance; easy, unaffected manners; sure of being liked
(all positive). Mr Darcy: fine, tall person; handsome
B features; noble mien; fine figure of a man; handsome;
Bill (AmE): 1 (track), 3 (presently), 4 (vacation), 7 (garbage, and clever; well bred (positive); proud; above his company;
use of past tense with yet), 8 (through), 9 (restroom). above being pleased; forbidding, disagreeable countenance;
Phil (BrE): 2 (a bit); 5 (post), 6 (ring), 10 (hospital used haughty; reserved; fastidious; manners... not inviting;
without an article). constantly giving offence (negative)
C literary or formal: countenance; mien
1: Hockey means ice hockey in AmE. old-fashioned: well bred
2: Bathroom is used to mean toilet in AmE. C 1 face and features: freckled; greasy; wrinkled;
3: First floor (AmE) is ground floor (BrE). haggard; sharp; fair; thin; pale
4: In AmE be sick means be unwell. Be sick means vomit figure: stocky; willowy; slightly built; thin; tall
in BrE. hair: cropped; greasy; balding; wavy; fair; thin
5: In BrE biscuits are usually sweet, and would not be clothes: dowdy; trendy; wrinkled; sharp; scruffy; snappy
eaten with gravy. Greasy can refer to a face or to hair.
6: In BrE wash up means only wash the dishes, in AmE it Wrinkled can refer to a face and to clothes.
means wash your face and hands. Sharp features refer to a thin face. A sharp suit is
7: Quiz in BrE means something that you do for fun. fashionable and new but implies criticism.
8: AmE dormitory is hall of residence in BrE. In BrE Fair refers to a face or to hair.
dormitory refers to a room, not a building. Thin refers to a face or figure, or to hair.
9: In BrE a rock is always very large. In this sentence a 2 Possible extra words:
speaker of BrE would say stones. face and features: round; pretty; smiling; chubby
10: In BrE braces are straps for holding up trousers (AmE figure: plump; tubby; stout; slim; slender; skinny; scrawny;
= suspenders). A device to make teeth straight is a brace. hair: dark; straight; curly; wavy; permed; layered
88 Writing clothes: fashionable; neat; clean; creased; tight; loose
A 1 inconceivable
2 undeniable
7 unpronounceable
8 repeated 11
11 Vocabulary building
3 perception 9 uninhabited A
4 reliable 10 producers 1 bread: bagel; baguette sandwich: submarine;
5 truthful 11 fattening double-decker cakes: doughnut; éclair; sponge
6 ability hot desserts: pancakes; Christmas pudding
B includes; classical; complement; looking forward to; cold desserts: trifle; crème brûlée
firstly; chance; events; interval; talking; purpose; are 2 meringue
used to; effect 3 a filling b tiers c sliced
B
99 Reading and vocabulary work
A 1 tripper 5 rabies
1 waffle 2 submarine 3 jam 4 sponge 5 roll 6 cream
C
2 jaunt 6 vaccinate 1 Replace cooked with boiled. 2 Replace roasted with
3 quarantine 7 stump up
baked. 3 Replace simmer with fry. 4 Replace steam
4 comply with 8 guide dog
with deep-fry.
D
B 1 tripper; stump up; guide 5 the g 1 a fry; grill; barbecue b fry; grill; steam c boil; bake;
dog 6 Norwegian deep-fry; roast
2 jaunt 7 proof
2 The topic page on cooking will help with the vocabulary
3 immunize; inoculate 8 meaning 4, be relevant
needed for this question.
4 babies, scabies
3 a cooling tray/rack b oven gloves c spatula d roasting
C 1 turns out 2 if 3 cough up tin/pan
D tripper; head for; cross-Channel; jaunt; tunnel; ferry; 5 lemon squeezer, lemon, squeeze; colander, vegetables,
return; passport; fare; crossing; aboard; visit; tour; train; drain; ladle, soup, serve; rolling pin, pastry, roll out; whisk,
customs; set off cream, beat; peeler, potato, peel; grater, cheese, grate

p10 'Walkies to France for pets with passports' by Peter Shard. Appeared in The Daily Mail 26 February 2000. Reproduced by
permission of Solo Syndication.

17