Longman General Dictionary Worksheets

www.longman-elt.com/dictionaries

Skill Set: English for Academic Purposes

Level: Post Intermediate
Recommended Dictionary: Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English

Exercise 1: Find a word fast!

1 Work with a partner. See who can write these words in alphabetical order first.
thesis research dissertation assignment project

1…………. 2…………. 3……………. 4…………… 5…………….

2 Now use your dictionary to find out what these words have in common.

Exercise 2: Find more words

1 Write the words below in alphabetical order.
seminar tutorial semester vacation lecture trimester
1…………. 2…………. 3……………. 4…………… 5…………….. 6……………..
2 Now look the words up in your dictionary and decide how you can divide them into 2 groups
according to meaning - try to do it before your partner!

Exercise 3: Finding out more about words

1 Write the words below in alphabetical order. They are all used in American English.
sorority campus lab fraternity dorm
1…………. 2………… 3……………. 4…………… 5………….
2 Tell your partner which of these words you think refer to:
a places at a university b groups of people at a university.
3 lab and dorm also have a longer form. Find out what they are. What is the difference between
the longer and shorter form?
4 Now find out which syllable is stressed in the words ending in -ity, and mark it on the words in
the box.
Look up the words in your dictionary to check.
Exercise 4: Unknown words
1 Look at the text below and choose the correct alternative in each of these statements.
a Amphibians are animals with a backbone/that live on land and in water.
b Amphibians go back to the water to have babies/find food.
c Amphibians are a slightly/very different version of an earlier type of animal.

Try to work out/guess the meanings of the words in dark print, using the context to help you.
Amphibians
The amphibians were the first backboned animals to succeed in living on land, but they still
needed to return to the water to breed, like most of today’s amphibians. They evolved from a

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 Longman General Dictionary Worksheets
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group of air-breathing fish whose fins became transformed into legs capable of supporting their
bodies.
Look at the dictionary entries below and decide if your answers are correct.

evolve v [I,T] to develop or make transform v [T] to completely

amphibian n [C] an animal that
can live on both land and water
breed v past tense and past
participle bred 1 [I] if animals
breed they have babies: Eagles
breed during the cooler months of
the year
something develop by gradually
changing: [+ from/out of etc]
Darwin believed that we evolved from
apes. evolve sth evolving a new
management style
fin n [C] 1 one of the thin body parts
that a fish uses to swim
change the appearance, form, or
character of someone or something,
especially in a way that improves it:
transform sth into In the last 20
years Korea has been transformed into
an advanced industrial power.
transform sb/sth Put yourself in the
hands of the experts, who will
transform your hair and makeup.

Exercise 5: Spelling
1 Each sentence below contains one spelling mistake. Use your Longman dictionary to help you
decide which underlined word in each sentence is correct and which is mis-spelt.
a There are many arguements in favour of halving prison sentences for such
crimes.
b The acheivements of that generation have never been fully acknowledged.
c Governments all over the world have to do something about the developement of
this problem.
d Psycologicaly, many people find it difficult to conquer their fears.

Use the dictionary entries below to check your corrections:

Exercise 6: Which word is right?

1 Below is part of a student’s examination essay. Re-write each of the underlined phrases so that
it is correct.
Most of people get married later these days in my country. One advantage on getting married
older is that you have experience on your side. As a result you have a greater possibility that
the marriage will work.
2 Use the dictionary entries below to check your corrections.

most quantifier [superlative of
many, much] 1 almost all of a
particular group of people or
things most things/food etc
These days most crime is against
property, not people. Like most
people, I try to take a vacation
every year. most of It was
afternoon and most of the shops
were shut. Tim spent most of his
salary on alcohol and cigarettes.
most Of all the money donated,
most is spent on food and
clothing for the refugees.
advantage n 1 THAT HELPS YOU [C,U]
something that helps you to be better or
more successful than others: [+of] the
advantages of a university education have
an advantage (over) For certain types of
work wood has an advantage over plastic.
give sb an advantage New tax regulations
had given them an advantage over their
commercial rivals. big/great/definite
advantage Her previous experience gives
her a big advantage over the other
applicants. unfair advantage Government
subsidies give these industries an unfair
advantage. to be to your advantage
(=give you an advantage) be at an
advantage (=have an advantage)
Candidates with computer skills will be at an
advantage. gain/seek advantage (=get or
try to get something that will help you
against your opponents) seeking political
advantage by exploiting this sensitive issue
possibility n 1 [C, U]
something that may happen or
may be true: [+of] the
possibility of an enemy attack a
distinct/real possibility
(=something that is quite likely
to happen) A peace settlement
now looks like a real possibility
there’s a possibility (that)
(= used to say that you think
something might happen or be
TRUE): There’s always a
possibility that he might go
back to Seattle.

Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English – with 64 pages of new words

Longman General Dictionary Worksheets
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Teacher’s Notes/Key
This worksheet is aimed at helping students to develop their general dictionary skills
with the help of the Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English, and focuses on
language relevant to learners interested in attending university in an English-speaking
country, as well as practising skills required for examinations such as TOEFL. You can
check American English in the Longman Dictionary of American English.

Exercise 1
1 assignment 2 dissertation 3 project 4 research 5 thesis
They are all types of work done by students.

Exercise 2
1 lecture 2 semester 3 seminar 4 trimester 5 tutorial 6 vacation
1, 3, and 5 are all types of lesson at a university. 2, 4, and 6 are all parts of the
academic year.

Exercise 3
These words are used mainly in American English.
1 campus 2 dorm 3 fraternity 4 lab 5 sorority
2 a 1,2, and 4 are places at a university. 3 and 5 are groups of people
b lab = laboratory dorm = dormitory
3 The shorter forms are informal, and therefore more likely to be used by fellow
students.
4 Students do this by looking at the phonetics at the beginning of each entry.
fraternity, sorority ; general rule - in words ending in -ity, the syllable before last is
always stressed.
Option: You could ask students to find out about the pronunciation of
dormitory/laboratory by looking at the phonetics (i.e. cut vowel in ‘ory’). Students
can hear the pronunciation on the CD-Rom for Longman Dictionary of Contemporary
English or the Longman Dictionary of American English.

Exercise 4
a that live on land and in water
b have babies (breed)
c very different (transformed)

Exercise 5
Exercises. 5 & 6 give students practice in an activity similar to the question-type in
the structure section of the TOEFL which involves looking at a number of underlined
phrases and deciding which one is not correct.
a arguments
b achievements
c development
d psychologically

Exercise 6
Encourage students to look at example sentences and bold phrases in each entry.

• most people…
• one advantage of getting married older is that…
• there is a greater possibility that …

Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English – with 64 pages of new words