AVOIDING HOMOPHONE ERRORS

Understanding homophones is an essential part of mastering the English language as it is also an integral part of an individual writing skill.  Homophones are pairs of words that sound the same, but have distinctly different meanings and different spellings. Just as you have it in bee (insect producing honey)  and be (an auxiliary verb(

We shall take a close look at some common homophone errors:

INCORRECT : The musician is a popular artist

CORRECT: The musician is a popular artiste

*An artist is a  person who paints or draws pictures while an artiste is a professional entertainer such as a singer or an actor. 

INCORRECT : John,  the youngstar  will perform at the concert.

CORRECT: John.  the youngster   will perform at the concert.

*'youngster' means 'a young person.'

INCORRECT : Moses,  the songstar is a Nigerian.

CORRECT: Moses,  the songster is a Nigerian.

*'songster means a person who sings skilfully.

INCORRECT : He has been arrested. I don't know what his faith will be. 

CORRECT : He has been arrested. I don't know what his fate will be. 

* 'fate' means destiny while 'faith' means belief. 

INCORRECT : On that faithful day,  he had an accident. 

CORRECT :  On that fateful day,  he had an accident. 

* 'faithful means trustworthy while fateful involves an important, especially bad, effect on future events.

Read More

MUST MONEY MAKE MAN MAD

MUST MONEY MAKE MAN MAD

Read More

FIVE WORDS YOU WON'T BELIEVE EXIST IN THE ENGLISH DICTIONARY

A portmanteau word is formed by blending parts of two or more words but it always refers to a single concept.

The coinage of portmanteau involves the linking and blending of two or more words and the new word formed in the process shares the same meanings as the original words. It is different from a compound word in that it could have a completely different meaning from the words that it was coined from. 

For example, the word “brunch” is formed by splicing two words “breakfast” and “lunch”. The spliced parts “br-” and “-unch” are blended to form a portmanteau word “brunch” which is the meal taken between breakfast and lunch. 

Here are five more words you probably would not believe exist in the English dictionary:

1. 1. bromance(brother/romance):a close relationship between two men.
2. His bromance with Peter is enviable.
3. 
   
4. 2. frenemy (friend/enemy): someone who pretends to be a friend but whose actions are more characteristic of an enemy.
5. I have a frenemy who seems unhappy with my progress, although he smiles at me.
6. 
   
7. 3. guesstimate (guess + estimate): to estimate without solid facts or figures.
8. You can only guesstimate the total amount spent on your university education.
9. 
   
10. 4. Sexploitation(sex/exploitation):the commercial exploitation of sex, sexual attractiveness, or sexually explicit material.
11. The young ladies trafficked faced sexploitation by the mafia.
12. 
    
13. 5. Chillax (chill/ relax): calm down and relax.
14. You are always in haste to make decisions, chillax and decide wisely.

Share and allow other people to also learn.

Read More

20 COMMON WORD PAIRS IN THE ENGLISH LANGUAGE

There are some words that must of necessity be paired in order to achieve a desired meaning. The following are some of the words that go in pairs:

1. HIGH AND DRY.
Meaning: In difficult without help or money. E.g. The woman was left high and dry after her husband’s death.

2. BLACK ANDE BLUE.
Meaning: To hit somebody until he’s covered with bruises or sustains injuries. E.g. The fall from his horse left him black and blue all over.

3. HIGH AND MIGHTY.
Meaning: Superior in manner; arrogant. E.g. There is no need to be so high and mighty with me!

4. TOUCH AND GO.
Meaning: To be uncertain as to the result of something. E.g. Michael was so ill that it was touch-and-go whether she would live or not.

5. NOOK AND CRANNY.
Meaning: Everywhere; every part of a place. E.g. We combed every nook and cranny before we could find the missing document.

6. B Y AND BY.
Meaning: Before long; soon; later on. E.g. By and by he met his old friend who assisted him in completing his multi-million naira project.

7. BY AND LARGE.
Meaning: In general; generally speaking e.g. By and large, I agreed with my father on the matter.

8. NULL AND VOID.
Meaning: Having no legal force; not valid e.g. the court declared the contract null and void.

9. HALE AND HEARTY.
Meaning: Strong and healthy. E.g. the chief is 95 years old and he is still hale and hearty.

10. SAFE AND SOUND/WELL.
Meaning: Secure; protection from danger, e.g. The kidnapped politician was found safe and sound.

11. COMINGS AND GOINGS.
Meaning: Arrival and departure. E.g. With all the comings and goings of the visitors, the proprietor had not been able to collate the result.

12. KITH AND KIN.
Meaning: Friends and relations, e.g. Esther invited his kith and kin to his graduation ceremony.

13. FACTS AND FIGURES.
Meaning: Accurate and detailed information e.g. There is nothing we can do until we have the facts and figures.

14. BAG AND BAGGAGE.
Meaning: With all one’s possessions or belongings. E.g. The notorious thief left the village bag and baggage.

15. INS AND OUTS.
Meaning: The details and aspects of an activity or a procedure. E.g. Mr. Arthur knows the ins and outs of the job.

16. FLESH AND BLOOD.
Meaning: The human body or human nature with its emotions, weaknesses e.g. What happened to the landlord was more than what flesh and blood can bear.

17. P’S AND Q’S.
[TO MIND ONE’S P’S AND Q’S].
Meaning: To be careful about what one says or does e.g. I advise you mind your p’s and q’s in the office.

18. BREAD AND BUTTER.
Meaning: The way of earning one’s living; means of survival. E.g. My neighbor earns his bread and butter as a bricklayer.

19. BREAD AND WATER.
Meaning: The cheapest possible food. E.g. The boy lived on bread and water after the tragic death of his parents.

20. FAR AND WIDE/NEAR.
Meaning: Everywhere. E.g. The armed policemen searched far and wide for the missing gun.

Read More

SEE THE ENGLISH WORDS THAT CONFUSE EVERYONE

there/their/they're

      'There' can act as different parts of speech, depending on how it is used in a sentence. Most commonly, it is used as a pronoun or adverb. It is mostly used before auxiliary verbs such as are, were, was, will, shall, should, would, might, may, could etc.

• There will be a lot to eat at the party tonight.  (pronoun)
• Put the book over there.  (adverb)

           Their should always have a noun after it. Such as: their bags, their house, their money, their water, their car etc.

• The students put their books in their bags. 

             They're is the contraction for they are.

• They're not around.

                     OR

• They are not around.

weather/whether

 Weather is used  when referring to the state of the atmosphere: 

• The weather is hot in Nigeria.

Whether is used as a conjunction to introduce choices: 

• Whether you like it or not, you must attend the party.

brake/break

          brake is used as a verb meaning to stop or as a noun when referring to a device used to stop or slow motion:  

• The bike's brake failed and he could not control it.

          break is used  to indicate smashing or shattering or to take a recess: 

•  My back will break if we put one more thing in this backpack.
•  We took a water break after our first set of drills because it was so hot outside. 

it's/its

It's is the contraction for it is.

• It's raining today, so the  football match will be cancelled.
• It is raining today, so the football match will be cancelled.

Its is the possessive form ("possessive" means belongs to) of it.

• The cat is licking its paws.

Lose and Loose

       Lose is a verb meaning to not have something anymore, to be unable to find something or to not win. 

• I don’t want my football team to lose the game.

• She will lose her money if she gambles with it.

         Loose is an adjective that means free, unattached or not tight. It’s also a verb meaning to untie or let go of something.

• The door handle fell off because it was too loose.

• A loose sweater feels very comfortable.

• Please loose the rope.

Advice and Advise

            Advice is a noun. You can give your friend some advice.

• My teacher gave me a piece of advice.
• My advice for him was clear enough.

           Advise is a verb. With this word, you can advise your friend. The meaning of the two words is basically the same.

• My teacher advised me to read for my exams.

Hanged and Hung

            Hung is the past tense of the verb to hang, most of the time.

• I hung the painting on the wall and I hung my clothes on the clothes line.

           Hanged is the deadly exception, as it’s the past tense of hang in one very particular situation. Hang can also mean to execute a criminal by hanging them with a rope. In that case, the past tense of hang is hanged.

• The judge sentenced the murderer to be hanged.

• The criminal was hanged in the prison.

Share and allow others to learn also.

Read More

FIVE COMMON CONCORD ERRORS YOU MAY NOT KNOW

        

  The word ‘concord’ when used in everyday speech, means ‘agreement or harmony between people or groups’ .

     When we use the word in the context of grammar, it has a similar meaning: grammatical harmony among different components of a sentence. 

       Here are some common concord errors you should always avoid:

1. a. The two boys plays football everyday. ( wrong)

    b. The two boys play football everyday. (right)

Note that (b) is correct because of the agreement between the subject ('The two boys' which is plural) and the verb ('play' which is plural). Unlike a plural noun, a plural verb does not have 's' after it that is why it is 'play' and not 'plays'.

2. a. I knows him very well. (wrong)

    b. I know  him very well. ( right)

Note that whenever you use 'I', it should be followed by a plural verb. Can you say 'I has a pen'? No! You say: 'I have a pen'. 

3. a. You smokes in the room. (wrong)

    b. You smoke in the room. (right)

Note that like 'I', whenever you use 'you', it should be followed by a plural verb. Can you say 'You has a pen'? No! You say: 'You have a pen'. 

4. a. She see me everyday. (wrong)

    b. She sees me everyday. ( right)

Note that whenever you use a singular subject (with the exception of 'I' and 'you') it should be followed by a singular verb. Unlike a singular noun, a singular verb do not attract 's'.

5. Nouns joined by quasi coordinators. (e.g. accompanied by, as well as, together with, in company of, etc.) are followed by a singular verb if the first noun or noun phrase is singular.

a. The president, as well as his wives, is around. (right)

     The president, as well as his wives are around. (wrong)

b. The Vice-Chancellor, together with the Deans, has arrived. (right)

     The Vice- Chancellor, together with the Deans, have arrived. (wrong)

       If you doubt what you've just read, consult a Professor of English Language or see the native speakers of the language.

Read More

30 ENGLISH PROVERBS THAT WILL MAKE YOUR DAY

         

          Proverbs embody the truth and carry the message in our daily conversation. Their brevity, the teaching they give, which ranges from general truths and advice, warning and comments they offer on human experience.
           I have compiled 30 English proverbs for you to learn them and make use of them in your day-to-day conversation:

1. A bad workman blames his tools. 
Meaning: A lazy person will always find an excuse for his failure.

2. A bird in the hand is worth two in the bush.
Meaning: It is better to keep what you have rather than to risk losing it by searching for something better.

3. A book holds a house of gold.
Meaning: There is wealth of knowledge in books.

4. A burnt child dreads fire.
Meaning: A bad experience will make people stay away from certain things.

5. A foreseen danger is half avoided.
Meaning: If you’re prepared to face a problem or difficulty, it will be easier to deal with.

6. A day of sorrow is longer than a month of joy.
Meaning: Time goes by very quickly when you’re happy and very slowly when you’re sad.

7. A drop of ink may make a million think.
Meaning: A thought expressed in writing (perhaps published in a newspaper) can influence a large number of people.

8. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder.
Meaning: Different people have different tastes.

9. Better you drink the milk than eat the cow.
Meaning: Be careful not to destroy your source of income.

10. The die is cast.
Meaning: A decision is made and it is impossible to change it.

11. Discretion is the better part of valour.
Meaning: It is useless to take unnecessary risks.

12. Distance makes the heart grow fonder.
Meaning: When you’re separated from the person you love, the feelings are even stronger.

13. Every man for himself.
Meaning: You must think of your own interests before the interests of other.

14. Every path has its puddle.
Meaning: Progress is rarely without difficulty.

15. Fool me once, shame on you; fool me twice, shame on me.
Meaning: One should learn from one’s mistakes.

16. Haste makes waste.
Meaning: If something is done too quickly, it may be done carelessly and need to be redone.

17. He who hesitates is lost.
Meaning: If you delay your decision too long, you may miss a good opportunity.

18. Never say die.
Meaning: Never give up.

19. No rain, No grain.
Meaning: Without rain, the harvest will be poor.

20. The proof of the pudding is in the eating.
Meaning: The real value of something can be judged only after it has been tried and tested.

21. Spare the rod and spoil the child.
Meaning: If you don’t punish a child when he does wrong, you will spoil his character.

22. Speech is silver, silence is golden.
Meaning: Speaking is good but discretion can be better.

23. A stitch in time saves nine.
Meaning: It is better to deal with a problem at an early stage so as to prevent it from getting worse.

24. What the eye doesn’t see, the heart doesn’t grieve over.
Meaning: If a person doesn’t know about something, he cannot be hurt.

25. Where there is a will, there is a way.
Meaning: If you are determined to do something, you will find a way to do it.

26. You scratch my back and I’ll scratch yours.
Meaning: If you help me, I will help you.

27. You can’t teach an old dog new trick.
Meaning: A person who is used to doing things a certain way cannot change.

28. Young idler, an old beggar.
Meaning: If you don’t work when you’re young, you won’t have any money when you are old.

29. Two wrongs don’t make a cloud.
Meaning: It is wrong to harm someone because they’ve harmed you.

30. A broken friendship may be soldered but will never be sound.
Meaning: Friendship can be rebuilt after a dispute but will never be as strong as before.

Read More