Homophones - Toe v Tow

Toe (noun)

Ø      It’s a pity this pair of shoes is too small for me. I could feel my toes being squashed as I slipped my foot into the shoe.

Tow (verb) – to pull a vehicle along using a rope or a chain tied to another vehicle.

Ø      All the vehicles involved in that terrible accident had to be towed away.

Ø      The damaged boat was finally towed to safety after being stranded at sea for more than a day.

Similes with As - As nice as pie

Meaning – very friendly

Ø      John’s as nice as pie today. I can’t help but wonder if he’s up to something.

Ø      Hannah’s very popular at her company. She’s as nice as pie and everyone adores her.

Common Idioms - Fly Off the Handle

Meaning – to get very angrily very easily/quickly

·        Despite being one of the best doctors in town, not many people like working with Frank because he flies off the handle at the slightest thing.

·        Sean seems very irritable lately. I noticed he flies off the handle over the most trivial (= having little value or importance) matters. 

Homonyms - Tip (As a Verb and Noun)

1.  (verb) – one side higher

·        Don’t put too many items on one end of the table or it’ll tip over.

2.  (verb) – to weigh

·         We knew John was overweight, but none of us expected him to tip the scales at 95kg!

3.  (verb) – payment

·        The customer was so pleased with John that she tipped hin $50.

4.  (noun) – information

·         Thanks for sharing that diet tip with me! I saw results in less than a week.

5.  (noun) – payment

·         John was grinning the whole morning because he received a handsome (=big) tip from a wealthy customer.

6.  (noun) – end

·         I tried standing on the tip of my toes, but I still couldn’t reach the switch.

Proverbs and Sayings - Many Hands Make Light Work

Meaning – the more people there are to help with a job, the less work each person needs to do, thus, making it easier for everyone.

• I was surprised at how much more got done around the house when I had some help from the children. It’s like they say, many hands make light work.
• I wouldn’t have been able to get home in time for dinner had it not been for my team of dedicated staff. Indeed, many hands make light work.   

Common Idioms - To Have Something At Your Fingertips

Meaning – to know something really well and be able to produce facts and information about it quickly when asked

• It’s no wonder Sarah is such a good tour guide. She’s got the entire European history at her fingertips!
• I was amazed that the new nurse was so efficient. It turns out she’s got all the names of the drugs along with their respective prices at her fingertips.

Homophones - Rest v Wrest

Rest

• There is only one bottle of water in the car. Where are the rest of them?
• After hours of walking, we finally found a nice café to sit down and rest.

Wrest (verb) – to violently pull sth away from someone.

• After what seemed like forever, Ryan finally managed to wrest the knife from the intruder’s hand.

Similes with As - As hot as a furnace

Meaning – very hot

• Could someone please turn on the fan and open the windows? It is as hot as a furnace in this room!
• Many people seem to think it’s fun to be a chef because you get to experiment with all types of food. What they don’t realize is that the kitchen is as hot as a furnace when the chefs are at work.

Grammar - Enough

The rules are:

1. Enough + noun (enough money / enough people etc.)

·         Have you got enough money for your trip?

·         We wanted to play volleyball but we didn’t have enough players.

·         Is there enough milk at home?

2. Enough without a noun 

·         I’ve got some money but not enough to buy an apartment. (= I need more money to buy an apartment)

·         ‘Would like some more rice?’     ‘No, thanks. I’ve had enough.

·         You’re always working. You don’t rest enough.

3. Adjective + enough (good enough / tall enough etc.)

·         ‘Can you drive?’      ‘No, I’m not old enough.’ (not ‘enough old’)

·         Is the soup warm enough for you?

·         Don’t buy that shoe. It’s nice but it’s not big enough. (= it’s too small)

  Note:

  Enough + noun           but                 adjective + enough

  enough money                                         old enough

  enough milk                                             big enough

  enough chairs                                         strong enough

4. We say:

 Enough for (somebody/something)

·         This jacket isn’t big enough for my brother.

·         I haven’t got enough money for an apartment.

     Enough to (do something)

·                     I haven’t got enough money to buy an apartment. (not ‘for buy a car’)

·                     Is your English fluent enough to hold a conversation? (not ‘for hold’)

      Enough for (somebody/something) to (do something)

·                     There aren’t enough chairs for the guests to sit down.

Homophones - Tire v Tyre

Tire (verb) – to begin to feel tired and the need to rest or sleep, or to make someone feel this way.

·        I notice I tire very easily if I don’t have a nap in the afternoon these days. I must be getting old.

·        We try never to rush my grandmother when she’s out with us as we don’t want to tire her.

·        She started out strong at the beginning of the match. However, it looks like she’s starting to tire now.

Tyre (noun) – a thick rubber ring found on cars

• Jessica was so relieved that her brother was with her when she got a flat tyre this morning.
• I make it a habit to check the air pressure of my spare tyre every now and then.  

Common Idioms - A Fighting Chance

Meaning – a small chance of success, but one that certainly exists. 

·         If we can only get to meet the director, we’ve got a fighting chance of persuading her to attend our next exhibition.

·         Despite being the underdog, I think we still have a fighting chance of winning this match.

Homonyms - Utter (As a Verb and an Adjective)

1.   (verb) – to say sth or make a sound with your voice

·        They sat through an entire meal together without uttering a single      word to each other.

2.   (adjective) – complete

·         There was utter chaos at the hypermarket as people rushed to grab          the bare essentials like rice, milk and   bread.

·         Soaking in the bathtub after a long day at work is utter bliss.

·         Ben looked at me in utter disbelief as I related the entire incident to          him.

Similes With As - As Happy As A Lark

Meaning – very happy

• Denise was as happy as a lark when she got was rewarded with a fat bonus by the company.
• I’d be as happy as a lark if I manage to find my dream home.

Homonyms - Rash (As a noun and adjective)

(Noun) - an area of red spots that grows on people's skin , usually caused by an illness or a reaction to sth
- I come out in a rash if I consume alcohol.
- Poor Tim woke up this morning covered in a rash.


(Adjective) - reckless
- It was a bit rash of you to lend him so much money.
- Please don't do anything rash while you are studying abroad.