Selamat Hari Raya to All Muslim Readers!

Here's wishing all Muslim readers Selamat Hari Raya! May you have a joyous and blessed celebration with your family and friends!

Warm regards.

May 

Homonyms - Lean (As a Verb and Adjective)

1. (verb) - to cause to slope in one direction or to move the upper part of the body in a particular direction.                                                    - Mike leaned forward to listen more closely to what Kelly had to say.        - The neighbour's mango tree seems to be leaning over to our side.           
2. (adj) - not fat.                                                                                        - After months of dieting and exercising, Ken looks lean and fit.                - Jake's lean physique allows him the freedom to wear almost anything.                                 
3. (adj) - efficient.                                                                                    - It seems management is trying to keep the company as lean as            possible by reducing wastage and laying off employees.                                                                  

Confusing and Misused Words - Forth v Fourth

Forth (adverb)

out or away (from one place) or (from a aprticular point) in time forward

Ø     Mary tried to calm her crying baby by rocking it back and forth.

Ø     The group of friends set forth on their Asian tour in early August.

Ø     Luke met with an accident while drinking and driving a few months ago. From that day forth, he never drank again.

Fourth – an ordinal number (4^th).

Ø     Daniel was delighted that he finished fourth in the marathon.

Ø     Sally’s house is the fourth one before the junction.

Idiomatic Pairs of Nouns - A Hue and Cry

Meaning – a general protest of public anger or disapproval.

Ø     The introduction of the goods and service tax (GST) last year caused a great hue and cry.

Ø     There was a hue and cry when the government recently removed subsidies for essential items like sugar and oil. 

Words From the Same Family - Please v Pleasing

Please

1.     (exclamation) - used to make a polite request.

Ø     Could I have a glass of water, please?

Ø     Please remember to close all the windows and lock all the doors before you leave.

2.     (verb) – to make someone happy or satisfied.

Ø     Poor Sarah only got married to please her family.

Ø     Sam is such a sweet boy. He’s always so eager to please.

Pleasing (adj) – to give a feeling of satisfaction or enjoyment.

Ø     The music in the background is so pleasing to the ear (= to listen to).

Ø     It was pleasing to know that the customers were satisfied with the food.

Homophones - Letter v Latter

Letter (noun) – a written message, usually sent by post.

Ø     Due to the long holiday, it took nearly a week before I received the letter from the bank.

Ø     Now that we can easily email each other, hardly anyone ever writes letters anymore.

Ø     Upon receiving my grandaunt’s letter, my grandmother immediately opened it and read it out loud to the rest of the family.

Latter (adj) – the second of two names, things or groups previously mentioned.

Ø     I had to choose between making more money and taking a holiday, and I chose the latter.

Words From The Same Family - Time v Timely

Time (noun) - seconds, minutes, hours, days, weeks, months, years.

• Time flies (= passes quickly) when you're having fun.
• Paula likes sitting at cafes to pass the time.
• We'd save a lot of time if we took the train. 
• I worked as a part time waitress for a short period of time when I was in college.

Timely (adj) - sth happening at the best possible moment.

• The strengthening of the Ringgit (RM) not only provided a timely boost to the company's stagnant (= not moving) profits, but also made travelling abroad more affordable for the rest of us.
• Tom's timely reminder saved me a lot of time and unnecessary stress.