Don’t worry! This is the last in the series. No more homonyms or homophones to know…. For a while at least!
It’s OK to ask for clarification too, as you will probably know people spell their names differently, which can often lead to confusion. Normally, people with an unusual name spelling are more than happy to tell you how to spell it. They are likely to also give you the background to it which will remind you that their name is individual.
ail - to suffer poor health
ale - a beverage
chews - gnaws with teeth
choose - to select
chord - musical tone
cord - rope
crews - gangs
cruise - ride on a boat
days - plural of day
daze – stun
eye - sight organ
I - first-person personal pronoun
faze - impact
phase – stage
groan - moan
grown - form of grow
hair - head covering
hare - rabbit-like animal
knew - did know
new - not old
lead - metal
led - was the leader
morning – before noon
mourning - remember the dead
one - single
won - did win
principal - most important
principle - belief
rain – water from sky
rein - bridle
steal - swipe
steel - alloy
tail - animal’s appendage
tale – story
vary - differ
very - wail - howl
wail - howl
whale - huge sea mammal
Beware of accents too as these may make the word sound different. Practicing your pronunciation will help distinguish some, but others really will rely on the rest of the sentence – if spoken only – for clarity.
The English often use these types of words in jokes and humour. It can be called word play or a play on words. It is very subtle and can take a while to appreciate the joke. The more famous and professional comedians work this way, weaving stories throughout their act to confuse the audience, and then the punchline will often refer to the original subject.
They say once you can tell a joke – or argue in another language, that you have nailed it!
Listening to songs will also help as the use of words becomes automatic, then you can write down what you think the lyrics are, and check them on the internet. Or maybe try karaoke? The words are shown to you while you are performing, and you can practice your favourites songs and be learning English at the same time!
See part three of series here and learn English homonyms