Homonyms, homophones, and other confusing word pairs…

Here is a little quiz. The answers are provided, of course!

1. I need to add a (copywrite/copy right/copyright) page to my new book.

2. Come by my house (anytime, any time) to pick up the book.

3. We (past/passed) by your house on our way to the party.

4. The (principle/principal) rule of the game is creating the most words in the shortest amount of time. 

5. My brother is afraid of dogs (because of/due to) being badly bitten by a chihuahua as a child.

6. The valuable vase broke because I (accidently/accidentally) knocked it over. 

7. My grandparents (immigrated/emigrated) from Ukraine to the United States. 

8. Those things you read about me in the newspaper are false and are (libel/slander).

9. The homecoming parade always (proceeds/precedes/preceeds) the game.

10.  Since the new traffic light was installed, the (amount/number) of accidents has greatly decreased.

11. I have all six issues of the (bimonthly/semimonthly) community magazine from last year.

12. The puppy ate all (it’s/its’/its) food and begged for more. 

13. Amanda was the (soul/sole) student who got an A on that calculus test. 

14. Always buy (inflammable/nonflammable) pajamas for babies and children. 

15. I was so proud when my son (lead/led) the parade as the drum major.

16. After thinking about it for a while, I found I was not (averse/adverse) to your plan after all; I think it is a great idea.

17. Boston is the (capitol/capital) of Massachusetts.

18. (Almost/Most) everyone is going on the field trip.

19. The (foreword/foreward/forward) of the book is written by a famous musician.

20. It has been (awhile/a while) since I have seen you.

Scroll down for the answers . . .

 

 

Keep going . . .

 

 

A little more . . .

 

 

One more time (You wouldn’t need to do this if I could figure out how to use a quiz maker!)

 

1. I need to add a (copywrite/copy right/copyright) page to my new book.

2. Come by my house (anytime, any time) to pick up the book. (Any time means “some amount of time”: Do you have any time this week?)

3. We (past/passed) by your house on our way to the party.

4. The (principle/principal) rule of the game is creating the most words in the shortest amount of time. (Principle is a rule; principal means “the main one.”)

5. My brother is afraid of dogs (because of/due to) being badly bitten by a chihuahua as a child. (Because of is not used after the “is” verb. Due to means “resulting from.” I can’t really figure this one out either!)

6. The valuable vase broke because I (accidently/accidentally) knocked it over. 

7. My grandparents (immigrated/emigrated) from Ukraine to the United States. (Immigrate to and emigrate from.)

8. Those things you read about me in the newspaper are false and are (libel/slander). (Libel is written. Slander is spoken.)

9. The homecoming parade always (proceeds/precedes/preceeds) the game. (Proceed is to move along; preceed isn’t a word.)

10.  Since the new traffic light was installed, the (amount/number) of accidents has greatly decreased. (Number is used for things that can be counted or plurals — number of accidents, amount of danger.)

11. I have all six issues of the (bimonthly/semimonthly) community magazine from last year. (Bimonthly is generally every other month; semimonthly is twice a month.)

12. The puppy ate all (it’s/its’/its) food and begged for more. (No such thing as its‘.)

13. Amanda was the (soul/sole) student who got an A on that calculus test. (Sole means “only” — except when it is a fish or the bottom of a shoe.)

14. Always buy (inflammable/nonflammable) pajamas for babies and children. (Inflammable actually means the same as flammable and can catch fire.)

15. I was so proud when my son (lead/led) the parade as the drum major. (Sound the same, but lead is in your pencil — maybe.)

16. After thinking about it for a while, I found I was not (averse/adverse) to your plan after all; I think it is a great idea. (Adverse means “unfavorable” and is rarely used with people — sometimes the weather conditions are adverse.)

17. Boston is the (capitol/capital) of Massachusetts. (The only capitols are the actual buildings.)

18. (Almost/Most) everyone is going on the field trip. (If almost makes sense, use it. )

19. The (foreword/foreward/forward) of the book is written by a famous musician. (Remember it has word in it.)

20. It has been (awhile/a while) since I have seen you. (Awhile can be replaced by “for a while.”)

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GRAMMAR DIVA NEWS

I hae pretty much given up complaining to Facebook. It has been 30 days since my account was taken over by hackers, so they are supposed to permanently take down my personal page and business page. Not much I can do about it. Facebook wouldn’t even take down the gaming videos that someone put on my business page. Facebook doesn’t care about hacking. They care only if content goes against their Community Standards. I am not being snide. They actually imply this. I am using my new personal page, and perhaps when (and if) they take down my old business page, I can start a new one — losing my 4000+ page likes. Oh, well…

 

I am on the Board of FAPA (Florida Authors and Publishers), so I will be attending and working at their conference, FAPACon in Orlando July 29 and 30. If you are interested, go to  https://myfapa.org/fapacon/