Homonyms - Cross (As a Verb and Noun)

1. (verb) - Go across.

• Turn right after crossing the bridge.
• This is not the best place to cross the road.
• We crossed from Vienna into Prague just as the sun was about to set.

2. (verb) - To annoy.

• I wouldn't cross John if I were you, not if you value peace in the house.

3. (noun) - To mark.

• Put a cross next to your answers. 
• There was a huge red cross on the door. So, we assumed no one was allowed to enter the room.

Verbal Idioms - Bite Someone's Head Off

Meaning - to speak angrily or aggressively to someone. 

• I'm sorry for interrupting you during the meeting. However, you needn't have bitten my head off!
• Mr Wilkins was so upset with Rachael for missing the project deadline that he bit her head off.

Homophones - Flair v Flare

Flair (noun) - to be naturally good at doing sth.

• Sarah's flair for languages made it easy for her to master Spanish within months.
• Although Vincent has a flair for public speaking, he seldom gives speeches or talks.

Flare (verb) - to get worse.

• Violence flared up again in the streets last night.
• Tempers flared after hours of delay at the airport.

Homonyms - Drain (As a Noun and Verb)

Drain 

1. (verb) - to remove liquid.

• We drained the bathtub and filled it with fresh water.
• Drain the rice thoroughly before cooking it.

2. (verb) - to make tired. 

• Babysitting my niece completely drains me.
• Sam finds rushing from appointment to appointment draining.

3. (noun) - pipe.

• The drain outside our house has been blocked for days.

Verbal Idioms - Blow One's Own Trumpet

Meaning - to boast about one's own abilities or achievements.

• Steve loves to blow his own trumpet. That's why no one takes him seriously.
• While Eric doesn't believe in blowing his own trumpet, he certainly doesn't shy away (=avoid) from praise or compliments.

Confusing and Misused Words - Boring v Bored

Boring (adj) - not interesting or exciting.

• The lecture was so boring that Sam fell asleep within minutes. 
• I think it's time to go shopping for new clothes. My wardrobe looks so dull and boring. 

Bored (adj) - feeling unhappy or restless because sth is not interesting or you have nothing to do.

• Michael finally took the children out after they got bored of sitting at home all day.
• I'm so bored of eating the same thing for the past week.

Homophones - Rain v Rein

Rain (noun) - drops of water that come from clouds.

• Despite the light rain, traffic was at a standstill for hours.
• John got caught in pouring rain. As a result, he was grumpy the whole morning.

Rein (noun) - power and control over a company, business, country or activity.

• The eldest prince took over the reins shortly after the old emperor fell very ill.
• Despite his age and poor health, Mr Kent isn't keen to hand the reins to his successor.

Confusing and Misused Words - Accept v Except

Accept (verb) - to take

• Does this store accept credit cards for purchases under $30?
• I'm glad Sam was mature enough to accept full responsibility for his mistakes.
• I've just been invited to my cousin's wedding in London, but I haven't decided whether to accept (= to say yes).

Except (preposition, conjunction) - not including

• My favourite restaurant is open every day except Wednesdays. 
• Everyone was at the party except Daniel.
• She couldn't eat anything except porridge when she was sick.
• The government has few options except to cut back on spending.

Homonyms - Bright (As an Adjective)

1. Bright

• I like the fact that my hotel room is bright and airy.
• Due to the bright sunlight, we had to wear sunglasses throughout the day.

2. Colour

• Melissa's bright top made it easy to spot her in the crowd.
• John's face turned bright red when his crush started talking to him at the party.

3. Intelligent

• Eric's always full of bright ideas and suggestions. It's no wonder his family and friends always want his opinion on things.
• These children are obviously very bright. They read a lot and are always asking questions.

Words From The Same Family - Hard v Hardly

Hard (adj) 

1. Sth that is not easy to bend, break or cut.

• I didn't get much sleep last night as the hotel bed was as hard as a rock.
• John took the chicken out from the refrigerator over two hours ago but it's still really hard. 

2. Difficult.

• I can only imagine how hard it must be being a single mother of two children.
• Daniel's daughter always complains about Science being a hard subject.

3. Require effort.

• Getting to the top of the hill was hard work but definitely worth it.
• Try giving the door a good hard push and see if it opens.

Hardly (adverb) - barely, almost not.

• The students sitting at the back of the class could hardly hear what the teacher was saying.
• Hannah hardly ate anything today as she was down with a terrible flu.
• The children hardly ever (= almost never) have time to do anything but study when they are preparing for their exams. 

Similes with As - As Sly As A Fox

Meaning - clever, cunning.

• Danny is as sly as a fox. I definitely wouldn't do business with him.
• James always manages to get his brother to do his chores for him. It's no wonder his parents say that he's as sly as a fox. 

Homophones - Plane v Plain

Plane (noun) - a vehicle designed specifically for air travel.

• We were caught in heavy traffic on the way to the airport yesterday. Thankfully, we arrived just in time to catch our plane.  
• I hope to get some rest once we board the plane.

Plain (adj) - with nothing added.

• My relatives have chosen to have plain white walls in the living room.
• It's no wonder Danny always skips dessert. He's used to plain food.

Homophones - Pray v Prey

Pray (verb) - to speak to a god either privately or in a religious ceremony.

• We're having the party in the garden. So, I'm praying for good weather tomorrow.
• John knelt in front of the alter and prayed silently before leaving the church in a haste (=rush).

Prey (noun) - an animal that is hunted and killed for food.

• The seal is a common prey of sharks.
• The tiger gave chase when its prey tried to escape.

Idiomatic Noun and Adjective Phrases - A Carbon Copy (Of Someone/Something)

Meaning - Someone or something that is a lot like another.

• People often remark (= say) that my brother is a carbon copy of my father.

• The market trend we are seeing is almost a carbon copy of what took place in the US five years ago. 

Homonym - Lie (As a Noun and Verb)

(verb) - to be in a horizontal position on a flat surface, like a bed or table.

• Randy enjoys lying on the beach for hours when he is on holiday.
• Poor Tim had to lie in bed for days when he sprained his ankle last week.

(verb) - to be untruthful.

• Ken lies so much that no one believes anything he says.
• Lenny was furious when she found out that her boyfriend had lied to her.

(noun) - something that you say that you know is untrue. 

• I always try to avoid people who like to spread lies and rumours.
• The football star insisted that the news about him having an affair was a lie.

Homonyms - Seal (As a Noun and Verb)

Seal

1. (noun) - a mammal that eats fish and lives on land and in the sea.

• The crowd really enjoyed the seals and dolphins performance at the zoo today.
• We sailed past a group of seals during our tour this morning. 

2. (verb) - to cover or close sth.

• Remember to seal the envelope before posting it.
• I hope the mall's management seals this massive ( = very big) hole before someone falls into it.

3. (verb) - to secure sth 

• James was over the moon (= very happy) when he managed to seal the deal after 2 hours of negotiation with his client.

Homophones - Steel v Steal

Steel (noun) - a type of strong metal used for making things like vehicles and buildings.

• The gate was locked with a huge padlock and a heavy steel chain.
• It seems the steel industry is doing well despite the gloomy economy.

Steal (verb) - to take sth that doesn't belong to you and keeping it.

• Daniel was fired after he admitted to stealing from the company.  
• Robbers broke into the wealthy man's house and stole all his money, watches and jewellery.

Words From The Same Family - Tire v Tireless v Tiresome

Tire (verb) - to begin to feel tired.

• Even walking up the stairs tires my aging grandmother these days.
• The long journey had tired us.

Tireless (adj) - to work energetically and continuously.

• The police have been tireless in their search for the missing child.
• Everyone at the company knows as Sam as a tireless and helpful employee.

Tiresome (adj) - annoying.

• Tim has the tiresome habit of asking the same questions over and over again.
• I find it tiresome doing house chores every week.

Homophones: Land v Lend

Land (noun): the surface of the earth that is not covered by water.

• My relatives bought a plot of land to build their dream home a few years ago.
• Land has become so scarce (= not easy to find or get) in the city. It's no wonder it's so expensive to own a piece of property now. 

Lend (verb): to give something to someone, expecting it to be returned in future.

• Michelle doesn't like lending people her books as she doesn't always get them back. 
• James only consented (= agreed) to lend Michael some money because Michael had lost his job.

Words From The Same Family - Differ v Different

Differ (verb) - not the same when compared to sth or someone else in one (or more than one) way.

• The twins may look identical (= exactly the same or very similar), but they differ in everything else.
• Matthew's views (= opinion) on marriage differs greatly from those of his parents.

Different (adj) - not the same.

• Randy finds dining at different restaurants every week fun and exciting.
• Alex is very different now that he's started working.
• Freedom means different things to different people.

Homonyms - Close (As a Verb and Adjective)

(verb) - not open.

• James was restless, but he closed his eyes and tried to get some rest.
• Sandra was very annoyed that the bank was closed by the time she got there.

(verb) - to end.

• Maria closed the meeting with a short thank you speech.

(adj) - relationship.

• Sandy and Tania are extremely (=very) close. In fact, they are always seen together
• Alex and Kelly got were close friends for many years before they started dating each other.

Here's wishing all my Chinese readers Gong Xi Fa Cai! May the year of the dog bring more joy, laughter, happiness, prosperity and health to us all!  

Verbal Idioms - Be Too Funny For Words

Meaning - to be really funny

- John's just too funny for words. He got everyone at the party laughing at his jokes last night.

- That comedy was just too funny for words. It's no wonder everyone including the children enjoyed it thoroughly (= very much).

Homophones: Merry v Marry

Merry

1.  (adj) – happy

Ø      I envy how Kate can always be so merry. It’s like she doesn’t have a care in the world.

Ø      It’s always great to hear the merry sound of laughter at family gatherings.

2.  (adj) – slightly drunk.

Ø      Jessica tends to get a bit merry after a few drinks.

Ø      Sam made sure he stopped drinking the moment he got merry as he had an early meeting the next day.

Marry (verb) – to become the legally accepted husband or wife of another person.

Ø      William has been single for so long. His family and friends doubt he’d ever get married.

Ø      Everyone is so excited that Ethan is finally going to ask Ruth to marry him.