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Commonly Confused Words Part
Three:
Homophones |
From VOA Learning English, this is Everyday Grammar.
This week, we are looking at more commonly confused
words in the English language. Today’s subject is
homophones.
Homophones are two or more words that sound alike, but
have different meanings or spellings.
It is easy to understand the difference between some
homophones. For example, English learners usually
understand the difference between the word ate -- the
past tense of eat -- and eight -- the number.
But other homophones are difficult, even for native
English speakers.
Bear and Bare
One set of commonly confused homophones are the words
bear and bare.
Let’s start with bear [b-e-a-r.] Of course, as a noun, a
bear is a large, heavy animal with thick hair and sharp
claws.
But the word bear [b-e-a-r] can also be a verb. It can
mean “to accept or get through something,” usually
something difficult.
The verb bear is often used with the modal verb can and
a negation. Using this structure, “cannot bear”
sometimes means “strongly dislike.” If you travel to a
very cold place in the middle of winter, you might say,
“I cannot bear the cold weather.”
Bear can also mean “to assume or accept something, such
as a cost or responsibility.” For example, “The man must
bear full responsibility for his actions.”
Bear can also sometimes mean “to carry.” For example,
Americans often talk about the “right to bear arms,” or
the right of citizens to possess a gun.
Sometimes, people make jokes about this expression. They
replace the meaning of bear in this example with its
meaning as a noun. The phrase then means that people
have a right to possess a bear’s arm.
The past tense of bear [b-e-a-r] is bore [b-o-r-e]. For
example, you might hear a sentence like, “The company
bore all of the expenses.” In the present tense, bore is
a verb in its own right. But it has no relation to the
past tense of bear.
Now let’s turn to the word bare [b-a-r-e]. Bare is
mostly used as an adjective. It means “not having a
covering” or “not covered by clothing, shoes or
something else.”
If you just moved to a new home, the walls could still
be bare. And, if you take your shoes and socks off
before entering a room, you will have bare feet.
As a verb, bare [b-a-r-e] is similar to its adjectival
meaning. To bare means “to remove the covering from
something.” It can also mean “to show or expose.” For
example, an angry animal might bare its teeth. The past
tense of bare [b-a-r-e] is bared [b-a-r-e-d].
Sight, Site and Cite
Next, we turn to three more homophones: sight, site and
cite. All three words sound exactly the same.
Sight [s-i-g-h-t] means one of your five senses. As a
noun, it is “the ability to see.” Sight can also mean
“someone or something that is seen.” For example, “The
sunset last night was a beautiful sight.”
Another meaning of sight is “a famous or interesting
place in an area.” If you take a trip to the United
States, a tour guide might show you all the sights in
New York City or Washington, DC.
But some of those famous sights are also sites [s-i-t-e-s].
The word site means “a place where something important
has happened.” It can also be “a place where something
is, was, or will be located.” So, if you like history,
you might want to visit important battle sites near
Washington, DC.
Site has a few other meanings. It is also short for
website.
The third homophone, cite [c-i-t-e], is a verb. It can
mean “to write or say the words” of a person, book or
another source. It can also mean “to mention something,”
usually to support an idea or opinion. When you write
research papers in school, for example, you cite other
sources to support your argument.
So, if you ever have a disagreement with a friend about
the English language, you can always cite (with a "c")
Everyday Grammar by visiting our site (with an "s").
I'm Ashley Thompson.
And I'm Jonathan Evans.
Join us next week as we discuss more commonly confused
homophones!
Ashley Thompson wrote this article for VOA Learning
English. Dr. Jill Robbins and George Grow were the
editors. |
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