We all know how difficult the English language is to learn, particularly when it comes to spelling.<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n\n There are those 26 letters and 46 sounds which together make over 1200 spelling combinations in words.<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n\n Once you have learnt these, (if you ever do), you will then be faced with words that sound the same but have totally different meanings.<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n\n These similar sounding words are called homophones and there are more than 70 of these in the English language.<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n\n There are also words when combined together in an abbreviated form sound like other words.<\/span><\/p>\n\n An example of this is they\u2019re<\/strong> (an abbreviated form of they-are) which sounds like their<\/strong> and there.<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n\n \u201cHomophones are words that sound the same but have different meanings, these words can sometimes be confused and used incorrectly by struggling learners.\u201d<\/p><\/span><\/div><\/center>\n\n If you are writing and suddenly stop to think which spelling of the word is correct, then you aren\u2019t alone. Even digital spell check programs don\u2019t always get it right and can lead to embarrassing spelling faux pas.<\/span><\/p> \n\n You may get a strange look if you write- \u201cIt makes me happy to eat my favourite desert every Friday.\u201d Some readers will pick up your error regarding the much needed extra \u2018<\/span>s<\/span>\u2019, but many will not.<\/span><\/p> \n\n Here is a list of some of the more commonly confused homophones.<\/span><\/p>\n Sometimes teachers will help students to remember which homophone to use by creating a story or prompt like this –<\/span><\/p> \n\n When something has been lost or is missing, then you leave out an <\/span>o<\/u><\/span> as in lose, not lo<\/span> If something is too big, you have an extra<\/span> o<\/u><\/span> as in lo<\/span>\u00f8<\/u><\/span>se. \u201cMy pants are loose, now that I have lost weight.\u201d<\/span><\/p> \n\n Words like ‘there’ and ‘their’, can be easily differentiated if you see the <\/span>i<\/u><\/span> in the<\/span>i<\/u><\/span>r as a form of ownership, as in<\/span> i<\/u><\/span> own it.\n\n In the word ‘there’, the extra <\/span>e<\/u><\/span> could be used to remind the learner where something exists. \u201cThe children leave the<\/span>i<\/u><\/span>r shoes at the door of the classroom, right over ther<\/span>e<\/u><\/span>.\u201d<\/span><\/p> \n\n In the example of ‘dessert’ and ‘desert’, the extra \u2018<\/span>s<\/span>\u2019 could be used to remind the learner that it is <\/span>s<\/u><\/span>weet or has <\/span>s<\/u><\/span>ugar.<\/span><\/p> \n\n For some people trying to differentiate words based on whether they\u2019re a noun or verb isn\u2019t helpful.<\/span><\/p> \n\n \u201cUsing visual clues within words can help struggling learners to identify and understand the different homophones and which is the correct one to use.\u201d<\/p><\/span><\/div><\/center><\/span><\/p>\n\n Using multiple strategies is the key to helping struggling learners to understand the different spellings of homophones and their meanings. <\/span><\/p>\n\n You could start by writing a list of the words they are confusing regularly.<\/span><\/p>\n\n Begin working slowly through the list, one at a time, until the correct spelling and use are cemented into their long-term memory.<\/span><\/p>\n\n \u2018Bi\u2019 for now. Opps! I mean \u2018by\u2019 for now\u2026 No, I really mean \u2018bye\u2019 for now.<\/span><\/p>\n\n Liz Dunoon<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" We all know how difficult the English language is to learn, particularly when it comes to spelling. There are those 26 letters and 46 sounds which together make over 1200 spelling combinations in words. Once you have learnt these, (if you ever do), you will then be faced with words... \n
o<\/strike><\/span>se. \u201cI constantly lose my keys.\u201d<\/span><\/p> \n\n
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