These Strange English Words are IMPOSSIBLE! \u2013 Heteronyms (https:\/\/youtu.be\/B3OPNW0DAqQ)<\/a><\/noscript><\/div>\nVideo Transcript:<\/h2>\n
I was working on this video, and I got confused. I\u2019m an English teacher, and the English language totally confused me. I had to write out a chart to sort it out. Today we\u2019re talking about Amazing English words, heteronyms, we\u2019re increasing our vocabulary, and we\u2019re talking about how crazy and confusing English can be.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\nThere are lots of reasons why English is crazy, and today we\u2019re focusing on words that look the same, but they aren\u2019t the same. Let me introduce you to my three nieces. Triplets. Looking pretty similar, perhaps hard to tell apart by looking, but get to know them, and you get to know their aura, their being, and you see how they are different. We\u2019re going to do that today with English.\u00a0 Take this word for example. As a verb, it\u2019s project. Second syllable stress, and it means to estimate, to guess something about the future. So instead of saying, \u201cI think we\u2019ll be two days ahead of schedule,\u201d you could say, \u201cWe project we\u2019ll be two days ahead of schedule.\u201d It\u2019s a next-level vocabulary word, a little more sophisticated, maybe a little more formal. As a noun, it looks the same as this.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\nThe pronunciation is different though, and the meaning too. Now it\u2019s project, a noun, a piece of work planned to achieve a certain goal. For example, I have a school project – I have to build a birdfeeder. A project can be big: We have a big house project, we\u2019re gutting and redoing our bathroom. If you\u2019re gutting something in a house, you\u2019re tearing down most things but not the outside walls and starting over: new flooring, fixtures, maybe moving walls, and so on. That is to gut a house for a room. It\u2019s a big project. But a project can also be small: I have a bunch of small projects to do around the house this weekend, like watering all the plants.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\nIt also means to extend out from something, to protrude. Protrude is another great vocabulary word. Look at these images of the Sky Walk at the Grand Canyon. It shows a walkway that extends from the building, it sticks out, it protrudes, it projects out over the canyon.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\nThese symbols that you see with the words, showing the different pronunciations, are called the International Phonetic Alphabet. And they come in really handy when you\u2019re trying to write sounds. It\u2019s definitely worth becoming familiar with the symbols for the sounds of American English, so I encourage you to download my free Sounds of American English Cheat Sheet. I give you the symbols for each sound as well as an illustration for how to make it. You can get it free by clicking here or the link below.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\nProJECT: to estimate. PROject: a piece of work with a certain goal. ProJECT: to stick out. One spelling, looks the same. Different meanings, different uses, different pronunciations. These are called heteronyms. This is a subset of homogpraph.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n\u2018Homo\u2019 or homo means \u2018same\u2019 and \u2018graph\u2019 relates to writing. So these are words that are written the same, the same spelling. Homograph. If the pronunciation is the same, that\u2019s a homonym. If the pronunciation is different, that\u2019s a heteronym, and that\u2019s what we\u2019ll study today.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\nIf the pronunciation is the same but the spelling is different, that\u2019s called a homophone, English is full of them, and I have a very long video that goes over a lot of those. I\u2019ll put a link to that in the video description in the description for this video.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\nOk. Heteronyms. I\u2019ve put together a list and I\u2019ll go alphabetically. This is not an absolute complete list, and some of these words may have many definitions and I haven\u2019t always listed each one. Some of these have related meanings.\u00a0 For example, HOUSE, with and S, a structure to live in. We bought a new house and are moving next month. But as a verb, HOUSE, it means to provide a home for.\u00a0 We house international students in our guest room. Noun with an S sound and Verb with a Z sound. House, houze. In this video, I\u2019m leaving out that kind of pair where the meanings are related and I\u2019m focusing more on heteronyms where the meaning is completely different.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\nAffect – feelings or emotions. He had a really flat affect. I couldn\u2019t tell if he was happy, sad or angry.\u00a0 Flat affect. No expression.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\nAffect – to make a difference to. Being around smokers affected her health and she developed asthma.\u00a0 That\u2019s asthma, with a silent TH.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\nAffect. Affect\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\nBy the way, a huge thanks to all my supporters here on YouTube and my subscribers on Facebook, everyone who has joined my channel. Youtube gives you special badges to make your comments pop, early release of videos when available, access to members-only posts and videos, and the top tier gets a free monthly audio lesson. Thank you! Click JOIN to learn more.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\nAL-ternate: to switch back and forth. We alternate who gets up with the baby in the middle of the night.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\nAL-ter-nit: a different one, or the next choice. The student that was chosen for my live class wasn\u2019t available, so I worked with an alternate student instead.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\nAL-ternate. AL-ter-nit<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\nAddress: a speech. I\u2019m giving an address at a conference later this month.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\nUh-dress:\u00a0 the location of a building, the direction for a piece of mail.\u00a0 What\u2019s your uh-ddress? I\u2019ll send you a postcard.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\nNow, here\u2019s a higher-level vocabulary use for this word: to think about or deal with an issue or a problem. How do we address the issue of malnutrition in seniors? Now, as a verb, \u201chow do we address this issue?\u201d \u2013 it\u2019s always uh-dress, with second-syllable stress.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\nAddress. Uh-dress.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\nBASS with the AA vowel is a kind of fish. For tonight\u2019s special, we\u2019re offering a grilled striped bass.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\nBut change the pronunciation to the AY diphthong, bass, it\u2019s an object, an upright bass, or a bass guitar, it\u2019s also, in 4-part harmony, the lowest voice. Bass, tenor, alto, soprano. And guess what? This pronunciation of \u2018bass\u2019 is a homophone with this word: b-a-s-e, base.\u00a0 That means they sound the same but they\u2019re spelled differently.\u00a0 And this word, base, has a lot of meanings. It means the lowest part of something. You need a strong base to support the bridge. It means the center of operations. This clothing brand is based in Los Angeles. It\u2019s one of these things, that you have to touch or stand on in baseball to be safe, and because of all the baseball idioms we have, there are some idioms with this word. If you\u2019re way off-base, that means you\u2019re not at the truth, you\u2019re mistaken. For example, \u201cHey guys, I solved the problem! Look, this is how we do it\u201d. \u201cNo, I don\u2019t think so, I think that\u2019s still pretty off-base.\u201d Or have you heard the phrase touch base? We use this all the time to check in on something or someone. For example, let\u2019s say you sell software. You have a company interested in a big purchase. You haven\u2019t heard from them in a while, so you want to check in with them. You could call them up and say, \u201cHey, I just wanted to touch base to see if you wanted to move forward, or if you have any questions I can answer.\u201d<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\nBass, bass, base.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\nBow. It means to bend over like you may do after a performance. You may bow after playing your bass in a concert.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\nBow – in your hair, you may tie a pretty bow for that concert.\u00a0 Bow, bow.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\nClose<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\nPhysical proximity. I\u2019m not quite close enough to reach it. This is with an S but end that with a Z, close, it\u2019s the opposite of open. Please close the door.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\nClose. Close.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\nCON-sole. A cabinet, like for a TV, a gaming device. The thing between the front seats of your car where you store stuff.\u00a0 One time I spilled a whole container of Tom-Yum soup all over the console of my car, it got in every nook and cranny, and my car smelled like Tom-Yum for months despite many cleanings.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\nCON sole. But also, conSOLE. To offer emotional support, to comfort. I consoled my son after he lost an important soccer game.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\nConsole. Console.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\nCONtract – An official written agreement. They offered him a 3-year modeling contract.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\nconTRACT – to decrease in size, number, or range. Your heart contracts about 70 times a minute. The opposite of this word is expand. Wood doors expand and contract depending on moisture and humidity.\u00a0 Have you ever noticed if it\u2019s really humid that you might have to work harder to close a door?\u00a0 That\u2019s because it has expanded a little.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\nAlso, conTRACT, to catch or develop a disease or infection. He contracted Covid-19 at a birthday party.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\nContract. Contract\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\nDESert. One S, an arid region. The Sahara is the world\u2019s largest desert.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\nBut, also desert. Stress changes now. deSERT.\u00a0 To leave, to abandon. Don\u2019t desert me now. I need you.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\nAnd now this pronunciation is a homophone, that is, it sounds the same but it\u2019s spelled differently from this word, dessert, two s\u2019s but it\u2019s still pronounced Z!\u00a0 And this is something delicious and sweet to eat at the end of a meal. I let the kids have ice cream for dessert a couple of times a week.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\nDESert, deSERT, dessert.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\nDIgest – a compilation or summary of information. Golf Digest brings together golf news from all over the world to one place.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\ndiGEST – This is how your body breaks down food. Though we usually think of food for this, we can also use it with information or news \u2013 to take in and understand.\u00a0 I\u2019m trying to study for a big test but there\u2019s just so much to digest.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\nDove (DUV) – a beautiful bird. They released doves at their wedding.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\nDove (DOHVE):\u00a0 past tense of dive. He dove into the water.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\nDove. Dove.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\nIncense (INsense): something that\u2019s burned for the smell it gives off. Some churches burn incense during services.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\nBut, incense (inSENCE) means to make really angry. This is a great next-level vocabulary word to use instead of \u2018mad\u2019. I snuck out after curfew and my parents were incensed.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\nIncense. Incense.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\nInvalid (INvalid). Someone who\u2019s sick a lot of the time. She\u2019s sort of an invalid and doesn\u2019t really leave the house.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\nInvalid (In VALid). Not valid, not legitimate, not legally acceptable. Your passport is an inVALid form of ID because it expired.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\nInvalid. Invalid\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\nLead (LEED) – to guide. You lead the way; I don\u2019t know where I\u2019m going.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\nBut also, Lead (LEHD), the chemical element. Lead poisoning in children is a problem in the Philadelphia area.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\nAnd here\u2019s what’s funny, the past tense of lead is pronounced LED but it\u2019s spelled L-E-D. So L-E-D is a homophone, sounds the same as LEAD the element, which is a heteronym with the present tense of LED, LEAD.\u00a0 Is that confusing??<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\nLead. Lead. Led<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\nMinute (MINute)\u00a0 – 60 seconds. I\u2019ll be back in five minutes.\u00a0 Also, have you ever heard the phrase \u201cWait a minute\u201d?\u00a0 It doesn\u2019t actually mean to wait a minute. It means something is not understood or stop. Wait a minute, I thought you said she was in high school, but she\u2019s in college?\u00a0 Wait a minute.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\nMinute (mai-NYOOT), extremely small, insignificant. You have to focus on the overall project and not get stuck on minute details.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\nMinute. Minute.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\nObject (OBject) – a thing. There were some objects on the table, but I couldn\u2019t tell what they were.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\nObject (obJECT) – to disagree. I object to that interpretation of the law.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\nObject. Object.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\nPatronize<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\nThis one is crazy because it has opposite meanings, and both are great next-level vocabulary words.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\nIf you patronize something, you go there as a customer. A restaurant, a theater, and so on. We like to patronize our local shops whenever possible rather than buying from big box stores. A big box store would be like a Walmart, CVS, or Target. So instead of saying, I like to shop at my local pharmacy, or, I like to buy things at my local pharmacy, you could say, I like to patronize my local pharmacy. And that\u2019s a good thing. Your local businesses want you to patronize them. They want you to go spend your money there.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\nSo you want somebody to patronize (PAYtronize) you, but you don\u2019t want them to PATronize you.\u00a0 To patronize is to talk down to someone, to feel superior to them. He patronizes a lot of people at work because he thinks he\u2019s better than them. If you think someone is doing this to you, you could say, \u2018Stop patronizing me.\u2019\u00a0 Now, this meaning can also be pronounced PAYtonized.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\nPatronize. Patronize.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\nPolish (PAHlish) – to shine something. I need to get these shoes polished, they\u2019re looking kind of old.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\nBut, with a capital P, it\u2019s Polish, which means from or relating to Poland. There are a lot of Polish restaurants in this area.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\nPolish. Polish.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\nPREsent:\u00a0 a gift. I got her a present for her birthday. Or, to be physically there. She was not present at the meeting. It also means this very moment. Not the past, not the future, but the present. Meditation helps you feel present in the moment.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\nBut we also have preZENT: to formally give something. He\u2019s going to present his research at the next meeting.\u00a0 This means everyone will be quiet, watching, paying attention to this \u201cpresentation\u201d.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\nPresent. Present.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\nA record is this thing. It can also mean something official to be kept track of or stated: For the record, I think this trip is going to be a disaster, but I will go with you.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\nBut it can also mean to write down, to keep track of, or to capture like audio or video. Do you mind if I record our conversation?\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\nRecord. Record.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\nResume (reZUM) – to start again. We\u2019ll take a 15-minute break then resume the meeting.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\nBut it\u2019s also pronounced REzume, and it means a document of your work experience. It\u2019s sometimes written with these accent marks, but doesn\u2019t have to be. To apply for the job, please send a cover letter and resume.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\nResume. Resume.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\nSUBject means theme. The subject of today\u2019s lecture is American English Pronunciation.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\nSubJECT means to expose to or to force upon someone. He was subjected to a lot of verbal abuse by his boss at his old job.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\nTear (Teer): fluid in the eye. There was a tear running down his cheek even though he was trying not to cry.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\nTear: a rip, Oh no, there\u2019s a tear in a page of my son\u2019s favorite book. And this pronunciation is a homophone, sounds the same, tare. T-a-r-e. This word means the weight of something. For example, you would tare a scale if you set something on it, but you don\u2019t want that factored into the total weight. I might put the bowl on the scale, tare it, and then add 50 grams of sugar.\u00a0<\/span>