English Grammar for ESL Students - Common

Grammatical Troublemakers
April 12th, 2009
It`s been said that English is one oI the most diIIicult languages in the world to learn because it
has so many exceptions to its own rules. One problem students oI English as a second language
Iace are homophones words that sound alike but have entirely diIIerent meanings. Another
common problem is single words that can be pronounced diIIerently depending on the context oI
the sentence. Some oI these words sound more or less alike depending on the accent oI the
native speaker.
The Iollowing are some examples oI common troublemakers. For best results, read these
through several times, and then try to identiIy examples oI their usage in the real world. For
example, pick up an English language book you`re working through and see iI you can identiIy
some oI these homophones in action.
Red: the color vs. Read: to have read a book Read: to be reading a book vs. Reed: a plant
For example: John said he read the red book, but he still needed to read the book on reeds.
Blue: the color or emotion Blew: the past tense oI the verb to blow
For example: John was Ieeling blue when he blew out the blue candles on his birthday cake (blue
as an emotion reIers to a Ieeling oI sadness or mild depression.)
Meet: to encounter a person Meat: Ilesh oI animals consumed Ior Iood
For example: John wanted to meet me at the meat counter oI the grocery store.
Poor: lacking money or an adjective Pour: as to pour a liquid Irom a container Pore: a small
opening in the skin
For example: Poor John. He wanted to pour lemon juice on his skin to tighten his pores, but he
was too poor to aIIord it.
Right: to be correct, or the direction opposite leIt Write: to compose or transcribe words using
pen and paper
For example: John was right the best table to write at was on the right side oI the library.
Kitty: a small cat or kitten Kitty: a group oI Iunds pooled together
For example: John`s kitty wanted to play poker, but it had no money to ante up Ior the kitty.
Weeding: to remove weeds Wedding: a marriage ceremony
For example: John Iinished weeding the garden with plenty oI time beIore the wedding was to
begin.
Desert: an arid environment Dessert: a sweet dish or pastry oIten served at the end oI a meal
For example: Lost in the desert, John could only dream oI the ice cream he had had Ior dessert.
They`re: a contraction oI the words they are There: a location Their: a possessive pronoun
For example: They`re sure they leIt their car over there by the big oak tree.
To: the preposition Two: the number 2 Too: meaning also or an adverb meaning excessively
For example: John wanted to go to the movies with his two brothers too but he was too tired.
As you can see, although many oI these word combinations can be tricky, they`re oIten spelled
diIIerently. Use these clues to help determine which word to use in any given situation.