English plus Intermediate Dictionary Activities. 1 • Collocations and example
sentences. Fill each gap with a verb to make a common collocation. Look up the
...
2 • Grammar patterns The dictionary shows information about grammar patterns that tell you how to combine a word correctly with other words, and the grammatical form that these words should have. Information about grammar patterns appears in bold at the entry for a word, usually just before example sentences. Look up the word in bold and use the information to choose the correct form(s) of the verb. 1 I tried to start a conversation, but he refused ________ to me. a talking b to talk c talking/to talk 2 We have decided ________ to Scotland for our holiday. a visiting b to visit c visiting/to visit 3 My dad likes __________ swimming. a going b to go c going/to go 4 They discussed ________ to the city to find work. a moving b to move c moving/to move 5 There's nothing wrong with you! You're just pretending __________ ill. a being b to be c being/to be 6 I started __________ English four years ago. a learning b to learn c learning/to learn
3 • Usage notes The Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary contains several types of note that explain in detail how words are used, and how they are related to other words. These appear as blue boxes in the dictionary, near to the entry for the main word that is being explained. A full list of usage notes can be found in the reference section at the back of the dictionary. Look up the words in bold and match each question with the type of note where you can find the answer. British/American Collocations Grammar Point Language Bank Synonyms Which Word? 1 How do I use the verbs say and tell correctly? 2 What is the difference between a disease and an illness? 3 What different ways are there of giving your opinion? 4 What word combinations are used when talking about cooking? 5 What is the difference between a holiday and a vacation? 6 What differences are there between can, could and be able to?
4 • Register and geography labels When a word is particularly formal or informal, this information is shown in brackets just before the definition. Here you can also find out if the word is particularly used in certain parts of the English-speaking world, such as Britain, North America or Australia. Look up the word in bold in the sentence and match it with the correct label. (formal) (informal) (rather formal) (BrE) (especially NAmE) (BrE, AustralE, informal) 1 I've got nowhere to sleep. Can I crash on your sofa? 2 She didn't participate in the discussion. 3 This must be my favourite movie of all time. 4 Her hair was cut in a fringe across her forehead. 5 At the age of twenty he inherited his family's fabulous riches. 6 Throw some more burgers on the barbie!
5 • Pronunciation It can be difficult to know how to pronounce some words correctly in English. The same combinations of letters can often have several different pronunciations. In the Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary the correct pronunciation of the word is shown at the beginning of the entry. The words in this activity all contain the letters ch, but the letters are pronounced in three different ways: with the sound /k/ (like car), the sound /tʃ/ (like choose), or the sound /ʃ/ (like shop). Put the words into the correct column according to how the letters ch are pronounced. achievement arch architect chaffinch champagne chiropodist headache machine moustache /k/
