English Toolkit

26.22...continued

TYPICAL ERROR

CORRECTION

EXPLANATION

Work out how each of the following words is pronounced differently. Once you have sorted out how the words are pronounced differently and what the difference in meaning is, drag the correct word into each of the sentences given.

a
desert (a sandy, arid place); dessert (two s’s remind us that it is the second course)
i. The tired explorers were relieved to come across an oasis in the middle of the
.

ii. Would you like lemon sorbet for
?

dessert

desert




b
homed (as a homing pigeon homes in); honed (to sharpen, as on a whetstone - from old English han, a stone)
i. The bomber
in on the target.

ii. The students
their punctuation skills by doing extra exercises.

homed

honed



c
lightening (becoming lighter - it lightens); lightning (produced in electrical storms)
i. The
flashed; the thunder roared.

ii. If you paint the rafters a lighter colour, it will have the effect of
the room.

lightening

lightning



d
loose (rhymes with moose); lose (rhymes with fuse: Did you lose a fuse?)
i. The tooth was so
that he could pull it out with his fingers.

ii. It is easy to
track of time playing computer games.

loose

lose



e
thorough (two syllables, like borough); through (sounds like threw)
i. After a
investigation, the detectives revealed that the fire had been deliberately lit.

ii. As the speedboat came
the heads, a freak wave almost capsized it.

thorough

through