Homonyms- Drive (As a Verb and Noun)

(verb) - operate

• Tim drives like a maniac (= mad person)! I am never getting into his car again!

(noun)  
1. trip

• Thankfully, the 3-hour drive to my aunt's house was a pleasant one.  
• The Johnsons went for a drive in the country last Saturday and loved it.

2. desire

• His drive to be successful was so great that he became the CFO of a multinational company by the time he was 35.
• Melissa's boss was so impressed by her drive and focus to succeed that he immediately hired her.

Homonyms - Voice (As a Verb and Noun)

1. (noun) - Sound coming from the mouth.

• Sarah lost her voice again when she caught the flu two days ago.
• John lowered his voice when he spoke to avoid being heard by the others in the room.

2. (verb) - To express feelings, opinion etc. 

• Upon voicing his dissatisfaction for his meal, the restaurant immediately responded by serving John a complimentary dessert.   
• Mr Johnson voiced his concern when his son insisted on travelling despite the recent Coronavirus outbreak.

Homophones - Break v Brake

Break (verb) 

1. to damage something. 

• Ken broke a cup as he was rushing for work this morning.
• Sam fell and nearly broke his wrist in the shower.

2. to destroy or end something.

• After what seemed like ages, Peter finally spoke and that broke the silence in the room.
• The robbers left empty-handed (= with nothing) when they failed to break the security code of the safe. 

Brake 

1. (noun) - a  device that makes a vehicle slow down or stop.

• Sally didn't realise she had no brakes on her bicycle and almost crashed into a tree.
• John suddenly slammed on his brakes when he saw a dog trying to cross the road. 

2. (verb) - to make a vehicle slow down or stop by using its brakes.

• Mark is very fond of braking sharply at the last minute. It's no wonder his family and friends don't trust him behind the wheel.
• Remember to brake gently when it gets icy.

Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

Dear readers,

Before we all leave for the long festive holiday, I would like to take this opportunity to wish all our friends here a blessed Christmas and a Happy New Year! For those of you travelling, be safe on the road. Looking forward to even more exciting and amazing times in 2020!


May Naik

Homonyms - Tear (As a Verb and Noun)

1. (verb) - To pull apart.

• I tore my pants while hiking this morning.
• Be careful with the book or you just might tear its pages. 

2. (noun) - A hole in a piece of paper, cloth or                       other material.

• I noticed a small tear in one of the pages in this book. 
• Sally didn't notice the tear in her shirt till her mother mentioned it.

3. (noun) - Liquid that flows from the eye as a result of pain or unhappiness.

• Tears started flowing down Wendy's cheeks when she couldn't find her favourite doll.
• Did you notice the tears in his eyes when he talked about his mother?

Words From The Same Family - Dependent v Dependable

Dependent (adj) - to need help.

• Sam has three dependent family members - his parents and his younger sister.
• Despite being in his late 20s, Tim is still financially dependent on his parents. 

Dependable (adj) - can be relied upon.

• We are delighted to have a dependable babysitter to take care of our children.
• I need a dependable car as I travel a lot for work.

Words From the Same Family - Convenient V Conveniently V Convenience

Convenient (adj) - suitable for ones purpose/need

• Our neighbourhood mall's convenient operating hours made it extremely popular among the residents.
• It's so convenient that we live within walking distance from the office.
• What time would be convenient for me to call you tomorrow?

Conveniently (adverb) 

• I was delighted to learn that the train station was conveniently located near my hotel.

Convenience (noun) - being easy.

• We just love the convenience of living near the mall and office.
• Just for convenience, I am going to stay with my friend while I am in Singapore next month.