lesson link TEACHER’S NOTES

Find the noun

Level Intermediate to Advanced
Time 20 minutes +
Aims The aim of this activity is to practise word building and
vocabulary development. It raises awareness of how
dictionaries can be used in this respect. The activity has
been designed for both high and low level students. Simply
choose the worksheet that suits the level of your students
best: ‘Find the noun I’ for Intermediate students and ‘Find
the noun II’ for Advanced students.
Materials A copy of ‘Find the noun’ worksheet for each student;
a dictionary for each pair.

Before you start

Make a copy of a worksheet for each student. Either cut or fold over the bottom part of the
page so the ‘Find the adjective’ worksheet cannot be seen.

Procedure
1 Give out the worksheet and ask students to complete it without a dictionary. They check their
answers in pairs.
2 They then check their answers in a learner’s dictionary such as Oxford Wordpower or Oxford
Advanced Learner’s Dictionary. (For answers see the ‘Find the adjective’ worksheets.)
3 Give each pair of students four or five nouns and adjectives to work on. They write three to
five short texts using the adjectives and nouns above together (for example, mini-dialogues,
sentences, questions and answers, or stories).
Examples
It was a very hot day. The heat made everyone feel tired.
Which is the most comfortable room? I don’t know. Comfort isn’t important to me.
4 When the students have finished, form new groups so that they can look at examples of all
the sentences. Encourage discussion of the different examples.

Variation
For more student interaction, you can give half the class the ‘Find the adjective’ worksheet
and then at the correction stage put pairs with this worksheet together with pairs who have
‘Find the noun’ worksheets.

Adapted from Dictionaries by Jon Wright, (1998) Oxford University Press

PHOTOCOPIABLE © Oxford University Press 2009

 lesson link WORKSHEET

Find the noun I

What are the noun forms for these adjectives?
Adjective Noun Adjective Noun
1 wide 10 political
2 lazy 11 daily
3 helpful 12 warm
4 sad 13 generous
5 gentle 14 long
6 difficult 15 happy
7 easy 16 comfortable
8 national 17 practical
9 expensive 18 soft

"

Find the adjective I

What are the adjective forms of these nouns?
1 width 10 politics
2 laziness 11 day
3 help 12 warmth
4 sadness 13 generosity
5 gentleness 14 length
6 difficulty 15 happiness
7 ease 16 comfort
8 nation, 17 practice or
national or practicality
nationality 18 softness
9 expense

PHOTOCOPIABLE © Oxford University Press 2009

 lesson link WORKSHEET

Find the noun II

What are the noun forms for these adjectives?
Adjective Noun Adjective Noun
1 famous 9 proficient
2 luxurious 10 patient
3 spacious 11 obedient
4 ferocious 12 lenient
5 abusive 13 wise
6 persuasive 14 rare
7 compulsive 15 stupid
8 matrimonial 16 majestic

"

Find the adjective II

What are the adjective forms of these nouns?
Adjective Noun Adjective Noun
1 fame 9 proficiency
2 luxury 10 patience
3 spaciousness 11 obedience
4 ferocity 12 leniency
5 abuse 13 wisdom
6 persuasiveness 14 rarity
7 compulsion 15 stupidity
8 matrimony 16 majesty

PHOTOCOPIABLE © Oxford University Press 2009