Live and Learn English with Jean Lee

This Sunday’s on-air challenge of Word Puzzle on NPR (created by Will Shortz) is to find “homophones”. Homophones are each of two or more words having the same pronunciation but different meanings, origins, or spelling. Each of the following sentence ends in "_____ to _____." Put two homophones in the blanks to complete it. Example: The bicycle salesman had an innovative new _____ to _____. --> PEDAL, PEDDLE        1.    The thieves prowling around the Pittsburgh mill were looking for some _____ to _____.    2.    To prepare the dough for the oven, the baker will first _____ to _____.    3.    Since my foot surgery, my toes have gotten better, but I still have to wait for my _____ to _____.    4.    To make some money, the illustrator for the old Disney film has a sample _____ to _____.    5.    Seeing the physic...

“Today's short puzzle is a little unusual. It's all about "U" ... that is, the letter U. See how many of these U-related questions can you answer.” (source from NPR Sunday Word Puzzle aired on April 20th, 2020)   1.    The names of two state capitals end in the letter U. What are they?       2.    The word "you" sounds like the letter U, and it contains the letter U. What two words sound like the letter U but don't contain the letter?   3.    Think of a common four-letter word with a silent U in the third position.   (Hint: I said it in the first sentence of this puzzle's instructions.)      4.    What common household item has a doubled U in its name — that is, two U's in a row?   5.    Think of a 10-letter word starting with U that means "digging up." Drop the U, and the remaining nine letters will spell a two-word phrase that describes ...

Homophones are each of two or more words having the same pronunciation but different meanings, origins, or spelling. They cause confusions in spelling words. Even native English speakers often misspell the words they mean to express. Let’s practice the following homophones by choosing the correct word for each sentence to make sense.        1.    The boy had to read a book (allowed,    aloud) so he could stay awake and forget about horrible thoughts.        2.    The ring leaders of the (band,    banned) strike had a secret meeting to come up with a grand scheme.    3.    All my (aunts,      ants) live in Louisiana.        4.    The couple walked down the aisle and declared their consent and vows before God at the (alter,    altar).    5.    ...

(Source from NPR Sunday Puzzle aired on April 12 th , 2020) H ere’s a fun word ladder with sort of an Easter egg theme. The object is to convert CHICK all the way to HATCH, changing one letter at a time, making a new word each step of the way. I'll give you clues for the steps. You tell me the words. Starting with CHICK, change one letter in it to make ...            1.    The sound of a camera. Then change one letter in that to make ...    2.    A timepiece [etc.]    3.    Unit of a city street    4.    Opposite of white    5.    Devoid of writing or marks    6.    Long, flat piece of lumber    7.    Carpenter's tool    8.    Locale    9.    Informal word of parting    10.    ...

As we are all going through this unprecedentedly difficult time, we need daily dose of humor that could make a great ‘pick-me-up’ or an emotional boost. When was the last time you laughed or even smiled? I find myself too quiet and withdrawn, having this sardonic smile or just a blank look in my own nook at home. Social distancing of six feet away from others makes me feel like six feet under now and then. Face masks with particulate filter would also increase our affective filter among people. How about you guys out there? Let us just hang in there and stop a moment to laugh in this situation full of gravitas, at least once a day. “Like a welcome Summer rain, humor may suddenly cleanse and cool the earth, the air, and you.” ……Langston Hughes       😉 “I don’t do drugs. I am drugs.” ……….. Salvador Dali Reporter: “What do you think of Western Civilization?” Mahatma Gandhi: “It think it would be a great idea!” “The difference between stupidi...

Quite a lot of ESL/EFL learners make a mistake when choosing the right form of verbs or get confused with homophones in a sentence. We don’t need to be a grammar Nazi all the time, but you can’t make yourselves understood in English correctly without grammar.   Here’s a brief quiz to check your grammar ability. Choose the right word/ phrase to make each sentence grammatically correct.     1.   Dennis (was,   has been) in California last winter.     2.   The parents freaked out about (there,    they’re,    their) kids’ safety when there was the first confirmed case of CoVid-19 on campus.          3.   Janet’s dog likes to eat all vegetables (accept,   except) lettuce.     4.   Bob will write you a (cheque,    check) for the items you are buying.          5. ...