Live and Learn English with Jean Lee

HOMONYMS Quite a lot of my EFL students had trouble distinguishing sounds and spellings of English words that are pronounced the same. Even native speakers of English often get confused among the words that sound the same but are spelled differently and have different meanings. Will you try to choose the correct word among the given two homonyms (in parentheses) to make sense of each sentence? E.g., That (bare, bear) animal in the picture is a grizzly (bare, bear) without fur. => answer: bare, bear        1.    The fields of the (barren, baron) were always (barren, baron), so he built houses on the land.        2.    Even though this pet canary is (cheap, cheep), its (cheap, cheep) is loud.        3.    In the (capitol, capital) city, we must visit the (capital, capitol).        4.    The athlete was (bold, bowled) when he (bold, bowled) agains...

Witnessing the tempestuous days since the president of South Korea declared the unlawful martial law on December 3, 2024, I have thought about what’s behind his insanity. Still trying to figure it out to no avail. Just as we all had expected, his final defense at the Constitutional Court was composed of the same old excuses, gibberish, and baloney. It all came down to “I said what I said and that’s that”.   He was unapologetically sticking to his statement even though it had caused such huge chaos in Korea, turning the country into a painfully divided nation. His words showed that he does not regret or feel ashamed about his stance with no intention to change his mind. Now that all the legal process for his impeachment trial has been wrapped up, it is time for the righteous verdict to come out in the light.   I n the name of justice and integrity M ove on to the next shiny chapter together P eaceful days are in store for you E very voice of yours will be heard A s ...

You'll get three words starting with the letters C, P, and R (as in the life-saving technique). For each set, give a fourth word that can follow to complete compound words or familiar two-word phrases. Example: Chain, Priority, Registered --> MAIL (chain mail, priority mail, registered mail)   1. Cable      Patrol      Race   2. Cash      Piano      Roll   3. Cannon      Paint      Racquet   4. Changing      Powder      Rest   5. Card      Periodic      Round   6. Coast      Prison      Rear   7. Cashier's      Pay      Reality     Answer Keys     1.   Car: Cable Car, Patrol Car, Race Car     2. ...

Today, let me give you some sentences with blanks. Try to fill in the blanks with proper words (using the hints given) so that each one makes sense.   1.    I was stunned and devastated at the news about the insane rioters’ breaking into the court building in South Korea. Are they painfully gullible type of people who are so easily ___________winked (*meaning deceived) by the ruling party?       2.    Jack is a whistleblower who decided to do the right thing by telling the world the truth about his corrupted company, but some of his colleagues accused him as a betrayer that r__________ on (*meaning to not be loyal to someone, especially by giving away secret information about them) his own co-workers.       3.    Romeo and Juliet were such star-________________ (*meaning unlucky/ unfortunate) lovers.       4.    Adrien Brody is her favorite actor whose aqui___________ nose (*mean...

Today's puzzle is called "P.E. Class." Every answer is a familiar two-word phrase or name in which the initials are P.E.   Ex. Breakfast item sometimes served on toast —> P OACHED E GG   1. Medical checkup that's often done annually   2. Our place in the solar system   3. Person whom the voters have picked to be chief executive but who hasn't yet taken office   4. Result in a sudden boom in the number of births   5. Detective   6. Colorful animals that drunkards are said to see   7. Astronomical event in which the moon obscures a portion of the sun   8. Mail delivery service in the Old West   9. Places to insert studs   10. English royal after whom a Canadian province was named   11. Team that won the 2025 Super Bowl     Answer Keys     1.   P hysical E xam     2.   P lanet E arth     3.   P resident E lect ...

Love is in the air. Although Valentine’s Day has been commercially abused so that candy makers would sell more of their sweet treats to lovers or lovers-to-be in the world, let us stop a moment and think about what people say about love and how you feel about it. Here I am sharing quotes of some well-known figures’ about love.   "Every heart sings a song, incomplete, until another heart whispers back." ……..by Plato   "You can't blame gravity for falling in love."…..by Albert Einstein   “Love recognizes no barriers, it jumps hurdles, leaps fences, penetrates walls to arrive at its destination, full of hope.” ……. by Maya Angelou   "If you remember me, then I don't care if everyone else forgets." ……by   Haruki Murakami   "I look at every day with you as a gift." …..by Rip Wheeler, Yellowstone   “ Some people are worth melting for.”…..by Olaf, Frozen   "There's no bad consequence to loving fully, w...

It is natural to become physically weaker as one ages. However, it is possible to stay younger and healthier than your physical age by what you eat at your table every day. More and more medical research and studies have shown the medicinal properties and benefits of herbs and healthy diet. As of the year of 2024, we have been looking into a variety of herbs one by one, their nutrition facts, and healthy diet so that we are able to lead a life with more aplomb even if we happen to deviate from the optimal state of health.   # 29. QUINOA   Today, let’s focus on one of the world’s most popular “superfood” or a “super grain” called QUINOA. First of all, can you pronounce it the right way? It should be pronounced as /KEEN-wah/ or /ke-NO-ah/   Quinoa is a flowering plant that belongs to the amaranth family. It is an annual plant that is grown for its edible 1. s___________. So, when we refer to the benefits of quinoa, the 2. s____________ are what we refer to and...

I'm going to give you some words. For each one, change one letter to get the brand name of something you might buy at a supermarket.   Ex: BOUN C Y (paper towels) —> BOUN T Y   1. SMACKERS 2. FOLDERS 3. COLLATE 4. DRANK 5. CANNON 6. STARKEST 7. KNICKERS 8. PONDER 9. COOKS 10. BASELINE 12. HELLO 13. DOMING 14. HOSTELS 15. CANADA DAY   Answer Keys     1.   A => U: SM U CKERS (jam)     2.   D => G: FOL G ERS (coffee)     3.   L => G: COL G ATE (toothpaste)     4.   K => O: DRAN O (drain cleaner)     5.   C => D: D ANNON (yogurt)     6.   E => I: STARK I ST (canned tuna)     7.   K => S: S NICKERS (candy bars)     8.   P => W: W ONDER (bread)     9.   K => R: COO R S (beer)     10.   B => V: V ASELINE (multipurpose ointment)   ...

   The world is going through a painful phase in which politically divisive countries are struggling. Voice of alt-right extremists’ keeps trying to take control of the innocent public, marginalizing and silencing more and more underprivileged people in our society. In times of crisis, this phenomenon takes place natch. However, as long as citizens in their right mind quit despairing but would rather uphold and champion the great cause of justice, we have future.     F orcible A rbitrary S atanic C rony capitalism I gnominious S hameful M oral hazard   D riven by justice E qual M agnanimous O bliging C haritable R ational A ffirmative C ompassionate Y oung-at-heart