Today TPP explores words that sound very similar but are spelt differently and mean different things. Why you ask… well it makes a very good pondering topic because the English language that can very confusing sometimes… especially if it is not your first language!
Take for example the words beer, bear or bare – all three sound similar… ok, maybe beer is a little different to bear and bare… but for someone who does not have a English based accent it may not sound different at all when used in a conversation.
We know the three words represent different things i.e. one is a drink, one is an animal and the other is something lacking appropriate covering. Because of this it is very easy to know which one is being talked about in a conversation and most would say the same in the written context… BUT what about these examples:
- the bare was roaming the woods
- the person had bear skin
In both cases it is really obvious that the incorrect spelling has been used. Now try reading each bullet point out aloud – you could easily interchange bare with bear and it would sound the same!
Yes, the English language can be confusing or weird sometimes.
Your homework for today is to ponder these three words – how they sound when you say them aloud and if there is a way you can say them so they do not sound so alike.
Ponder away!
