English Skills with Readings 7th Edition by John Langan

Exercise 60

Homonyms
The commonly confused words on the following pages have the same sounds but different meanings and spellings; such words are known as homonyms. Complete the activity for each set of homonyms, and check off and study the words that give you trouble. You may want to work in groups of two or three.
all ready completely prepared
already previously; before
We were all ready to start the play, but the audience was still being seated.
I have already called the police.
Fill in the blanks: I am ____________ for the economics examination because
I have __________ studied the chapter three times.
brake stop; the stopping device in a vehicle
break come apart
His car bumper has a sticker reading, "I brake for animals."
"I am going to break up with Bill if he keeps seeing other women," said Rita.
Fill in the blanks: When my car's emergency ___________ slipped, the car rolled back and demolished my neighbor's rose garden, causing a ____________ in our good relations with each other.
coarse rough
course part of a meal; a school subject; direction; certainly (as in of course ).
By the time the waitress served the customers the second course of the meal, she was aware of their coarse eating habits.
Fill in the blanks: Ted felt that the health instructor's humor was too ___________ for his taste and was glad when he finished the _________.
hear perceive with the ear
here in this place
"The salespeople act as though they don't see or hear me, even though I've been standing here for fifteen minutes," the woman complained.
Fill in the blanks: "Did you __________ about the distinguished visitor who just came into town and is staying _________ at this very hotel "
hole an empty spot
whole entire
"I can't believe I ate the whole pizza," moaned Ralph. "I think it's going to make a hole in my stomach lining."
Fill in the blanks: The ________ time I was at the party I tried to conceal the ________ I had in my pants.
its belonging to it
it's shortened form of it is or it has
The car blew its transmission (the transmission belonging to it, the car).
It's (it has) been raining all week and it's (it is) raining now.
Fill in the blanks: __________ hot and unsanitary in the restaurant kitchen I work in, and I don't think the restaurant deserves ___________ good reputation.
knew past form of know
new not old
"I had new wallpaper put up," said Sarah.
"I knew there was some reason the place looked better," said Bill.
Fill in the blanks: Lola __________ that getting her hair cut would give her face a ________ look.
know to understand
no a negative
"I don't know why my dog Fang likes to attack certain people," said Martha. "There's no one thing the people have in common."
Fill in the blanks: I __________ of _________ way to tell whether that politician is honest or not.
pair set of two
pear fruit
"What a great pair of legs Tony has," said Lola to Vonnie. Tony didn't hear her, for he was feeling very sick after munching on a green pear.
Fill in the blanks: In his lunch box was a _________ of _________ s.
passed went by; succeeded in; handed to
past time before the present; beyond, as in "We worked past closing time."
Someone passed him a wine bottle; it was the way he chose to forget his unhappy past.
Fill in the blanks: I walked __________ the instructor's office but was afraid to ask her whether or not I had __________ the test.
peace calm
piece part
Nations often risk world peace by fighting over a piece of land.
Fill in the blanks: Martha did not have any ___________ until she gave her dog a ___________ of meat loaf.
plain simple
plane aircraft
The movie star dressed in plain clothes and with no makeup so she would not stand out on the plane.
Fill in the blanks: The game-show contestant opened the small box wrapped in ________ brown paper and found inside the keys to his own jet ___________.
principal main; a person in charge of a school
principle law, standard, or rule
Pete's high school principal had one principal problem: Pete. This was because there were only two principles in Pete's life: rest and relaxation.
Fill in the blanks: The _________ reason she dropped out of school was that she believed in the ___________ of complete freedom of choice.
TIP It might help to remember that the e in principle is also in rule -the meaning of principle.
right correct; opposite of left
write put words on paper
If you have the right course card, I'll write your name on the class roster.
Fill in the blanks: Eddie thinks I'm weird because I ___________ with both my _________ and my left hand.
than used in comparisons
then at that time
When we were kids, my friend Elaine had prettier clothes than I did. I really envied her then.
Fill in the blanks: Marge thought she was better ___________ the rest of us, but _________ she got the lowest grade on the history test.
TIP It might help to remember that then (with an e ) is also a time signal.
their belonging to them
there at that place; neutral word used with verbs like is, are, was, were, have, and had
they're shortened form of they are
Two people own that van over there (at that place). They're (they are) going to move out of their apartment (the apartment belonging to them) and into the van, in order to save money.
Fill in the blanks: ____________ not going to invite us to ___________ table because _________ is no room for us to sit down.
threw past form of throw
through from one side to the other; finished
The fans threw so much litter onto the field that the teams could not go through with the game.
Fill in the blanks: When Mr. Jefferson was __________ screaming about the violence on television, he ___________ the newspaper at his dog.
to verb part, as in to smile; toward, as in "I'm going to heaven"
too overly, as in "The pizza was too hot"; also, as in "The coffee was hot, too."
two the number 2
Tony drove to the park to be alone with Lola. (The first to means "toward"; the second to is a verb part that goes with be.)
Tony's shirt is too tight, too. (The first too means "overly"; the second too means "also.")
You need two hands (2 hands) to handle a Whopper.
Fill in the blanks: ___________ times tonight, you have been ___________ ready __________ make assumptions without asking questions first.
wear to have on
where in what place
Fred wanted to wear his light pants on the hot day, but he didn't know where he had put them.
Fill in the blanks: Exactly __________ on my leg should I ____________ this elastic bandage
weather atmospheric conditions
whether if it happens that; in case; if
Some people go on vacations whether or not the weather is good.
Fill in the blanks: I always ask Bill __________ or not we're going to have a storm, for his bad knee can feel rainy ___________ approaching.
whose belonging to whom
who's shortened form of who is and who has
Who's the instructor whose students are complaining
Fill in the blanks: __________ the guy ________ car I saw you in
your belonging to you
you're shortened form of you are
You're (meaning "you are") not going to the fair unless your brother (the brother belonging to you) goes with you.
Fill in the blanks: __________ going to have to put aside individual differences and play together for the sake of ___________ team.