I've come to the realization that it's going to take a lot more effort (and luck) to think up some homographs than it is for homophones. For example, when somebody says the word bear, you might easily think of the word bare too. They sound the same, and the similarity is easier to identify. But, if somebody says, "I lead a team of experts," it's harder to connect the word "lead" to the word "lead" (a form of metal).
So, when I started reading my first James Patterson novel this week, I was delighted when I came across a homograph! And I thought I'd share it with you:
wound - (pronounced woond) an injury, usually involving division of tissue or rupture of the integument or mucous membrane, due to external violence or some mechanical agency rather than disease.
wound - a simple past tense and past participle of wind. I wound that ball of string.
Which brings me to another homograph...
wind - (pronounced wahynd) to change direction; bend; turn; take a frequently bending course; meander: The river winds through the forest. Or to coil or twine about something: The ivy winds around the house.
wind - air in natural motion, as that moving horizontally at any velocity along the earth's surface: A gentle wind blew through the valley. High winds were forecast.
So this week, you get a twofer of homographs!
All definitions were obtained from www.dictionary.com.
Friday, May 25, 2012
Saturday, May 19, 2012
Food-related Homonyms
So for Mother's Day, my husband decided to get me a spice rack. I was really excited when he told me his idea, but then he couple that with, "and I know how picky you are so I want you to actually go and buy it, but I still get credit for having the idea!" I was a bit thrown off, but I figure what they hay, I'm getting a spice rack! (And in his defense, he did come with me and spend at least an hour at two different stores until I found the one I wanted.)
In case you're interested, you can see the one I got at JCPenny's website.
I picked one out that already had jars pre-filled with spices. And one of them was thyme. I think you can probably see where I'm going with this. Seeing thyme got me started thinking about other food-related homonyms for the week. Here's what I came up with:
thyme - any of numerous plants belonging to the genus Thymus, of the mint family, including the common garden herb T. vulgaris, a low subshrub having narrow, aromatic leaves used for seasoning.
time - the system of those sequential relations that any event has to any other, as past, present, or future; indefinite and continuous duration regarded as that in which events succeed one another.
pear - the edible fruit, typically rounded but elongated and growing smaller toward the stem, of a tree, Pyrus communis, of the rose family.
pair - two identical, similar, or corresponding things that are matched for use together: a pair of gloves; a pair of earrings.
pare - to reduce or remove by or as by cutting; diminish or decrease gradually (often followed by down): to pare down one's expenses.
(Other forms of pair and pare are also homonyms, including: paired and pared, plus pairing and paring.)
sweets - something that is sweet or causes or gives a sweet flavor, smell, or sound: candy.
suites - a connected series of rooms to be used together: a hotel suite.
wine - the fermented juice of grapes, made in many varieties, such as red, white, sweet, dry, still, and sparkling, for use as a beverage, in cooking, in religious rites, etc., and usually having an alcoholic content of 14 percent or less.
whine - to utter a low, usually nasal, complaining cry or sound, as from uneasiness, discontent, peevishness, etc.: The puppies were whining from hunger.
Speaking of wine, what good is wine without a little cheese right?
whey - a milk serum, separating as liquid from the curd after coagulation, as in cheese making.
weigh - to determine or ascertain the force that gravitation exerts upon (a person or thing) by use of a balance, scale, or other mechanical device: to weigh oneself; to weigh potatoes; to weigh gases.
way - a direction or vicinity: Look this way. We're having a drought out our way.
grate - to reduce to small particles by rubbing against a rough surface or a surface with many sharp-edged openings: to grate cheese.
great - wonderful; first-rate; very good: All this food tastes great!
Definitions were obtained from www.dictionary.com.
In case you're interested, you can see the one I got at JCPenny's website.
I picked one out that already had jars pre-filled with spices. And one of them was thyme. I think you can probably see where I'm going with this. Seeing thyme got me started thinking about other food-related homonyms for the week. Here's what I came up with:
thyme - any of numerous plants belonging to the genus Thymus, of the mint family, including the common garden herb T. vulgaris, a low subshrub having narrow, aromatic leaves used for seasoning.
time - the system of those sequential relations that any event has to any other, as past, present, or future; indefinite and continuous duration regarded as that in which events succeed one another.
pear - the edible fruit, typically rounded but elongated and growing smaller toward the stem, of a tree, Pyrus communis, of the rose family.
pair - two identical, similar, or corresponding things that are matched for use together: a pair of gloves; a pair of earrings.
pare - to reduce or remove by or as by cutting; diminish or decrease gradually (often followed by down): to pare down one's expenses.
(Other forms of pair and pare are also homonyms, including: paired and pared, plus pairing and paring.)
sweets - something that is sweet or causes or gives a sweet flavor, smell, or sound: candy.
suites - a connected series of rooms to be used together: a hotel suite.
wine - the fermented juice of grapes, made in many varieties, such as red, white, sweet, dry, still, and sparkling, for use as a beverage, in cooking, in religious rites, etc., and usually having an alcoholic content of 14 percent or less.
whine - to utter a low, usually nasal, complaining cry or sound, as from uneasiness, discontent, peevishness, etc.: The puppies were whining from hunger.
Speaking of wine, what good is wine without a little cheese right?
whey - a milk serum, separating as liquid from the curd after coagulation, as in cheese making.
weigh - to determine or ascertain the force that gravitation exerts upon (a person or thing) by use of a balance, scale, or other mechanical device: to weigh oneself; to weigh potatoes; to weigh gases.
way - a direction or vicinity: Look this way. We're having a drought out our way.
grate - to reduce to small particles by rubbing against a rough surface or a surface with many sharp-edged openings: to grate cheese.
great - wonderful; first-rate; very good: All this food tastes great!
Definitions were obtained from www.dictionary.com.
Saturday, May 12, 2012
Horse-related Homonyms
As most of you probably know, the Kentucky Derby was last week. I was cheering for Dullahan, the horse from Iowa. He ended up getting third place, and it was a really good race. All this race-talk and horse-talk last week got me thinking about homonyms related to horses. Here's what I was able to think up:
horse - a large, solid-hoofed, herbivorous quadruped, Equus caballus, domesticated since prehistoric times, bred in a number of varieties, and used for carrying or pulling loads, for riding, and for racing.
hoarse - having a vocal tone characterized by weakness of intensity and excessive breathiness; husky: the hoarse voice of the auctioneer.
course - the track, ground, water, etc., on which a race is run, sailed, etc.: One runner fell halfway around the course.
coarse - lacking in fineness or delicacy of texture, structure, etc.: The stiff, coarse fabric irritated her skin.
gait - any of the manner in which a horse moves, as a walk, trot, canter, gallop, or rack.
gate - a movable barrier, usually on hinges, closing an opening in a fence, wall, or other enclosure.
neigh - to utter the cry of a horse; whinny.
nay - archaic. no (used in dissent, denial, or refusal).
mane - the long hair growing on the back of or around the neck and neighboring parts of some animals, as the horse or lion.
main - chief in size, extent, or importance; principal; leading: the company's main office; the main features of a plan.
tail - the hindmost part of an animal, especially that forming a distinct, flexible appendage to the trunk.
tale - a narrative that relates the details of some real or imaginary event, incident, or case; story: a tale about Lincoln's dog.
rein - often, reins. a leather strip, fastened to each end of the bit of a bridle, by which the rider or driver controls a horse or other animal by pulling so as to exert pressure on the bit.
rain - water that is condensed from the aqueous vapor in the atmosphere and falls to earth in drops more that 1/50 in. (0.5 mm) in diameter.
reign - the period during which a sovereign occupies the throne.
hay - grass, clover, alfalfa, etc., cut and dried for use as forage.
hey - hello: used as a greeting.
carrot - a plant, Daucus carota, of the parsley family, having pinnately decompound leaves and umbels of small white or or yellow flowers, in its wild form a widespread, familiar weed, and in cultivation valued for its edible root.
karat - a unit for measure the fineness of gold, pure gold being 24 karats fine.
All definitions are obtained from www.dictionary.com.
horse - a large, solid-hoofed, herbivorous quadruped, Equus caballus, domesticated since prehistoric times, bred in a number of varieties, and used for carrying or pulling loads, for riding, and for racing.
hoarse - having a vocal tone characterized by weakness of intensity and excessive breathiness; husky: the hoarse voice of the auctioneer.
course - the track, ground, water, etc., on which a race is run, sailed, etc.: One runner fell halfway around the course.
coarse - lacking in fineness or delicacy of texture, structure, etc.: The stiff, coarse fabric irritated her skin.
gait - any of the manner in which a horse moves, as a walk, trot, canter, gallop, or rack.
gate - a movable barrier, usually on hinges, closing an opening in a fence, wall, or other enclosure.
neigh - to utter the cry of a horse; whinny.
nay - archaic. no (used in dissent, denial, or refusal).
mane - the long hair growing on the back of or around the neck and neighboring parts of some animals, as the horse or lion.
main - chief in size, extent, or importance; principal; leading: the company's main office; the main features of a plan.
tail - the hindmost part of an animal, especially that forming a distinct, flexible appendage to the trunk.
tale - a narrative that relates the details of some real or imaginary event, incident, or case; story: a tale about Lincoln's dog.
rein - often, reins. a leather strip, fastened to each end of the bit of a bridle, by which the rider or driver controls a horse or other animal by pulling so as to exert pressure on the bit.
rain - water that is condensed from the aqueous vapor in the atmosphere and falls to earth in drops more that 1/50 in. (0.5 mm) in diameter.
reign - the period during which a sovereign occupies the throne.
hay - grass, clover, alfalfa, etc., cut and dried for use as forage.
hey - hello: used as a greeting.
carrot - a plant, Daucus carota, of the parsley family, having pinnately decompound leaves and umbels of small white or or yellow flowers, in its wild form a widespread, familiar weed, and in cultivation valued for its edible root.
karat - a unit for measure the fineness of gold, pure gold being 24 karats fine.
All definitions are obtained from www.dictionary.com.
Sunday, May 6, 2012
Welcome!
Welcome to my blog about homonyms!
Why homonyms? About a year ago, I graduated from Kaplan University. There were a couple of classes in my degree program that were a requirement. I wasn't excited about them, I thought that they were a waste of time, and I suffered through the semester. I'm sure many of you have taken classes that made you feel the same way. In this case, my class was Writing.
One of the assignments in this class involved sharing a pair of homonyms with the class. I thought this was a waste of time and instead of trying to think of a pair of homonyms on my own, I looked online to fulfill this assignment. I had some trouble finding them, but eventually succeeded. I thought "thank goodness, one more assignment closer to end of this course!"
But, ever since that assignment pairs of homonyms have been creeping into my head. I can't explain it, but every once in awhile when I think of a word that's similar to another, I remember that class. Maybe it made more of an impression on me than I thought. So to answer the question, I'm starting a blog about homonyms for two reasons:
Homophone - a word pronounced the same as another but differing in meaning, whether spelled the same way or not, as heir and air
Homograph - a word of the same written form as another but of different meaning and usually origin, whether pronounced the same way or not, as bear "to carry;support" and bear "animal" or lead "to conduct" and lead "metal"
Homonym - all-inclusive term that describes not only words that are both homophonic and homographic, but words that are either one or the other. In common parlance, then words that sound alike, look alike, or both can be called homonyms.
Right - in conformity with fact, reason, truth, or some standard or principle; correct: the right solution; the right answer.
Right - a just claim or title, whether legal, prescriptive, or moral: You have a right to say what you please.
Rite - a formal or ceremonial act or procedure prescribed or customary in religious or other solemn use: rites of baptism; sacrificial rites.
Right and right are both homophones and homographs, while right and rite are homophones only.
Why homonyms? About a year ago, I graduated from Kaplan University. There were a couple of classes in my degree program that were a requirement. I wasn't excited about them, I thought that they were a waste of time, and I suffered through the semester. I'm sure many of you have taken classes that made you feel the same way. In this case, my class was Writing.
One of the assignments in this class involved sharing a pair of homonyms with the class. I thought this was a waste of time and instead of trying to think of a pair of homonyms on my own, I looked online to fulfill this assignment. I had some trouble finding them, but eventually succeeded. I thought "thank goodness, one more assignment closer to end of this course!"
But, ever since that assignment pairs of homonyms have been creeping into my head. I can't explain it, but every once in awhile when I think of a word that's similar to another, I remember that class. Maybe it made more of an impression on me than I thought. So to answer the question, I'm starting a blog about homonyms for two reasons:
- because they keep popping into my head, and
- to provide a list for other college students suffering through required Writing courses (and anybody else curious about homonyms, of course)!
That brings me to my next question some of you may be asking: What is a homonym? My instructor interpreted a homonym to mean words that sound the same but are spelled differently. I have since found out that this is not entirely true. Aside from homonyms, there are also homophones and homographs. Here are some definitions:
Homograph - a word of the same written form as another but of different meaning and usually origin, whether pronounced the same way or not, as bear "to carry;support" and bear "animal" or lead "to conduct" and lead "metal"
Homonym - all-inclusive term that describes not only words that are both homophonic and homographic, but words that are either one or the other. In common parlance, then words that sound alike, look alike, or both can be called homonyms.
On this blog, I'll be focusing mostly on homophones (since that was the original assignment from my instructor). But, as I run out of ideas, I may include some homographs and some pairs that are both homophones and homographs.
First pair of homophones! So without any further ado, let's get this party started right.
Right - a just claim or title, whether legal, prescriptive, or moral: You have a right to say what you please.
Rite - a formal or ceremonial act or procedure prescribed or customary in religious or other solemn use: rites of baptism; sacrificial rites.
Right and right are both homophones and homographs, while right and rite are homophones only.
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