Commonly Confused Words Part 3: Homophones

Commonly Confused Words Part 3: Homophones

From VOA Learning¹ English, this is Everyday Grammar.

This week, we are looking at more commonly confused words in the English language. Today’s subject is homophones.

Homophones are two or more words that sound alike², but have different meanings or spellings.

It is easy to understand the difference between some homophones. For example, English learners usually understand the difference between the word ate -- the past tense of eat -- and eight -- the number.

But other homophones are difficult, even for native English speakers.

Bear and Bare

One set of commonly confused homophones are the words bear and bare.

Let’s start with bear [b-e-a-r.] Of course, as a noun³, a bear is a large, heavy animal with thick hair and sharp claws.

But the word bear [b-e-a-r] can also be a verb. It can mean “to accept or get through something,” usually something difficult.

The verb bear is often used with the modal verb can and a negation⁴. Using this structure, “cannot bear” sometimes means “strongly dislike.” If you travel to a very cold place in the middle of winter, you might say, “I cannot bear the cold weather.”

Bear can also mean “to assume⁵ or accept something, such as a cost or responsibility.” For example, “The man must bear full responsibility for his actions.”

Bear can also sometimes mean “to carry.” For example, Americans often talk about the “right to bear arms,” or the right of citizens to possess a gun.

Sometimes, people make jokes about this expression. They replace the meaning of bear in this example with its meaning as a noun. The phrase then means that people have a right to possess a bear’s arm.

The past tense of bear [b-e-a-r] is bore [b-o-r-e]. For example, you might hear a sentence like, “The company bore all of the expenses.” In the present tense, bore is a verb in its own right. But it has no relation to the past tense of bear.

Now let’s turn to the word bare [b-a-r-e]. Bare is mostly used as an adjective⁶. It means “not having a covering” or “not covered by clothing, shoes or something else.”

If you just moved to a new home, the walls could still be bare. And, if you take your shoes and socks off before entering a room, you will have bare feet.

As a verb, bare [b-a-r-e] is similar to its adjectival⁷ meaning. To bare means “to remove the covering from something.” It can also mean “to show or expose.” For example, an angry animal might bare its teeth. The past tense of bare [b-a-r-e] is bared [b-a-r-e-d].

Sight, Site and Cite⁸

Next, we turn to three more homophones: sight, site and cite. All three words sound exactly the same.

Sight [s-i-g-h-t] means one of your five senses. As a noun, it is “the ability to see.” Sight can also mean “someone or something that is seen.” For example, “The sunset last night was a beautiful sight.”

Another meaning of sight is “a famous or interesting place in an area.” If you take a trip to the United States, a tour guide might show you all the sights in New York City or Washington, DC.

But some of those famous sights are also sites [s-i-t-e-s]. The word site means “a place where something important has happened.” It can also be “a place where something is, was, or will be located.” So, if you like history, you might want to visit important battle sites near Washington, DC.

Site has a few other meanings. It is also short for website.

The third homophone, cite [c-i-t-e], is a verb. It can mean “to write or say the words” of a person, book or another source. It can also mean “to mention something,” usually to support an idea or opinion. When you write research papers in school, for example, you cite other sources to support your argument.  

So, if you ever have a disagreement with a friend about the English language, you can always cite (with a "c") Everyday Grammar by visiting our site (with an "s").

Words in This Story

homophone - n. a word that is pronounced like another word but is different in meaning, origin, or spelling

negation - n. a word or phrase made negative

expose - v. to reveal something

1 learning   

n.学问，学识，学习；动词learn的现在分词

参考例句：

• When you are learning to ride a bicycle,you often fall off.初学骑自行车时，常会从车上掉下来。
• Learning languages isn't just a matter of remembering words.学习语言不仅仅是记些单词的事。

2 alike   

adj.同样的，相像的；adv.一样地；同程度地　

参考例句：

• The twins are so alike that I can't tell which is which.这对双胞胎一模一样，我分辨不出谁是谁。
• All stories seemed dreadfully alike,no matter who told them.看来，不管谁讲，故事都是千篇一律的。

3 noun   

n.名词

参考例句：

• What kind of noun is this?这是哪类名词？
• This word is a collective noun.这个词是个集体名词。

4 negation   

n.否定；否认

参考例句：

• No reasonable negation can be offered.没有合理的反对意见可以提出。
• The author boxed the compass of negation in his article.该作者在文章中依次探讨了各种反面的意见。

5 assume   

vt.假装；假定，设想；承担；呈现，采取

参考例句：

• I assume that he won't cheat you.想来他是不会骗你的。
• We can't assume anything in this case.在这种情况下我们不可能做出假设。

6 adjective   

n.形容词；adj.形容词的，用作形容词的

参考例句：

• Don't apply that adjective to me.不要用那个字眼来形容我。
• The adjective loose has several senses. 形容词loose有几个义项。

7 adjectival   

adj.形容词的；形容词性的；（作家或作品）以堆砌形容词为特点的；该死的n.形容词性词语

参考例句：

• It is also used in adjectival compounds. 这一词还可用以构成复合形容词。 来自互联网
• The term velouté is from the French adjectival form of velour, meaning velvety. 瓦娄提这个词源于法语词汇“丝绒”的形容词，意思是“如丝绒般柔软”。 来自互联网

8 cite   

vt.引用，引证，举例

参考例句：

• It would be an endless task to cite such living examples.这样的实例举不胜举。
• I'll just cite some figures for comparison.我要引用一些数字作比较。