Hello, fellow writers, it's your homegirl a-dora-ble dropping by to talk about homophones.
Before I go into depth as to why we should be careful about these, I'll start by defining the word homophone. According to Oxford's Advanced Learner Dictionary, the definition in English is: "Each of two or more words having the same pronunciation but different meanings, origins, or spelling (e.g. new and knew)".
Now the reason why I thought it was important to include homophones in the advice book is because homophones can be tricky, and can easily be confusing for both native and non-native English speakers. Below, I'll list the top ten of the most commonly confused homophones, especially the ones which I see a lot on Wattpad:
1. affect/effect
Affect: Used to indicate influence.
e.g. His insults didn't affect me.
Effect: Used as a noun.
e.g. The new foot-cream has a lot of negative side-effects.
(Note: effect can also be used sometimes as a verb— e.g. The robber effected his escape through the trap-door. This, however, is very rare, so don't worry about using this.)
2. than/then
Than: Used for comparisons.
e.g. Martha's dress is prettier than Samantha's.
Then: Used to indicate a passage of time.
e.g. First you pour the milk into the bowl, then you mix it with the eggs.
3. buy/by
Buy: To purchase something.
e.g. I am going to buy a new rug for the bathroom.
By: Used as a preposition to indicate location.
e.g. Put the flowers by the window so they don't wilt.
4. accept/except
Accept: To receive something.
e.g. I will accept the package, only if it is mailed to me.
Except: Used as a preposition to mean exclude.
e.g I have eaten all of the cookies except for the ones with raisins.
5. there/their/they're
There: Most commonly used as a pronoun or adverb.
e.g. There will be a lot of zombies in the haunted house. (pronoun)
e.g. Please put the ball over there. (adverb)
Their: Is a pronoun (indicates possession).
e.g. This is their house.
They're: A contraction for 'they are'.
e.g. They're (They are) the worst baseball players in the world.
6. to/too/two
To: Used as a preposition or an infinitive when it precedes the verb.
e.g. I'm going to the mall tomorrow.
e.g. I want to finish writing book no matter what.
Too: an adverb that means 'excessively', or a synonym to 'also'.
e.g. I ate too much, and now my tummy hurts.
e.g. I want to play with the dolls too!
Two: A number.
e.g. I've bought two dogs.
7. you're/your
You're: A contraction for 'You are'
e.g. You're my best friend.
Your: Is a pronoun (indicates possession).
e.g. Your brother is very mean.
8. complement/ compliment
Complement: Used as a reference to something that enhances or completes.
e.g. The black jeans complement the pink shirt.
Compliment: Praise.
e.g. I compliment my friend's fashion style all the time.
9. it's/its
It's: A contraction for 'It is'.
e.g. It's your turn to feed the cat.
Its: A possessive form of it.
The cat is licking its paws.
10. principle/principal
Principle: Used as a noun meaning a basic truth or law.
e.g. I've learned a lot of important life principles just by listening to my grandfather's stories.
Principal: The head of a school/organisation.
e.g. Our school principal has won many teaching awards.
Of course, there are many, MANY more, but these are just the basic ones which leave a lot of us scratching our heads.
All credit goes to: http://www.scholastic.com/parents/blogs/scholastic-parents-raise-reader/top-20-most-commonly-confused-homophones
What are the homophones YOU get confused with? Comment them below, along with their meanings and examples, so they can be added to the list!
YOU ARE READING
Epic Advice and Encouragement (EAE)
RandomSo, this is going to be our advice and encouragement book. Here, we will offer advice on issues that are brought to our attention and we will all attempt to explain it in a way that will be able to help. There will be things that we will disagree on...
