Dealing With Pesky Homophones

Hi,

Issue # 006, 1st April, 2009

In This Issue

1. A Must-Read Article
2. Those Pesky Homophones
3. Spread the Word

Check this article out. You must read it if you want to be a better writer!

Those Pesky Homophones

What are homophones and why are they so pesky?

Homophones are words which have the same pronunciation or sound, but have different meanings.

Several of these homophones exist in the English Language. A few examples are:

Flutter and flatter; dump and damp; clump and clamp; site and cite…etc.

As you have noted, these words sound the same—exactly the same—but they have different meanings. Because of this, it is so easy to confuse one with the other.

Mistaking one word for another should not be taken lightly. A small error like this can result in gross misunderstanding. Check out this sentence for instance:

She not only fluttered me, but she also bought me several gifts.

The word you meant to use is flattered, and the meaning you want to convey to the reader is that you were overly or unduly praised. However, you use the wrong word (and only because they sound the same).

Upon reading this sentence the reader may think that you were agitated or perhaps shaken. What a far cry from the truth!

Do you see how easy it is to make this error, and how easily it can convey the wrong message?

It is therefore incumbent on you to ensure that you do not use the wrong word! However, this error, I must confess, is quite difficult to detect, especially in longer pieces of writing. How then can you make sure that you avoid this error in the first place?

1. Be wary of the pesky homophones.

   There are homophones that can easily be mistaken for each other. Be wary of these as you write. For example, make sure that you do not confuse where and were with each other.

   If you discover that you are prone to misusing a certain homophone, check your work to ensure that you have not misused it. If you are using a word processor like Microsoft Word, the ‘find and replace’ facility under Edit in the menu toolbar can be very useful to you. You can simply search for that particular word and replace it with the correct one.

2. Double-check your words.

   Sometimes, homophone-related errors can be avoided simply by checking the meaning of words. You may think you have got the right word, but it is always a good idea to check the word twice. You may be surprised at how wrong you are!

3. Work on your vocabulary.

   In the long run, the best way of avoiding homophone-related errors is to work on your vocabulary. It is not just a matter of learning new words, but paying particular attention to their spelling and meaning.

I hope these few tips will help you a great deal. I am certain they will.

Happy writing!

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