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.

Homonyms - Tie (As a Noun and Verb)

Tie

1.   (verb) – fasten

Ø     Tie your shoelaces before you trip over them.

Ø     Tanya likes to tie her hair back when she’s at work.

2.   (verb) – finish equal

Ø     I was delighted when John and I tied for the first time in the Mathematics quiz.

Ø     We tied with a team from the North in the football match.

3.   (noun) – a long, thin piece of material usually worn by men, and tied in a knot at the front.

Ø     My father always avoids wearing a tie if possible.

Ø     All male employees in this company are expected to wear a jacket and tie to work.

Homophones: Branch v Brunch

Branch (noun) 

1. one of the offices that form part of a big organization.

• Jessica is always so busy because she's a branch manager of a large bank.
• The company is planning to close several of its rural branches.
• I like banking with HSBC because they have two branches near where I live.

2. tree part.

• We are going to try and pluck the mangoes on the lower branches of the tree.

Brunch (noun) - a meal eaten in the late morning and combines both breakfast and lunch.

• My family and I love having brunch together on weekends.
• Since we woke up late this morning, we decided to skip breakfast and have brunch instead.

Verbal Idioms: Bring to Light

Meaning - Reveal, Disclose, To make sth known

Ø      Her research has brought to light new information about the singer’s life as a poor student.

Ø      The police investigation brought to light the extent of the corruption in   the company.