Answers to July 27, 2010 Blog Article - Horrible Homonyms

Answers:

Following are the homonym mistakes in the story: the incorrect homonym is listed first; the correct word follows. Usually the words are pronounced exactly alike. A short definition follows each word.

Lea – an open grassy area such as a mountain valley
Lee - shelter from the elements given by an object

Aid – help of a practical nature
Aide – an assistant to an important person

Affect – make a difference
Effect – change that is the result or consequence of an action

Principals – first in order of importance
Principles – fundamental truths serving as a foundation for belief systems

Poured – causing (a liquid) to flow in a steady stream
Pored – studiously reading or studying (plans or books)

Ariel – a gazelle found in the Middle East and North Africa
Aerial – happening in the air

Gorilla – a great ape found in Africa
Guerilla – a member of a group involved in irregular warfare

Dammed – a barrier across a lake, river or stream
Damned – cursed by others

Lightening – reducing the burden or weight
Lightning – a discharge of electricity from the sky

Phased – stages in progress or development
Fazed – disturbed or disconcerted

Faints – small or weak and dizzy, leading to unconsciousness
Feints – distracting maneuvers, especially in warfare

Flare - a pyrotechnic device, esp. used as a marker or signal
Flair – an instinctive aptitude or natural ability to do something well

Fort – fortified position or group of buildings
Forte – something at which someone excels

Auger – a tool for drilling holes
Augur – predict or portend an outcome

Flue – duct for smoke or gases
Flew – past tense of fly

Gaff – a barbed spear used to land large fish
Gaffe – a blunder, causing embarrassment

Foregoe – precede in time or place
Forgo – omit or decline to take

Cue – an act or word intended to serve as a signal
Queue – a line or sequence of people waiting their turn

Plains – a large geographical area with few trees
Planes – in the context of the story, aircraft

Complement - something that fills up, completes, or makes perfect
Compliment - an expression of esteem, respect, affection, or admiration; especially : an admiring remark

Alter -  to make different without changing into something else
Altar - often used figuratively to describe a thing given great or undue precedence or value especially at the cost of something else <sacrificed his family life on the altar of career advancement>

Assent – expression of approval
Ascent – rising through the air

Loose – not tight-fitting or snug
Lose – cease to have or retain

You’re – contraction of “you are”
Your – possessive adjective belonging to persons the speaker is addressing