Trapped by the Sounds!!!!

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What are HOMOPHONES??

Homophones are words that sound exactly the same (when pronounced), but have a different meanings. 

It is very important that we have some prior knowledge of these words, so that we can differentiate between those similar sounding words, thus avoid getting trapped by those confusing 
words.

Here are five of the common homophones with their meanings and example :

1)  Allowed & Aloud

      Aloud : With relatively high volume.
     Allowed : Give consent to or to give permission.

Example :    In some pubs in England you are not allowed to smoke.                        In some pubs in England you are not aloud to smoke.  2)  Bread & Bred       Bread : A Food made from dough of flour or meal.      Bred   : Cause to procreate (animals)  Example :    I ate a slice of bread with my soup.                      The racehorse was well bred.  3)  Heard & Herd                 Heard :  Detected or perceived by the sense of hearing       Herd  :  A group of cattle, sheep or other domestic mammals all of the same kind that are herded by humans  Example : I heard the sound of the baby crying.                        A herd of cattle was roaming on the street. 4) Beach & Beech       Beach : An area of sand sloping down to the water of a sea or lake       Beech : Wood of any of various beech trees   Example :    The beech is my favourite tree.                         I love building sandcastles on the beach.. 5) Vale & Veil        Vale : A long depression in the surface of the land that usually contains a river       Veil  : A garment that covers the head and face                  Example :   The bride wore a beautiful veil.                       We walked through the hills and vales. If you have any queries related to HOMOPHONES, then you may comment below

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Right choice , Wrong choice

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For each of the sentences given below, two or more choices are given, out of which only one choice is correct. 

Choose the  best option for each of the given sentences. [Also given after the sentences are the explanations for each correct choice]

do attempt the statements atleast once before seeing the solution..

1)     A/an

          

  a) Somya's got (a/an) MA. in history.

  b) She's got (a/an) Master's degree. 

-  Somya's got an MA. in history (Not *a MA. in history*)

-  She's got a Master's degree. (Not *an Master's degree*)

 Note : (a + consonant sound ; an + vowel sound )

2)    A/an  v/s  one

      a) I need (a/an/one) screwdriver to do this job properly.

  b) It was (a/an/one) coffee I ordered, not two. 

- I need a screwdriver to do this job properly.(Not *one screwdriver*)

- It was one coffee I ordered, not two. (Not *a coffee*)

Note : A/an = 'any one', it doesn't matter which ; one, two etc. , when we are     counting)

3)    A/an  v/s  some

- Please bring me a glass/an envelope. (Not *some glass/envelope).

- I want some glasses/some envelopes.

- I want some water. (Not *a water*)

- I'd like a coffee please.

Note :- ‘Some’ = an unspecified number or amount is the plural of a/an where the reference is to quantity.

We normally use a/an only with countable nouns.

We also use a/an for all drinks seen as a complete measure: a coffee, a beer.

 But use some for fluids of which there is more in the tap, bottle, etc: some water, some wine.

4) About / on / over

    a) Have you read this article (about / on / over) the Antarctic?

    b) There's an article (about / on / over) tourism in today's paper

- Have you read this article on the Antarctic?

- There's an article about tourism in today's paper (preferable to on)

  Note : on is used  for serious and specific information ; about for general interest.

- Let's agree to differ. Let's not have an argument over/about it. (Not *on*)

Note : over after argument , concern, dispute.  

I you have any queries related to any Right-Wrong word choice, then you may comment below....

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Re-Phrase your words with “Phrasal Verbs”

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What are PHRASAL VERBS ?

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Phrasal verbs are usually two or three word phrases having format either (verb + adverb) or (verb + preposition).  Like many other verbs, phrasal verbs often have more than one meaning.

We can think of them as any English vocabulary. If we think of each phrasal verb as a separate verb with a specific meaning, we will be able to remember it more easily. Usage of phrasal verbs is a more adorable way of expressing feelings.

In 2-3 words (length of a phrasal verb), we can express our feelings  lucidly.

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Here are some of the most frequently used phrasal verbs with their meanings and usage :

Verb	Meaning	Example
ask someone out	invite on a date	Brian asked Judy out to dinner and a movie.
ask around	ask many people the same question	I asked around but nobody saw my    wallet.
back someone up	Provide support to someone	My wife backed me up over my decision to quit my job.
blow up	Explode	The racing car blew up after it crashed into the fence.
break down	stop functioning (vehicle, machine)	My car broke down at the side of the highway.
break down	get upset	The woman broke down when the police told her that her son had died.
break in	force entry to a building	Somebody broke into our home last night and stole all our belongings.
break into something	enter forcibly	The firemen had to break into the room to rescue the child.
break in	interrupt	The TV station broke in to report the news of the president's death.
break up	end a relationship	My girlfriend and I broke up just a few days back.
break up	start laughing (informal)	The kids just broke up as soon as the clown started talking.
break out	escape	The prisoners broke out of jail when the guards weren't looking.

If you have any doubts related to phrasal verbs, then you may comment below.

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A twist in the 'TAIL'of Words.....

Learning words by their ‘SUFFIX’ :

What is Suffix ?

Suffixes  are words that are added at the tail(end) of words to get a new word, and adds more meaning to the word after which the suffix is added. It just makes use of the word, and mak the judgement of the meaning of the words easier. Hence, if we have some idea about commonly used suffixes, then we may be easily able to predict the correct meaning of words.

Here are some of the suffixes that can help understanding the meaning of the words simpler.

1)  SHIP is usually added at tail of word when it comes to describing the ‘position held’.

             Friend-ship : The state of being friends (or friendly).

             Fellow-ship : An association of people who share common beliefs or activities.

             Intern-ship  : holding the position of an intern.

2)  Sion/Tion : is usually added at tail of word when it comes to ‘State of being’.

             Narration : The act of describing incidents or a course of events.

             Station : Proper or designated social situation.

                     Example – The responsibilities of a man in his station needs to be handled carefully.     

             Tension : implies a state of mental or emotional strain or suspense

13) CIDE is a suffix when added to word then it becomes something related to ‘Killing’.

Regi-CIDE is killing of king.

Matri-CIDE as defined by words itself, killing of mother.

Uxori-CIDE is a term used to describe killing of a wife by her husband.

 4)    CRACY is usually added at tail of word when it comes to ‘Ruling’.

Aristo-CRACY term is used for a privileged class holding hereditary titles.

Pluto-CRACY is a political system governed by the wealthy people.

Demo-CRACY is nothing but for the people, by the people and of the people.

Mobo-CRACY or ochlo-CRACY comes in picture when a mob is the source of control.

35)ISM is usually added at tail of word when it comes to ‘doctrines or beliefs’.

Dogmat-ismThe practice of asserting one’s opinion arrogantly though the opinion might not hold good
Example: The trade union leader was disliked by many workers because of his dogmatic approach.

Agnostic-ism - A person who does not know whether god exists or not.
Example :  Rahul is neither a theist ( believer in god) nor an atheist ( non-believer in god.) She is an agnostic.

Stoic-ism - A person who is indifferent to both pleasures and pain.

Example  : His stoic attitude helped him remain calm, when he was going through a rough patch.

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If you have any queries related to suffix, then you may comment below.

             

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Re-Discover your "PHOBIA"

What is Phobia ?

PHOBIA is a Greek word meaning ‘fear’. Fear of  something or some situation is known as PHOBIA. All of us have a fear of something or the other and it varies from person to person. We might be aware of that thing from which we fear, but we hardly know what those fears are actually called. Most people have fear of “Ghosts”, but hardly anyone knows that it is called ‘Phasmophobia’. Some have phobia of exams (almost all the students have this) , some have fear of animals and so on. So, if we are aware of our Phobias, we should know what they are actually called. Rather than telling it as “I have phobia of ghosts”, start saying “I have “phasmophobia”. Sounds cool. Doesn’t it?

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 Let’s re-discover some of our phobias.

Here are a few phobias. See how many of these phobias you have.

   Fear of                                                  Phobia

1)    Snakes                                                 Ophidiophobia

2)    Blood                                                  Hematophobia

3)    Death                                                 Thanatophobia

4)    Darkness / Night                                   Nyctophobia

5)    Pain                                                      Agophobia

6)    Depth                                                   Bathophobia

7)    People                                                  Demophobia

8)    Disease                                                Pathophobia

9)    Lightning                                             Astrophobia

10)  Sex                                                      Genophobia

IIf you have any other Phobia other than these and you want to know its actual name, then please comment below and ask.

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See words with a “NEW EYE”

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Anagrams :

Any word or phrase, when its letters are re-arranged in any order can generate a new word. This is called an Anagram. 

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You might have never thought of this before, or maybe you might have. It is basically a fun game, and also is a great learning experience. It’s a funny and interesting way to build up an effective vocabulary because you start making your own words by taking some or all the letters of the given word exactly once, twisting and turning the words from every angle and thus learning becomes great fun. Many a times, you might come up with very humorous and interesting Anagrams yourself. So, enhance your learning and try this out.

For some words, more than one Anagram can be possible.

Here are a few words. Create an Anagram for the following words :-

          Word                      Anagram

1)                Frito Lay             -          Oily Fart 

2)                No admittance     -      Contaminated 

3)                Astronomers       -       No more stars 

4)                Schoolmaster      -       The classroom

5)                Mother-in-law      -        Woman Hitler

6)                Debit card           -            Bad credit 

7)                Unbred                     -          Burden , Burned.

8)                Rentals                    -                  Antlers

9)               Treason                         -                    Senator

10)          Vegetarian          -         ate in grave 

11)          Graduation         -          out in a drag 

12)          Present                    -         Repents, serpent  

13)          Article                      -                Recital

14)          Postman                -              Tampons

15)          Praised                  -          Despair , diapers

16)          Ipod lover         -           Poor devil

17)          Fitness                   -                Infests

18)          Cocaine                 -               Oceanic

19)          Uppers                   -                Supper

20)          Devote                        -                    Vetoed

21)          The Titanic disaster  - Death, it starts in ice 

22)           Baseball           -              Babes All

23)          Weathers                    -                  Wreathes

24)          Sunlight                       -                  Hustling

25)          Stealing                       -                  Genital

If you have any queries related to Anagrams, you may comment below.

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