Monday, October 5, 2009

Homonyms

Take a look at this link, which is a list of homonyms (words that sound alike, but have different spellings and meanings).

www.cooper.com/alan/homonym_list.html

Which set of words do you already get, and how? Which set gives you trouble and why do you think you get stuck on it? And what new information did you realize about a set of homonyms by reading through this list?

92 comments:

  1. A set of words that I already get is the there's(they're,their). I just know them already. I used to have trouble with the theres but my other teachers helped me and now I know them. But I get confused sometimes with the too's(two, to). I know that two is the number 2, but sometimes I would write something like "I went too the store" and it's wrong. I think I get stuck on it because I just forget to write the second o and they're not spelled that much differently. One thing I relized and that helps me remember is that is I said "I'm coming too" that means 2 people are going so I should use too with 2 o's.
    ~Michaela Sawaya

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  2. I already get there, they're and their. I remember by thinking: place, part, possesive. Place is the first "there," part is the contraction(it's part of a word)"they're", and possesive is the third "their." I still can never remember "affect" and "effect." I think I still get stuck on it because they are spelled more or less the same. I sometimes mix them up and it changes the meaning of the sentence.

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  3. There were a lot of words on the list that I didn't know like e'er which its says is the contraction for ever and I guess I have said that but not on purpose.

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  4. I always get mixed up with the words affect and effect, I get so frustrated. Whenever I'm supposed to use effect I use affect and vice versa. I now realize from the homonym list affect means to change and effect means result. Maybe now I won't get mixed up with the words affect and effect.


    Amanda Baron

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  5. From Alan Cooper's Homonyms list I already know and understand the homonyms of principle and principal. I remember that principal which means the head of a school is spelled with a pal at the end because the principal is your "pal".

    I have trouble rememebering the homonyms of role and roll. I always get these mixed up because I haven't ever really looked at the words to find a shortcut to rememeber the difference. I believe that the whole key to homonyms is to study or find a mnemonic device to help you remember each word's spelling.

    The list was very interesting and I learned many new vocabulary words that I have never even heard of before. For example I learned that the word mewl means to whimper, rheum is a watery discharge of mucous, littoral means something to do with the shore, and a yew is a tree. There were many other words I did not know but I just wrote down a few of them. This is the new information that I have learned from Cooper's list.

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  6. The one I new the best was ( way,weigh). I new that because the first (way) I wrote reminded me the wrong (way) to turn and the 2 (weigh) I wrote also reminded me of weighing something on a scale.
    The one i really didnt remember was (beat,beet). I get stuck on those because I switch them with verbs and nouns.
    I realized that there are lots of words that sound alike,have different spellings and meanings.

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  7. The homonyms that I get are the "there, their and they're. The ones i get kind of stuck on are witch, and which.

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  8. The homonyms I get stuck on are which and witch. I even get writers block because I mix up those two. I don't really have a problem with the three " There, they're, and their".

    -Emily Green

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  9. The homonyms that i get are ant and aunt. I know that an ant is a small insect and that an aunt is a sister of one of your parents. The ones i get stuck on though are effect ans affect. I keep looking t the definitions and dont really get them. I realized that aisle, I'll, and isle are all spelled different but sound exactly the same. None of the meanings are alike too.

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  10. The best set of words for me would probably be "Ate and Eight". I know them very well because, if I'm writting something and I want to write the word "ate", I always remind myself of the word "eat". So I know that "ate" is the past-tense of eat. So then I know that the number eight is spelled like this-e-i-g-h-t. The words I get stuck on the most are "Affect and Effect". I have trouble the most with those words because I can never remember which one means what. I get them mixed up all the time! For the set of words "Adds, Ads, and Adze", I never knew the word "Adze" even exsisted. Like my mom always says- "You learn something new everyday!"

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  11. I feel the same way as Amanda, i always get affect and effect mixed up. Even after lokking at the meaning i will probably still mix them up in the future. I found Amy's tip for remembering there, their and they're very helpful. I plan on using that when i am writing my personal narrative.

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  12. The set of words I already understand are "Ate and Eight". I understand them very well because when I'm writting a sentence and I have to use the word "ate", I always remember the word eat and how "ate" is the past-tense for eat. I know the word "eight" well because when I have to write the number "eight" down I always know how to spell it- "e-i-g-h-t". The set of words I get mixed up with are "Affect and Effect". I get them mixied up because I can never remember which one means what. I get them mixed up all the time! The word I just found out from the set of words "Adds, Ads, and Adze" is "adze". I never knew that word even exsisted until now! Like my mom always says- "You learn something new every day!"

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  13. Hi Kaity Talmage it's Dorothy! I also agree with you on how you get stuck on which and witch. I always have to try really hard to remember witch one to use in a sentence! I also got used to remembering there, their, and they're. I think they are easy for me to remember now!

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  14. A set of words that I always get messed up with is the there, their, and they're I can never remember which one goes in the right place and i really need to work on it

    Nicholas Mikelinich

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  15. Hey Amy its Nick I dont get how you remember were to put there, their, and they're all in the right spot i can never do it with out going over the sentance or story a second time

    Nicholas Mikelinich

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  16. Two sets of words I already know are too and to and two. I know these words because I learned that two is a number, too , you would use it for like," I would like TO go,too. And to is just there to connect words like I would like To go.

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  17. Kaity, to know WHICH words to use you could think that witch is someone evil. And which you can think that which is to kind of decide between things.

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  18. The homonyms I learned from that list were teaming, and teeming. I know that teaming is teaming up with a team member, and what I didn't know was that teeming means a swarming.

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  19. The one's i get mixed up with are aweful and awful because when people are saying they're having an awful day or aweful day. In my mind im thinking are they having a bad day? or are they filled with awe?. Those are the one's i really get mixed with.

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  20. Amy, I always get mixed up with affect and effect to...... now after your post I realize that maybe I get mixed up with them too because they are spelled more or less the same. Thanks for the help.


    Amanda Baron

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  21. Amy, I feel the same way about effect and affect I am always sitting there at my desk wondering which one to use. But just think of affect as to change and effect as result.

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  22. Yes Kaity, it is easy to remember how to spell there, their, and they're. You might also want to rememeber Amy's stategy for distinguishing between the three words.
    One crazy way I remember which, which, is which is by knowing that a witch has a broomstick. The word stick has a "t" in it just like witch has a "t" in it. I hope this helps!

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  23. The goup of homonyms i don't get are aisle I'll and isle because i for get how to spell them. The ones i do get are allowed and aloud because they are easy to spell and i don't get mixed up with them
    -Nicky herzog-

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  24. Kaity to not get mixed up with witch and which is that witch is a selection and that witch is a broomstick ridin crones
    -Nicky Herzog-

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  25. the homonyms that always confuse me are the there their and they re ....i agree with kaity talmage i also get stuck on witch and which....... the ones i do get acts and ax

    TODD BREWER

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  26. Homonyms that I know well is add, ax, aid and affect. I think these are the easiest ones to know for myself. The one that I get confused on is aide, ail, adze and aerie. These homonyms get me confused because they sound like a different word but it means a whole other word, like aide it sounds like aid which means that someone helps you but it means an assistant.

    Michael Urban

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  27. I have a little bit of trouble with they're, their and there. I really haven't learned any ways to help with these words exept that there is a place, their is possesive and they're is they are. I cant find any homonyms that I have learned to overcome and while I read the list I found that there were lots of homonyms that I hadn't even heard of. some were aerie and airy, air,are,e'er,ere,err and heir and auricle and oracle.

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  28. The homonyms that I am confused with is there and their. Everytime when I type on the computer I get kind of confused. -Daren Huang

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  29. Varitta- I understand how you get those mixed up. I actually don't think there is any way to figure out the meaninig other than to look at their facial exprecions, if they look sad then it probably meant awful and if they look extremly happy they meant aweful

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  30. Hi Nicky this is Daren. One of the homonyms that I think is confusing is aisle and isle too. So I suggest you that you can go look the word up in a dictionary so you get what it means. Hope it helped! -Daren Huang ^_^

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  31. todd--
    one way you can remember the thiers is to remember
    there is the place like here and there, and they are spelled almost the same and they're is they are.
    ~Michaela Sawaya~

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  32. Nicky I agree with you that you get confused with aisle and isle. I also get confused on aisle and isle.

    Michael Urban

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  33. The homonyms I get mixed up with are their, there, and they're.

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  34. Hey Varrita what is the difference between awful and awe full is awe full like full of awe

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  35. One group of words that i have trouble with are the word where and wear.Last year it would get so anoying that I would have to go back and fix the words up.

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  36. I really have trouble with the theres,theirs,they'res also I think I might be having trouble with this because I really never learned any stategys for it. From the site i leanred the right spellings for some of the words and that they are spelled different and not the same way the homonym is spelled.









    michelle danowski

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  37. Varitta, As i read the post i wonder that to. But maybe we could loook at their faical expresson to see if they're (lol I really about what theyre', there' their to use :) having an awful day or a aweful day.

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  38. The homonyms that I get are aisle, isle, and I'll. I get them by remembering that isle means island because they both start with "i," I remember what I'll is, because the apostrophe stands in for will, so it's "i will," and then aisle is the only one left over. The set that gives me trouble is calendar and calender. I think I get stuck on them because they sound the same, and I never really learned the difference between the two. I learned a new set of words, which was basil and basal. I never knew basal was a word, and I never knew basil was a homonym! Basal means "forming the base," so I think that might be able to help me in future writing.

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  39. Amanda- I have the same difficulty with the words affect and effect. I can can never figure out when to use either one. I always seem to use the wrong one. My last experience with those words was ( By not doing my homework it effected my grades) I used the wrong one it should have used affected. After reading your post it help ed me better understand to see the difference of both words and when to use each of them. Thanks

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  40. Amanda, if you ever get stuck on the difference between affect and effect in the future try remembering that Affect is to Alter and Effect is the End result. This helped me a lot when I got stuck in that situation a couple weeks ago.

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  41. I checked out the website you gave us and I got most of them I was a little stuck on their ,there and they're.but I figured them out .The homonym are sort of like derivatives because derivatives are look alike sound alike and mean the same. And homonyms are just sound alike but don't mean or look alike.

    JULIA SPANBURGH

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  42. I agree with Todd I also got stuck on which and witch when I'm writing sometimes I forget which one to choose. Most of the time I us witch and not even realize it.
    Julia spanburgh

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  43. A set that i already get is ad and add because i know ad just short for advertisement and add is short for addition. The homonyms that always confuse me disc and disk i always thought they were the same thing but disc is a phonograph record and disk is a round, plate-shaped object. New information i learned was yew is a type of tree and ewe is a female sheep. This information was very intresting.
    -Nicholas Duarte

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  44. hOMONYM ARE WORDS THAT SOUND ALIKE, BUT ARE SPEELED DIFFERENT

    HEAAR AND HERE ARE hOMONYM


    DEANDRE KING

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  45. The homonyms I get mixed up are allowed and aloud allowed is premited and aloud is spoken. I spell them rong and I use one when I ment the other.

    Sarha,
    I also have truble with theres, theirs, and they'res. I think we all have truble with them because they all sound the same but their spelt diffrent.

    -Kaitlyn Berry:)

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  46. I get so confused with homonyms. But i understand ones like blew or blue.

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  47. Yeah Sarah i get there and they're mixed up too

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  48. yes sarah aweful means that you're filled with awe as in happy. Thank you Jeremy and Michelle for responding my comment. That is a good idea to look at their facial expression.

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  49. Sometimes i even get stuck on deer and dear or witch and which. Well Noah that is a great way to remeber for which and witch thanks.

    Cassie Markert

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  51. There are Homonyms that I understand are bait, bate and i think the reason I underson is because I know what they mean and because i've spelled that word so many time, and it just clicks. But there are so many I don't get like they're, there, their, and there are words i've never heard of like aero, which I thought was a store name, and then word I have no idea what the are like airy but I think i don't understand those words because maybe I haven't been working with those words in a while. I realized that homonyms are words that are close in spelling, but mean the something differen't, or have to be used at different situations.

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  53. Noah, one strategy I use for remembering the difference between roll and role is I think that I want two rolls for dinner, so it's spelled with two L's. Hope that helped!

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  54. The three homonyms I can get are two, to and too because to is short for toward and toward means in the direction of. Two is the number 2, something with value of two. Too is used to indacate that person, thing, or aspect of a situation applies in addition. The set of homonyms I have trouble with are disc and disk because they both have alike sound and spelling but diffrent defintion.

    - TeAndra Jenkins

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  55. Nicklous Duarte I agree on your homonyms that confuse you. there the same homonyms that get me evertime I allways have to stop and think. Maybe if you do that you get the hang of it and then you'll never have to stop and think again because you will alredy know the meaning by heart. Maybe that advice i gave you will help me too.

    - TeAndra Jenkins

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  56. One set of homonyms that I already understand is to, too, and two. Two is the same as 2 and too means also or "something is too much." The regular "to" means toward something. Some new information that I have learned from the Alan Cooper's Homonym list is that there are six homonyms for " air," each with their own definition. There is air, are, e're, ere, err, and heir. The set of homonyms that I often confuse is altar and alter. I just can't remember which one is which. Can somebody help me figure out a way to help me remember this set of homonyms? I always spell alter like altar , and I rarely ever use the one that means a place for worship or sacrifice! If you have a good mnemonic device for these, please let me know!

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  57. This is adding on to my other post: I didn't know that the word bark was a homonym. Bark's homonym is barque, which is a square rigged ship. I also learned many others, that's just one.

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  58. Shannon, you can remember calendar and calender by thinking about what came fist. A list of days came before a paper press, so you can think of them in alphabetical order. That's probably what I would do in that situation.

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  59. Amanda, I used to get confused with the homonyms affect and effect too. Remember that affect is a verb and effect is a noun. Also, if you remember the phrase,"we are affected by the effect," that might help because the "a" in affect comes before the "e" in effect in that phrase.

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  60. The set of homonyms i already know are There, and Their. I use to get stuck on these all the time but the way i remeber them is when i think of Their i think of they so thats how i remeber the difference.They = their
    The set of homonyms i get stuck on sometimes are Effect and Affect, because they sound the same almost and i don't use them that often.

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  61. Sarah-
    Sarah the way i remeber Their is by saying they like They = Their.With They're i remeber that They're is like saying they are, and then i know that There is like "over there" so thats how i remeber There,Their, and They're.

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  62. I understand a lot of words too like wait, weight, bate, and bate. I think i understand these words cause i used them more often and or is more familiar with theses word.

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  64. I know alot like bee and be;their,there,they're;ad and add, and many more because I have learned them in my past years of school. I usually learned them in like 2nd grade. Umm... I dont have any trouble that I know but if I knew any my trouble would probably be that I dont really know how to use it and how its spelled,in 5th grade we used to sit in a group in a circle on the rug with my teacher and we would have spelling words and they would be on a topic like homonyms and verbs... etc. So sometimes I would have trouble but the teacher would help me and everyone. New info. that I learned was that some words I have never heard of but some words that sound like it I knew but not all...

    Commenting On Other Peoples Answers:

    Dorothy,
    I also agree with you,I sometimes get confused with eight andd ate...how I remember is that ate is shorter than the work eight and that ate starts with an "a" and the number eight is spelled with an "e" but sometimes I get confused but some I dont ,like say I am writing a short story on what I ate today and I would of wrote "I ate eight things today (just saying)" then I probably get mixed up because they are right next to each other and it sounds like your saying the same word twice.

    -Nicole Pieta :]

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  65. Hi, one of my problems is the were and where.

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  66. Hi, I just saw that a lot of people responded with the to, too, and two. I think that you can remember this by thinking of a number, like plurals.

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  67. A set of words that i cant get are ade fruit beverage

    aid to assist

    aide an assistant
    there all just a mess to me.
    A set i do understand are too to and two,now anyway. For the longest time i couldn't tell which was which.i guess you could remember to as place because your going to 1 place so only 1 o and too as in also because 2 people and two o's and two because it just is.
    A set i realized were "Adds, Ads, and Adze" just like Dorothy I never knew there was an adze. i remember certain words with numbers and letters. Like adds because theres two d's it means numbers. and one d it means like news or other notes. and adze will be hard to remember. But i'm sure you can find a way to remember Dorothy you smart.

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  68. A pair of homonyms I know relly well are ale and ail. I memorized the difference because the word ale is apparently used alot in the books I read.Ale means alcohol and ail means to be sick, and its easier if I know one because then i'll know the other.
    A set of homonyms im having trouble with, now that I think about it, is apparently effect and affect. I didnt even know i've been using the word wrong this whole time! But after reading Shannons comment to help Amanda with them I think I might know the difference now(maybe).
    PEACE,
    -Ashley Calle

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  69. John, an easy way to tell the difference between alter and altar is by trying to memorize one of them and youll have no problem remembering the other one, and since you already know the meaning of altar then remembering it will probably help you know its the other word you want to use. I am not saying it'll work!But it helps me when I need it, so it might work for you too.
    PEACE,
    -Ashley Calle

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  70. One of the homonyms that I undersatnd are ate and eight they have totally different meanings and are not even close to being spelled the same.One set of homonyms that sometimes confuse me are : to,two, and too. I cant really tell when to put too or to.

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  71. Julia, for help with which,witch is which I always remember that unless your calling someone mean or evil dont use the one with the "t".

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  72. I agree with John and Amanda, because I always get confused with the words effect ans affect. It is also hard for me to understand which is a noun and which is a verb. But I will try John's strategie because anything couldn't hurt. If anyone has anyonther way to understand these words please let me know.

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  73. John an easy way to remember the difference from alter and altar is alter ends in er is to change something and altar ends in ar it is religious.

    -Michael McKay

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  74. ade - fruit beverage,

    aid - to assist,

    aide - an assistant,

    are the words that I get rong becous thay sound the same.

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  75. One set of homonyms that i already know is too to and two. I get these homonyms beacuse I think as too as something else like I have to go to the movies and go shopping too. I think of to as if i only have to go to one place. And I think of two as the number 2. The set that gives my trouble is their,there,and they're,I think I get stuck on this set of homonyms beacuse all of the words confuse me i get the most confused with their and there. The new imformation i realized from the homonyms is that their was a marque i had never heard of that word and now i know what it means,a brand!

    -Heather O'Connor

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  76. hfreddy56 my advice for you with the words wear and where as wear like i wear all of my clothes. Think of where as like where is my phone? That is one way i would think of them to not get them confused

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  77. The set of homonyms that I already understand are hair and hare.
    From growing up on a farm I know hair grows on the body and hare is a rabbit.
    The set of homonyms that I have trouble with are their and there. I get confused in their spelling. There means a place, their means belonging to them.
    I realised from the list of homonyms that there are a lot of words that sound alike but are spelled different and have different meanings.

    -Michael McKay

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  78. I hate homonyms. There really confusing I mostly have trouble with the three there's. There, their and they're. I know how to spell them I just don't know where to put them.

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  79. Hey Kaitlyn Berry you know what I do when I get confused with aloud and allowed. With aloud it sounds like I am loud so I know when someone is talking really loud so I don't get them mixed up.

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  80. I already know the there's (their,there,they're) I learned them in about 2nd grade so they really stick. I get stuck on the aisles(aisle,isle). when I get confused I think of island is isle because they both start with isl.I learned is that another word that sounds like block is bloc which is an alliance.

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  81. Ashlyn one thing you can do when your stuck on the words is think of there is the place because it ends in ere just like here, which is also a place.

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  82. The Homonyms that I already get are the 2s; to, too,and two. I know that to is like doing someting, that too is a synonym for also, and two is th number. The ones i get confused on ar affect and effect. I don't really understand the difference. Also i ge witch and which but sometimes when im writing i accidently write witch instead of which. - Victoria Carroll

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  83. For all the people who are confused with there their and they're heres a tip: when you are writing and your need to use one think if you are writing They are _____ then its THEY'RE . if you are talking about a place its THERE. If you are writing about what someone owns like an personal item its THEIR.
    -victoria Caroll

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  84. Ashlyn. If you get messed up with three and there. Just thing that three is a number and there isnt.
    - Nicholas Duarte

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  85. I already get there, their, and they`re because they are just really easy for me. I sometimes have troble with were, we`re and where. I know that where means a place, but for some reason I just can`t seem to get were and we`re. I just sometimes think that it`s were doing something when it`s really suppose to be we`re doing something.

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  86. Ashlyn, maybe this can help. There is like your poiting at something or talking about something, their means that something belongs to someone, and they`re just means they are together, so just put them together and you will get they`re.
    -Anthony Smith

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  87. for some reson i get my d and b ' s wrong because i dont know :-( - claudia rupp

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  88. thanks for the tip victoria i also do that and in my head when im thinking which word of there to put down i think of eir for ownership they are for they re and there for a place

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  89. Uh, Claudia... I'm just trying to point out that you don't just fail with your D's and B's in WRITING, you kind of tend to screw them up when you're texting, too... (Just saying... not trying to be rude, I make the same mistakes once and awhile! It's just a common mistake!) Keep working on your grammar, too, okay? Me and Ms. Sills are always here if you need help! Talk to us, alright?

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  90. Victoria thanks for the advice on the homonyms There and their. Those are the ones that I mix up theater most especially when I write my stories.
    * Bria Foster

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  91. A set of words that I already get is the 3 (they're,their,and there).I use to write stories in school when I was younger and always put the wrong version of the word's (they're,their,and there).But my teachers helped me realze the differences between the 3 and now I finally got it.

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