TEACHER’S NOTES

Dictionary skills: Part 1

Level 2
Author: Tim Bowen
dictionary SKILLS teacher’s notes

Level: Intermediate to upper-intermediate

Age: Teenagers / adults
Time needed: 45–60 minutes (approx)
Subject: Dictionary skills / vocabulary
development
Summary: These worksheets are designed for
use with the Macmillan English Dictionary for
Advanced Learners to give learners practice in
using the dictionary to check meaning and for
vocabulary development.

Exercise 4: Adjectives and definitions

Exercise 1: Expressions with prepositions
4. Ask learners to work in pairs or small groups to
1. This could be done as a pair or small group exercise. discuss the possible answers. Listen to their suggested
Listen answers but do not correct any mistakes. Then ask
to their suggested answers but do not correct
any mistakes. Allow them to check their answers in them to check in the dictionary.
the dictionary. They may need some brief guidance as
to where to look for the answers. These are shown in
bold type as part of the entry for the key word in each
Exercise 5: British and American English
case (e.g. result, due, view, reference and so on). Note
that the key word may precede the preposition (e.g. 5. Check briefly that your learners know the
result) or follow it (e.g. view). Note also that in six they abbreviations used in the dictionary to denote whether
will need to look up point of view not view. a lexical item is typically British English (Br E) or
American English (Am E).

Exercise 2: Word building

Exercise 6: Phrasal verbs
2. When learners have finished this exercise, you
could highlight some of the main patterns used in noun 6. Ask learners to work in pairs or small groups to
formation exemplified here, eg –ity, -ness, and ask discuss the possible answers. Listen to their suggested
them for more examples of each. answers but do not correct any mistakes. Then ask
them to check in the dictionary. Check that they know
that phrasal verbs are listed immediately after the main
Exercise 3: Compounds entry for the verb in question.

3. The answers to these will not be found under the

entries for the nouns themselves but in the associated
compound words found immediately after each entry.
For example, the entry for business gives definitions for
different uses of the word as well as idioms containing
the word business. Compounds beginning with
business can be found after the entry for business, e.g.
business card, business class, business park and
so on.
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Skills / Dictionary skills / Part 1: Level 2

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 WORKSHEET

Dictionary skills: Part 1

Level 2

1
dictionary
subject title

Expressions with prepositions

Fill the gaps in these examples from the dictionary using prepositions. Then check your answers
in the dictionary.

1. Colby died as a result _______ a heart attack.

2. He almost died due _______ lack of oxygen.

3. _______ view of the shortage of time, each person may only speak for five minutes.

4. He politely made no reference _______ my untidy appearance.

5. Police want to talk to him in connection _______ his wife’s disappearance.

6. Looking at it _______ a scientific point of view, the discovery is extremely important.

7. The techniques used differ _______ company to company.

8. The town of Gouda is famous _______ its cheese.

SKILLS worksheet

2 Word building: Noun forms

What are the noun forms of these adjectives? Check your answers in the dictionary.

adjective noun
e.g. simple simplicity
1. electric
2. stupid
3. thick
4. weak
5. real
6. clean
7. tense
8. unpleasant
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Skills / Dictionary skills / Part 1: Level 2

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Dictionary skills: Part 1

Level 2

3 Compounds
dictionary SKILLS worksheet

Which nouns go with these other nouns to match the definitions? Check your answers in the dictionary.

Example: booking ____________ – a place where you can buy travel tickets (booking office)

1. business ____________ – a document giving details of a company’s plans for the future
2. market ____________ – the process of collecting information about what products people like to buy
3. profit ____________ – the difference between how much money you get when you sell some
thing and how much it costs you to buy or make it
4. stock ____________ – a place where people buy and sell shares in companies
5. check-in ____________ – a place where you go to give in your bags and have your ticket
checked at an airport
6. work ____________ – an official document that gives you permission to work in a particular
foreign country
7. smoke ____________ – a piece of equipment that makes a loud noise when there is smoke in a room
8. taxi ____________ – a place where taxis wait for customers

4 Adjectives and definitions

In each of these examples, one definition is correct and one is incorrect. Which do you think are the
correct definitions? Check your answers in the dictionary.

1. nimble a) able to move quickly and easily

b) easily shocked by something unpleasant
2. sluggish a) not performing or reacting as well as usual
b) covered with a thick wet unpleasant substance
3. grumpy a) dirty and sometimes untidy or smelling bad
b) unhappy and dissatisfied, often for no obvious reason
4. shabby a) old and in bad condition
b) long, thick and untidy
5. gloomy a) thick, wet and sticky
b) feeling sad and without hope
6. skinny a) very thin, in a way that is not attractive
b) tall, long and thin in an attractive way
7. tricky a) difficult to do
b) not very interesting or serious
8. weird a) with a disgusting taste
b) strange and unusual
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Skills / Dictionary skills / Part 1: Level 2

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Dictionary skills: Part 1

Level 2

5 British and American English

dictionary SKILLS worksheet

Use the dictionary to find the British or American equivalents of the words in the table and
fill the gaps.

British American
1. mobile phone
2. garbage can
3. tap
4. windshield
5. lift
6. eggplant
7. cashpoint
8. candy

6 Phrasal Verbs

Read the definitions and complete the phrasal verbs by writing one of the particles given below in the
gaps. Then check your answers in the dictionary.

up over in down after off

1. take _______ – look or behave like an older relative

2. take _______ – take control of something

3. take _______ – write down information or a statement

4. take _______ – start doing something regularly as a habit, job or interest

5. take _______ – to remove something, especially a piece of clothing

6. take _______ – to understand and remember something that you hear or read
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Skills / Dictionary skills / Part 1: Level 2

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Dictionary skills: Part 1

Level 2

KEY
subject
dictionary

1 Expressions with prepositions 4 Adjectives and definitions

1. of 1. a
2. to 2. a
3. in 3. b
4. to 4. a
5. with 5. b
6. from 6. a
7. from 7. a
8. for 8. b

2 Word building: Noun forms 5 British and American English

title

1. electricity 1. cellphone
2. stupidity 2. dustbin
3. thickness 3. faucet
SKILLS worksheet

4. weakness 4. windscreen
5. reality 5. elevator
6. cleanliness 6. aubergine
7. tension 7. ATM
8. unpleasantness 8. sweets (confectionery – formal)

6 Phrasal verbs
3 Collocations
1. after
1. plan 2. over
2. research 3. down
3. margin 4. up
4. exchange 5. off
5. desk 6. in
6. permit
7. alarm
8. rank
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Skills / Dictionary skills / Part 1: Level 2

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