1. Cross-Curricular Literacy at John Cabot Academy
Homophones and Other Common Misconceptions
LO To learn to distinguish between easily confused words

2. Homophones
Homophones are words which sound the same but have different meanings and spellings.
The word is Greek in origin.
Homo = the same
Phone = sound

3. Common Homophones Here – this place Here is my homework.
Hear – to perceive sound
I can hear the students laughing.

4. Common Homophones There- place
There are five computers in this classroom.
He sits over there.
Their – possession
Their car has broken down.
They’re = they are
They’re cooking in B wing = They are cooking in B wing.

5. Common Homophones Your – possession Is that your mobile phone?
You’re = you are
You’re very good at spelling = You are very good at spelling.
NB The apostrophe replaces the missing letter.

6. Common Homophones Its – possession Its tail is very fluffy.
It’s = it is
It is very warm in this room.
NB The apostrophe replaces the missing letter.

7. Common Homophones Licence = noun (naming word)
I have a driving licence.
License = verb (doing word)
I am licensed to sell alcohol.
Confusion can arise when reading an American text in which the spelling of both the noun and verb is license.

8. Common Homophones Practice = noun (naming word)
I like to do my piano practice.
Practise = verb (doing word)
I practise my keyboard skills every evening.
Confusion can arise when reading an American text in which the spelling of both the noun and verb is practice.

9. A Common Misconception
Less/fewer – are often confused and used inappropriately.

10. A Common Misconception
Less - is used to show a smaller amount or quantity of singular nouns (naming words). This means that if you are using a word to cover an amount of one thing, you should use less.
I will take less sugar in my tea.
There are less teachers than I expected in this meeting. X

11. A Common Misconception
Fewer is used to show a smaller number of individual persons or things (i.e. more than one thing)
There are fewer teachers than I expected in this meeting.
Fewer people have come than we expected.
Less people have come than we expected. X

12. A Common Misconception
The s at the end of teachers indicates that fewer should be used as we are writing about individuals.
I will eat less fruit.
Less is used because we are using the word fruit which covers one thing.

13. A Common Misconception
Different from/different than
Physics is different from Biology.
I took a different way home than the one I was told to take.
Different to is always wrong! X