Sunday, July 11, 2021

HOmophones ( Words Often Confused)

 

Homophones

 

In competitive exams, homophones may be given in vocabulary. A knowledge of them improves your comprehension. First understand its meaning and usage. 


homophone

/ˈhɒməfəʊn,ˈhəʊməfəʊn/

noun

plural nounhomophones

each of two or more words having the same pronunciation but different meanings, origins, or spelling, for example new and knew.

 

1. Aunt (noun) or Aren’t (contraction) –

·         Aunt is the sister of one’s father or mother or the wife of one’s uncle.
Example – My aunt won the gold medal in chess competition.

·         Aren’t is the short form of ‘are not’.
Example – We aren’t going to play cricket this Sunday.

2. Ate (verb) or Eight(noun) –

·         Ate is the past form of ‘eat’.
Example – I ate a large size burger.

·         Eight is a number which comes after seven and before nine.

3. Air (noun) or Heir (noun) –

·         Air is the invisible gaseous substance surrounding the earth, a mixture mainly of oxygen and nitrogen. It is also used to express (an opinion or grievance) publicly.
Example – The Game of Thrones (GOT) show was first aired in 2011.

·         A person entitled to the property or rank of another after death. It is also called as Successor or inheritor.
Example – In GOT, who is the real heir to the throne?

4. Board (noun) or Bored (adjective) –

·         A board is a flat piece of wood.
Example – Art teacher is drawing a beautiful portrait on the board.

·         Bored means lacking interest or engagement. If you are bored then it means you are not interested at all.
Example – She got bored during the history lecture.

·          

 Him (pronoun) or Hymn (noun) –

·         Him is usually used as the object of a verb or preposition, to refer to a man, boy, or male animal that has just been mentioned or is just about to be mentioned.
Example – Don’t be judgmental for any person unless and until you know him.

·         The hymn is a religious song or poem to praise a god.
Example – The church congregation stood up to sing a hymn.

5. It’s (contraction) or Its (determiner) –

·         It’s is the short form of it is.
Example – It’s not my fault. It’s yours!

·         Its mean belonging to or relating to something that has already been mentioned.
Example – The Company increased its profits.

6.Sale (noun) or Sail (verb) –

·         A sale is an act of exchanging something for money. Sometimes, it means cheap price.
Example – I bought this jacket in the New Year sale.

·         When a boat or a ship sails, it travels on the water.
Example – This ship sails to India.

7. Stare (verb) or Stair (noun) –

·         Stare means to look for a long time with the eyes wide open, especially when surprised, frightened, or thinking.
Example – Don’t stare at people unnecessarily.

·         The stair is a set of steps leading from one floor of a building to another, typically inside the building.
Example – She walked around the ground level looking for the stairs that led to the second floor.

8.Vein (noun) or Vain (adjective) –

·         A vein is a small tube inside your body that takes the blood back to the heart.
Example – I could feel the blood flowing through my veins.

·         The word vain can describe someone who is very proud of or obsessed with their own appearance. It also means self-obsessed.
Example – I tried in vain to start a conversation.

9. Wait (verb) or Weight (noun) –

·         The wait means to stay in one place or to anticipate something.
Example – I can’t wait to tell Avril what happened.

·         Weight indicates how heavy something is.
Example – My weight reduced when I started to follow the proper diet plan.

10.Wine (noun) or Whine (verb) –

·         Wine is an alcoholic drink made from fermented grape juice.
Example – I love Australian wines, especially the white wines.

·         The whine is a long, high-pitched complaining cry. A whimper, cry. The whine means to complain in an immature, childish way.
Example – The whine of Lisa’s hairdryer wakes me every morning.

 

Choose the best alternative among the choices given. You can find answers in the key provided at the end:

Exercise – I

 

1.I asked the doctor for his -----------.                                                ( )

a.advice      b.advise      c.edvise

2.  Smoking ---------- one’s health.                                           ( )

a.effect        s        b. affects     c. iffects

3.   The town has ------------- a lot in the last five years.          ( )

a.altared                b.altered      c.altred

4.   We play badminton and tennis on ---------- days.              ( )

a.alternate   b.altranate  c.alternative                                               

5.   They fought with ------------ hands.                                    ( )

a.bear                   b. bare                  c. baer

6.   I have three other coats ----------- this.                               ( )

a.besides     b. beside     c.becide

7.   She -------------- everyone with film stories.                        ( )

a.boars        b. bores       c.baors

8.   A glass easily -------------.                                                   ( )               

a.breaks      b.brakes      c.brooks

9.   He is ------------- for the Congress candidate.                     ( )

a.canvassing         b.canvasing c.kanvasing

10.   She ------------ the pistol from him.                                  ( )

a.ceased      b. ceised      c. seized

11.   His ------------- is poor, so he is wearing spectacles.                  ( )

a.site           b. cite                   c.sight

12.   I am taking a ------------- of French lessons.                     ( )

a.course      b.coarse      c.koarse

13.   She went to the ----------- to buy some butter.                           ( )

a.diary                  b.diery        c. dairy

14.   There are many ------------- in the zoo.                                       ( )

a.deer                   b.dear                   c. dare

15.   He ----------- in the accident.                                             ( )

a. dyed        b. died                  c.daed

16.   She is a -------------- girl.                                                   ( )

a.fare          b. fair                   c.fear

17.    The medicine has a ----------- taste.                                 ( )

a. fowl        b. fawl        c. foul

18.   Let us sit -------------.                                                        ( )

a. here                  b. hear                  c. heir

19.   There is a ------------- in my sock.                                               ( )

a. whole      b. howl       c. hole

20.    I like both coffee and tea but prefer the -------------.                  ( )

a. later                  b. latter       c. letter

 

Exercise - II

 

21.   This shirt is too -------------.                                             ( )

a. looze       b. loose       c.lose

22.   India wants to be at ------------- with other countries.                ( )

a. peas                  b. piece       c. peace

23.   You should ---------- speaking English.                                     ( )

a. practice   b. practeese c. practise

24.   Rice is the -------------- food of Andhras                                     ( )

a. principal           b. principle           c. prinsipal

25.   You are---------- right.                                                      ( )

a. quite        b. quiat       c.quiet

26.   ------------- your hands.                                                     ( )

a. raise        b. ries                   c. rise

27. This is the shortest ----------- to the aerodrome.                           ( )

a.route                  b. rite                    c. root

28.   Don’t get off the train till it is ------------.                         ( )

a. stationeri b. stationary         c. stationery

29.   He tried to ------------ the ring.                                          ( )

a. steal        b. steel        c.stale

30.   A ----------- of visitors arrived.                                         ( )

a. trope       b. troupe     c. troop

31.   I have to go to Baroda next ----------.                               ( )

a. weak       b. wake       c. week

32.   I asked ------------ he would come.                                    ( )

a. whither   b. weather   c. whether

33.   He ------------- himself easily to his new job.                    ( )

a. adopted   b. adapted   c. adepted

34.   He has great ----------- for his nephew.                                      ( )

a. affection b. affectation        c. affiction

35.   The ------------ of the mountain would be extremely difficult.( )

a. accent      b. ascent     c. assent

36.   Fresh air is --------------- to your health.                            ( )     

a. beneficent         b.beneficial c. benificent

37.   The mayor ------------ the people for their rude behavior. ( )

a. sensored  b. censored c. censured

38.   Don’t make ------------ remarks.                                       ( )

a. chaildish b. childish   c. childlike 

39.   There was a ------------- between a truck and a lorry.                 ( )

a. collision b. collusion           c. collisan

40.   She was pleased with my -------------- about her dress.    ( )

a. compliment                b. complement      c. complacent      

 

Exercise - III       

 

41.   You must --------------- to the rules or leave the school.   ( )

a. conform  b. confirm   c. confarm

42.   There were ------------ interruptions during the hockey game.( )

a. continues          b. continual          c. continuous

43.   He won’t to listen to our ---------.                                              ( )

a. counsel    b. council    c. counsal

44. I express strong ------------- in this matter.                         ( )

a. discent    b. dissent    c. descent

45.   I wonder what his ------------ will be.                                ( )

a. destiny    b. destination        c. destinashion   

46.   Candidates should pay the fee by ------------.                             ( )

a. draught   b. dwarft     c. draft

47.   My brother and I have ------------ ownership of the rice-mill.( )

a. dual                  b. duel                  c. dueal

48.   The -------------- position of the country is not good.                 ( )

a. economic          b. ecanomical   c. economical

49. It was -------------- of him to visit us.                                  ( )

a. graseful   b. graceful   c. gracious

50. This ointment will ------------- your wounds.                      ( )

a. heel                   b. hael                  c. heal

51.   Abraham Lincoln made a --------------- speech at Gettysburg.( )

a. historical          b. historic   c. hystoric

52.   That is ----------- nature.                                                   ( )

a. human     b. humane   c. humani

53.   In spite of his high status, he is a man of a great -----------.       ( )

a. humiliation         b.humiliti  c. humility

54.   Hyderabad is an ------------ city.                                       ( )

a. industry b. industrial          c. industrious

55.   The people were in ------------- when their leader died.     ( )

a. mourning          b. morning c. moarning

56.   The discovery of radio waves was a ------------- event.     ( )

a. momentary        b. momentaric. momentous

57.   Mumbai is a ------------- city.                                            ( )

a. popular   b. populous          c.popules

58.   A ----------- B in the alphabet.                                          ( )

a. prosedes b. proceeds c. precedes

59.   He was elected ------------- of the Lion’s Club.                           ( )

a. president          b. precident c. precedent

60.   He cheated me under ------------ of friendship.                  ( )

a. pretence b. pretense c. pretension

 

Exercise - IV

 

61. Prices ------------- during war.                                             ( )

a. sore                  b. soar                  c. soer

62.   What do you intend to do in the summer -----------.                  ( )

a. vacashion         b. vocation c. vacation

63.  My mother is really an --------------.                                  ( )

a. angle       b. engle       c. angel

64.  The tourists stayed at an-------------.                                 ( )

a. inn          b.in             c.ini

65.  Gandhi launched the -------------- Dandi March in 1930.   ( )

a.historical  b.historicle  c.historic

66.  Portia requested Shylock to be ----------- .                         ( )

a.human      b.humane    c.humene

67.  A man without ------------- is an animal.                                     ( )

a. morales   b. morals    c. mortals

68.  I saw a flying ------------- in the sky yesterday.                           ( )

a. object      b. abject      c. objekt

69.   He was sweating at every ------------ of the skin.              ( )

a. pore                  b. poar        c. pour

70.   The zebra fell a ----------- to the lion.                                ( )

a. pray                  b. prai                  c.prey

71.   The criminals are kept in a --------------.                                     ( )

a. cell                    b. cel           c. sell

72.   I had ------------- finished my homework before you called. ( )

a. already    b. all redy   c.all ready

73.   I do not -------------- approve of his idea.                         ( )

a. all together                 b. altogether                   c. altogethar

74.   The train is ------------ to arrive at 6:45 pm.                               ( )

a. ekcepted  b. expected c. excepted

75.   The doctor gave an -------------- to snake bite.                            ( )

a. anecdote b. antydote c. antidote

76.   I took the children to the ---------------.                             ( )

a. jew          b. zoo                   c. zuo

77.   I didn’t want to ------------ any longer, so I left the cafe.  ( )

a. weit                  b. weight     c.wait

78.    The ------------ White Shark is a great hunter!                           ( )

a. great        b. grate                 c. graet

79.   He said he ------------ be here at eight o’clock.                           ( )

a. would      b. wud                  c. wood

80.   She closed her eyes tightly in a --------- attempt to hold back the tears.       ( )

a. veine       b. vain                  c. vein

 

Exercise - V

 

81.    The new building has been ------------- much admired.    ( )

a. vari                   b. very                  c. vary

82.   The dress was ------------- tight for me.                                      ( )

a. to            b. too                    c. two

83.   He kicked the earth with the ----------- of his boot.           ( )

a. tow                   b. toe                    c. to

84.   They washed ------------- faces and went to bed.               ( )

a. their        b. there       c.thair

85.   We have a ----------- of eight working on product development.( )

a. team        b. taem                 c. teem

86.   Natalie was prettier ------------- her sister.                        ( )

a. than                  b. then                  c. thain

87.   It’s not polite to ---------- , you know.                             ( )

a. stair                  b. staire       c. stare

88.   I need ------------ apples for this recipe.                                      ( )

a. sum                  b. summ      c. some

89.   He wondered if Rosa was in some ----------- of trouble.   ( )

a. sought     b. sort                   c. sart

90.   The police soon arrived at the ------------ of the crime.     ( )

a. seen                  b. scene       c. sceen

91.   The shop’s daily ------------ is usually around $500.                 ( )

a. profit      b. prafit      c. prophet

92.   Our first ----------- on Tuesdays is French.                       ( )

a. lessen      b. lesion      c. lesson

93.   I cannot afford to leave the land lying -----------.              ( )

a. idol                   b. idel                   c. idle

94.   I saw something moving on the ------------.                      ( )

a. flore                  b. floor        c. flour

95.   Rajiv Gandhi was a ------------ Prime Minister of India.   ( )

a. farmar     b. farmer     c. former

96.  She liked to lead a ------------ life.                                                ( )

a. gentil       b. gentle      c.genteel

97.   The ----------------- is so clear that it needs no explanation.        ( )

a. praposition         b. preposition     c. proposition

98.   Democracy is purely ----------.                                         ( )

a. societal    b. socitel     c. social

99.   Television is an electronic --------------.                                      ( )

a. devaice    b. device     c. devise

100.   In the museum we have specimens of ------------- sculpture.( )

a. ancient    b. antique    c. antik

 

 

 

KEY:

 

 

Exercise – I

 

1.a     2.b     3.b     4.a     5.b     6.a     7.b     8.a     9.a     10.c   11.c   12.a

13.c      14.a         15.b   16.b   17.c   18.a   19.c   20.b  

 

Exercise - II

 

21.b   22.c   23.c   24.a   25.a   26.a   27.a   28.b   29.a   30.c   31.c   32.c  

33.b   34.a   35.b   36.b   37.c   38.b   9.a     40.a  

 

Exercise - III

 

41.a   42.b   43.a   44.b   45.a   46.c   47.a   48.a   49.c   50.c   51.b   52.a     53.c 54.b   55.a          56.c   57.b   58.c   59.a   60.a

 

Exercise - IV

 

61.b   62.c   63.c   64.a   65.c   66.b   67.b   68.a   69.a   70.c   71.a   72.a

73.b   74.b   75.c   76.b   77.c   78.a   79.a   80.b  

 

Exercise - V

 

81.b   82.b   83.b   84.a   85.a   86.a   87.c   88.c   89.b   90.b   91.a   92.c     93.c 94.b   95.c          96.c   97.c   98.a   99.b   100.b

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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