Look here...hear! How do you know... or no?
Understanding what makes the English language one of the most difficult languages to learn:
As an English language learner, you may get confused when you hear someone say something like, "I have an eye appointment today." Reading this sentence, it may seem easy to understand the difference between I and eye, but what if you did not read this sentence and only heard it? Would you be confused as to which I/eye goes where? If yes, that is OK! Many native English speakers continue to struggle with this too!
Words like I and eye are called HOMOPHONES. Homophones are words that are spelled differently, have different meanings, but sound similar!
Do you understand the title of this article now? I will explain it to you in case you need a little more help with understanding.
The title, "Look here...hear! How do you know...or no?" is providing an example of an extremely complex (difficult) noun, called homophone.
Take a look at the first part of the title. "Look here...hear!" (Like I said earlier, reading it may be easier, but what if you only heard this sentence?) The only way we can understand which homophone is the correct one for this sentence, we must research the definition of the words here and hear. The word, here means to be at a place or in a position. And, the word hear means to listen or gather information through sound. So, now that we know the definition of here vs. hear, which one should belong to the sentence?
You're correct!!! The first part of the title should spelled, "Look here!" because I am encouraging you to open this article...a position. I am not asking you to listen to the title, because it does not speak.
Great-- so now that we understand the basics of homophones, my challenge to you is to figure out the last part of the title yourself! Let's learn some popular homophones to get you started! I will provide a list of homophones below for you to practice spelling and speaking on your own. I would enjoy helping you learn and master one of the hardest grammar lessons in the English language. See you soon!
10 most popular homophones ESL students should know:
- To, Too, Two
- Flower, Flour
- Bare, Bear
- Be, Bee
- Fair, Fare
- Cent, Scent
- Hair, Hare
- Won, One
- Pair, Pear
- Right, Write
Thank you for reading! Please get in touch with me if you have any questions!
Teacher Gabrielle
See (or sea?) you soon!
June 16, 2017
