Ace English with Valerie Ng

Homophone: /ˈhɒməʊfəʊn/

Definition: Homonphones are words that sound the same but which have different spellings. For example, "fair" and "fare"

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  • "The hotdog vendor fares well at fairs."
    • "To fare" means to do well or badly.

      "A fair": Is a lively place where people go to play games and enjoy rides; Means "beautiful". This term applies exclusively to ladies; Fair can also mean "just" in a philosophical sense.


  • "Bears are always bare. They don't wear clothes like you or I do."

      Bears are commonly found in Canada. To be "bare", means to not be covered with any clothing whatsoever. "Bare" can also mean "empty" e.g. The cupboard was bare after it was raided by some very hungry teenagers.


  • "Some people pare a pear to eat it. Others eat pears with the skin on."
    • "To pare" means to remove a layer or many layers of something. For example, he pared down the wood to shape it into a beautiful rose. The word "peel" can be used in a similar way. However, "peel" usually refers to removing only the skin or outside layer of something.

      A pear is a delicious fruit.


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    • "In the film "Jaws", the main players baited the shark with bated breath."
      • "To bait" means the same as to "lure". For example, a fisherman uses a worm to bait a fish. "To bate one's breath" is to hold one's breath, usually, when anticipating something.


    • "Having won the lottery, he walked though the gate with a joyful gait."
      • A "gait" is a style of walking e.g. he walked with an uneven gait, or he walked with a happy gait.

        A "gate" is a door like structure, at the boundary of a property to impede entry to outsiders. You can have garden gates or factory gates.


    • "The dress maker wears her wares."
      • "Wares" are items for sale e.g. the wares of a baker can be breads and pies. "To wear" can mean to put an item of clothing on the body. To wear can also mean to deteriorate with use for example, high usage wears down the car tires.


    • "Good night to you, good knight."
      • knight

        A "knight" is a hero of olden days, usually, depicted in armour, with a lance and on a horse. "Night" is the time between sunset and sunrise and is characterised by darkness.


    • "Yesterday, I caught sight of a new construction site."
      • "Sight" is the product of seeing. "To catch sight of" is a common expression. It means to see something, usually unexpectedly.

        A "site" means a place or location e.g. the detective arrived at the site of the crime.


    • "A lion's main feature is its glorious mane."
      • Animals such as horses and lions have "manes" which is hair that grows longer than the other hair on its body. Yes, we humans can be said to have manes, too!

        When one thing makes up the greater part of something, it's called the "main" component. For example, the main ingredient of ice-cream is cream. Or, the film "The Mommy" takes place, mainly, in Egypt"



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