Learning English is fun. Besides the pronunciation that does not follow what is spelt and the same word can be pronounced differently to bear different meanings as pointed out in my earlier post entitled 'English Is Fun to Learn', the same word can also act as different parts of speech to denote difference in meanings.
The following are examples of this group of words.
Example 1: fare
a What is bus fare from here to town? [the amount of money you have to pay for travelling on a bus]
b How did you fare in the interview? [experience]
Example 2: lot
a We sympathise with the lot of the destitute.
b His house was built on the first lot of the land.
Example 3: raise
a Please raise your hand if you want to ask anything.
b The farmers raise cattle for meat and milk.
Example 4: fence
a He erected a fence around his house for safety.[a barrier enclosing an area]
b The thief sold his loot to a fence.
[a dealer in stolen goods]
Example 5: fine
a My mother used fine sugar when mixing it with flour.
b The motorist was asked to pay a fine of RM300 for speeding.
Example 6: bear
a A bear is a furry creature.
b The tree has started to bear fruit.
[produce]
Example 7: catch
a The fisherman managed to catch enough for a living.
b What is the catch in this seemingly good offer? [disadvantage]
Example 8: beam
a The kidnapped boy could see a beam of light coming fro the leaked roof.
b They used to beam at me when I walked in front of them.[smile]
Example 9: shower
a I have a shower in the morning daily.
b Mothers usually shower love to their newly-born children.
Example 10: surface
a The fish comes to the surface of the water to breathe.
b How long do we need to wait for more rotten apples to surface before action is taken against them.
4 comments:
This was interesting and fun to read.
To me the most bothering thing at the moment are the differences between American and British English:
colour - color
favour - favor
maths - math
I have learned British since I am European and am trying to stick to it but even Windows is trying to convert me;)
Thanks for inviting me to your Blog. I hope our blogs have a lot of interaction so we can learn from each other, fred
Learning English is really fun.The meaning will be different too once you pronounce it in a different tone and inflection.
It's nice to be here on your blog.thanks for the invite.see you!
You know I never considered English fun. I was always bored in class and had my mind elsewhere. It is only the past 10 years or so that I've been more alert to the rules of the language.
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