Professional Documents
Culture Documents
...........................................................................................................................
scin•til•lat•ing /"sIntIleItIN/ adj. very clever, amusing scold /sk@Uld; AmE skoUld/ verb ~ sb (for sth / for doing
and interesting: a scintillating performance / conversation sth) (formal) to speak angrily to sb, especially a child,
Statistics on unemployment levels hardly make for scintil- because they have done sth wrong g TELL OFF: [VN] He
lating reading. scolded them for arriving late. [also V speech, V] scold-
scion /"saI@n/ noun 1 (formal or literary) a young member ing noun [usually sing.]: I got a scolding from my
of a family, especially a famous or important one mother.
2 (technical) a piece of a plant, especially one cut to make scone /skQn; sk@Un; AmE skA;n; skoUn/ noun (BrE) a
a new plant 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
sth with a scoop or sth like a scoop: She scooped ice cream
wire
wirecutter
cutter secateurs
secateurs into their bowls. He quickly scooped the money up from the
desk. First, scoop a hole in the soil. Scoop out the melon
pliers
pliers 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,
scis•sors /"sIz@z; AmE "sIz@rz/ noun [pl.] a tool for cut- television companies, etc: The paper had inside informa-
ting paper or fabric, that has two sharp blades with tion and scooped all its rivals. 4 (informal) to win sth, espe-
handles, joined together in the middle: a pair of scissors— cially a large sum of money or a prize: He scooped £10 000
see also NAIL SCISSORS scis•sor adj. [only before noun]: on the lottery.
The legs move in a scissor action. scoot /sku;t/ verb [V, usually +adv. / prep.] (informal) to
scler•osis /skl@"r@UsIs; AmE -"roU-/ noun [U] (medical) a go or leave somewhere in a hurry: I'd better scoot or I'll
condition in which soft tissue in the body becomes hard, in be late. They scooted off to Dublin for the weekend.
a way that is not normal—see also MULTIPLE SCLEROSIS scoot•er /"sku;t@(r)/ noun 1 (BrE) (also "motor scooter
scler•otic /skl@"rQtIk; AmE -"rA;t-/ adj. AmE, BrE) a light motorcycle, usually with small wheels
scoff /skQf; AmE skO;f; skA;f/ verb 1 ~ (at sb/sth) to talk and a curved metal cover at the front to protect the
about sb/sth in a way that makes it clear that you think rider's legs—picture at MOTORCYCLE 2 a child's vehicle with
they are stupid or ridiculous: [V] He scoffed at our amateur- two small wheels attached to a narrow board with
ish attempts. Don't scoff—she's absolutely right. an upright handle. The rider holds the handle, puts one
[also V speech] 2 [VN] (BrE) (AmE scarf) (informal) to eat foot on the board and pushes against the ground with the
a lot of sth quickly: Who scoffed all the grapes? other.
2
wkshts 4 sally 1/10/02 8:57 am Page 14
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:
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.
14
wkshts 4 sally 1/10/02 8:57 am Page 15
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
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:
12
wkshts 4 sally 1/10/02 8:57 am Page 13
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.)
features/ clothes
face
figure
hair
13
wkshts 4 sally 1/10/02 8:57 am Page 10
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
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
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.
‘Canta Caledonia’ includes/ it will give us the possibility/ one thing – their love of music.
consists of just two professional chance/ occasion to prove that we Of course, we all want to win, but
musicians. ‘The rest of the choir are among the best choirs in that’s not the main purpose/cause
are just amateurs, with no formal Britain, and secondly because at of the competition. I think we
training in classic/classical music, incidents/events/occurrences have a good chance. We used
but their different interests and like this you meet so many other to/are used to singing in public,
skills complement/compliment people who share your interests. but it will be interesting to see
each other,’ says conductor Chris In the break/recession/interval what affect/effect the TV cameras
Paul.‘We’ve been looking forward you find yourself speaking/ have on everyone’s nerves!’
to/waiting for this competition talking to people from all over
for months, firstly/at first because the country, who are united in
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
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.
8
wkshts 4 sally 1/10/02 8:57 am Page 7
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.
be at a loose end
7
wkshts 4 sally 1/10/02 8:57 am Page 6
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.
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 London police force has _________ ________ (catch up with)________
up)_____________ as a hobby, but (come up with) _____________. The more easily on the crowded paths
for some police officers, in-line latest piece of equipment that of the capital's parks. Police forces
skating has become an essential will be issued to officers is: in France, Holland and America
professional skill. In an attempt to Rollerblades™. Police officers have already __________ (kitted
_______ (cut down on)________ will be ________ (putting out) __________ with skates and
and improve public safety, the on)________ so as to be able to the idea has been a great success.
6
wkshts 4 sally 1/10/02 8:57 am Page 5
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.
◆
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.
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
5
wkshts 4 sally 1/10/02 8:57 am Page 4
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. ––––
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
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
Key to exercises
.............................................................................................................
11 Getting to know the dictionary
1 cake 8 She scolded them for
The Car Owner's Manual: chassis, fascia
The Aristocracy of Britain: marchioness, viscount
2 tell off arriving so late. The Family Medical Handbook: dialysis, laryngitis
3 Please can you pass 9 No, the word scoot is The Guide to Scotland: bothy, ceilidh
me a pair of scissors? labelled (informal). Wild Animals and Birds: eyrie, fauna
4 They had scarfed all 10 At the entry for B laughter; albeit; flood; height; key; through
the food. motorcycle. C gall bawl haul; adjourn yearn fern; born fawn mourn;
5 c 11 It publishes a story curl pearl whirl; leer fear weir; purr stir myrrh;
6 nail scissors or nail before all the other brought fraught quart; flirt hurt pert; pear heir mayor
clippers; secateurs newspapers.
7 two 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 66 Idioms
A 1 shoulder 5 face 9 nose
is out of stock.
2 shoulder 6 mouth 10 head
4 He considers himself (to be) an expert
3 skin 7 arm
on the subject.
4 teeth 8 eye
5 Correct
B I had to wing it./You had not prepared well for
C bunch of flowers; bundle of papers; dense fog;
something that you had to do. I thought as
vitally important; deadly serious; moist cake; heavy rain;
much./Something happens that confirms what you
bare feet; naked body expected. Get a life!/Somebody is being very boring
D I'd got the job! I was delighted at the news because it and doing things that are not interesting. Get off my
was an opportunity that I had been waiting for for almost case, can't you?/Somebody keeps criticizing you.
a year ever since I had graduated from college. I had
submitted more than a hundred applications for various C
Good: be the goods; have an open mind; be the bee's
similar positions, and I was starting to get pessimistic
knees; keep your cool
about my chances of ever getting a job offer in my
Bad: be out of the loop; be at a loose end; be in over
chosen line of work. I was not interested in any other
your head; be slow on the uptake
career, but I couldn't go on being dependent on my
parents for much longer. 77 American English
Note: Students need to be aware that differences between
44 Pronunciation
Note: The students are not expected to learn the
British and American English affect all areas of language
use: grammar and syntax, as well as vocabulary and spelling.
meaning of these words; the aim is for them to
practise reading the phonetic transcriptions. There is A
information about pronunciation and phonetic visit: used in AmE with the preposition with
symbols at the back of the dictionary. draughty: spelt drafty in AmE
slay: used more frequently in newspapers in AmE than in
A BrE to mean murder
Garden Flowers: chrysanthemum, fuchsia farm: the r is pronounced in AmE
The Phonetics of English: diphthong, fricative travelling: spelt traveling in AmE
Trees: conifer, deciduous protest: used without a preposition in AmE, as in They
100 Favourite Recipes: kedgeree, thyme intend to protest the decision. In BrE this would be They
Legal Matters: habeas corpus, writ intend to protest against the decision.
You and your Pony: gymkhana, jodhpurs village: not used in AmE to talk about a place in the US. In
Geometry for Schools: hypotenuse, isosceles AmE village is used to mean a small place in another country
Musical Notes: flautist, rhythm that seems more old-fashioned than a town in the US.
16
wkshts 4 sally 1/10/02 8:57 am Page 17
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