Longman General Dictionary Worksheets

www.longman-elt.com/dictionaries

Skill Set: Letter writing and job applications

Level: Intermediate
Recommended Dictionary: Longman Active Study Dictionary

Exercise 1: Find a word fast!

1 Work with a partner. See who can write these words in alphabetical order first.
salary bonus pay expenses wages
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.
reference raise resumé rewarding recruit
1…………. 2…………. 3……………. 4…………… 5……………..
2 Use your dictionary to find out which of these words cannot be used as a noun. Which word means ‘CV’ in
British English?

Exercise 3: Words and examples

1 Write the words below in alphabetical order.
qualified experience skills degree training
1…………. 2…………. 3……………. 4…………… 5……………..
2 Now find the words in your dictionary and copy the first example sentence for each word. See who can do it
fastest − you or your partner!

Exercise 4: Unknown words

1 Look at this job advertisement then decide if the statements below are true (T) or false (F).

We are looking for someone with an

interest in the media to work in our sales
department. The ideal candidate will have
a good command of at least 2 foreign
languages and be familiar with the
Internet. We can offer you a good salary
and a job with prospects. Previous
experience is not essential.

a The candidate will need to know a little bit about at least two foreign languages.
b It is necessary to know about the Internet for this job.
c It is possible to have a good future with this job.

2 Look at the dictionary entries below and decide if your answers are correct.

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 Longman General Dictionary Worksheets
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familiar adj 1 easy to recognise
because you have seen or heard
them before: a familiar face 
look/sound familiar The voice on
the phone sounded very familiar. 2
be familiar with sth to know
something well: Are you familiar with
this type of computer? 3 being too
friendly or informal towards
someone: I didn’t like the familiar
way he was talking to me.
familiarly adv
command n 1 [C] an order that
must be obeyed: Don’t shoot until
your officer gives the command. 2
[U] control of a group of people or a
situation: in command Who is in
command here? 3 [C] an instruction
to a computer to do something 4
[singular] a thorough knowledge of
something, especially a language:
have (a) command of have a good
command of English
prospect 1 n 1 [C,U] the chance
that something you hope for will
happen soon: + of There’s little
prospect of ending the war.  + for
an economy with good prospects for
growth 2 [singular] something you
think will happen in the future and
your idea of what it will be like: + of
The prospect of making a speech at
the wedding fills me with dread. 3
(sb’s) prospects someone’s chances
of being successful in the future,
especially in their job: His job
prospects are not very good.

Exercise 5: Spelling
1 Below are some words which people often misspell in English. Write the full word in each example. Use the
context to help you decide what the word is. Use your dictionary to check the correct spelling.
a Could you send me an ap________n form for this job as I am very interested in it.
b I am an ar_________t, designing new apartment buildings.
c I have just qualified as a l_______r, and would like to specialize in criminal law.
d In my present job I am res_________e for dealing with customers.
e I have worked at a number of companies in my ca________r.
f I have several pro__________l qualifications, including a diploma.

Exercise 6: Which word is right?

1 Read this job application letter. Which underlined preposition is correct? Check your answers with the
dictionary definitions from the Longman Active Study Dictionary.

Dear Ms Downing

I am writing to apply for/to the job of sales assistant advertised in last week’s Messenger. I think
I would be suitable to/for this post for a number of reasons. Firstly, my present job involves
helping customers, so I am good in/at dealing with people. Although I do not have much
experience of sales work, I learn quickly. I also have a good knowledge in/of the range of
products that you sell. I would be available to attend an interview at any time.

I look forward to hearing from you soon.

Yours sincerely,
J. Jones
apply v 1 [I] to officially
ask to be considered for a
job, place at a college etc,
especially by writing a
letter: + for Kevin’s applied
for a management job in
Atlanta: 2 [I,T] to affect or
be suitable for a particular
person, group or situation:
+ to The 20% discount only
applies to club members. 3
… be other facts that you do
suitable adj right or
acceptable for a particular
purpose or situation: + for
The film isn’t suitable for
young children. suitably
adv suitability n [U]
good1 adj better, best 1
of a high standard: Peter’s
exam results were good,
but Sue’s were even better.
2 useful or suitable for a
particular purpose: It’s a
good day for going to the
beach. 3 clever or skilful: a
good swimmer  + at
Andrea is very good at
languages. 4 …
knowledge n [U] 1
information that someone
knows about something: His
knowledge of American
history is impressive.  our
knowledge about the
functioning of the brain. 2
to (the best of) my
knowledge spoken used to
say what you know about
something when there may
not know: …

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 Longman General Dictionary Worksheets
www.longman-elt.com/dictionaries

Answer key
This worksheet is aimed at helping students to develop their general dictionary skills with the help of the
Longman Active Study Dictionary and focuses on language that learners need for the process of applying for
jobs.

Exercise 1: Find a word fast!

1 1 bonus 2 expenses 3 pay 4 salary 5 wages
2 All the words are things that you receive in your job.

Exercise 2: Find more words

It may be a good idea to point out to students that they need to look at the second or third letter of each word to
decide the alphabetical order, as all the words given begin with the same letter.
1 1 raise 2 recruit 3 reference 4 resume 5 rewarding
2 All the words are nouns, except rewarding, which is only an adjective. Resume means ‘CV’ in English.

Exercise 3: Words and examples

1 degree 2 experience 3 qualified 4 skills 5 training
2 All the example sentences given first in each entry for these words relate to the context of jobs.

Exercise 4: Unknown words

1 a F (they will need to know at least two languages very well)
bT
cT

Exercise 5: Spelling
1 a application
b architect
c lawyer
d responsible
e career
f professional

Exercise 6: Which word is right?

1 apply for
suitable for
good at
knowledge of

Longman Active Study Dictionary – because you’re serious about learning English