Spoonful #20: HOMOPHONE FUN

In honor of my 20th Spoonful, it's time for some HOMOPHONE fun! So what are HOMOPHONES? Words that sound (phone) the same (homo) but have different meanings, origins, and/or spellings. Determining which is (witch) which can cause much confusion. 

There are lots of HOMOPHONES, but the most commonly used and confused ones include CONTRACTIONS. Instead of telling you which definition belongs with which word, you'll have a chance to match them yourselves. Answers will be given at the end. No peeking!!

1.)ITS
2.)IT'S

One means "belonging to it" and the other means "it is."

3.)THEIR
4.)THEY'RE
5.)THERE

One means "they are," another means "belonging to them," and the third means "Where? Not here but over _______.)

6.) YOU'RE
7.) YOUR
8.) YORE

One means "belonging to you," another means "you are," and the third means "in days gone by."

9.) WE'VE
10.) WEAVE

One means "knit, thread, or wind" and the other means "we have."

ANSWER KEY:
1.) ITS = belonging to it (the possessive form)
2.) IT'S = it is 
3.) THEIR = belonging to them
4.) THEY'RE = they are
5.) THERE = Where? Not here but over there. 
6.) YOU'RE = you are
7.) YOUR = belonging to you
8.) YORE = in days gone by
9.) WE'VE = we have
10.) WEAVE = knit, thread, or wind

WORD OF ADVICE: Whenever you see a CONTRACTION, break it apart. If "it is," "you are," or "they are" works in your sentence, then "it's," "you're," or "they're" will also work. Trust me, its vs. it's (and other HOMOPHONE pairs like that) WILL appear as questions in the PSAT/SAT/ACT Writing Sections! If you follow this tip, you'll easily determine the correct answers. 

I hope you found this spoonful helpful and a wee bit of fun. I aim to help writers of all ages, and welcome you to share this blog with your friends and family. 

Sincerely,
Laura Fineberg Cooper

---