This is an All Ears English podcast, episode 1833 Read vs Read and Other Tricky English Homographs.
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How do you know when it's close or close?
What about tear or tear?
Native speakers struggle with this too.
Today we teach you the ins and outs of six difficult homographs.
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Hello, Aubrey.
I'm excited to be on video today and audio.
How are you?
Yes.
Great.
How are you doing?
Oh, I'm great.
I'm happy that it's summer.
It's great.
It's great.
I know.
So fun.
And one of the best things about summer is often people have a little bit more time to read a book.
Yes.
What about you, Lindsay?
Are you, have you read any good books lately?
Yeah, well, I just started reading a book by someone we interviewed on the show.
His publicist sent me the book, and so I wanted to read it.
Yeah.
It's something like The Habit Mechanic or something like that.
So Dr John Finn was on the show and he talks all about neuroscience, habits and habit loops and making sure we do the right things in life.
Ooh.
Interesting.
So, as much as I would love to just talk about books, the whole episode the reason I asked you that is, we're talking about homographs today and read is one.
So I asked you, have you read any good books?
And the word read in past tense and read is spelled the same.
So you're some really complicated homographs.
Some are a little easier.
You get used to them as you read and hear English spoken.
Some can really throw off your pronunciation.
So we're going to dive into that today.
It's going to be really interesting.
Well, I mean, first of all, let's make sure our listeners know what is a homograph, because I think the average person, even an average native speaker, wouldn't know what that is.
Right.
They think not.
Maybe I heard that in middle school, but I don't know.
Right.
So what is it?
That's something we talk about all the time.
Right.
For sure.
So homographs are words that are spelled the same but have a different meaning and different pronunciation.
Yeah, so this can be really tricky, like read read bow bow, right.
Lots of words where they spell are they are spelled the same, so when you're reading along you might think you would say them the same, but they're pronounced differently and they have different meanings.
I love that we're talking about this, because the term homographs we don't care as much, right?
We care about these words and how honestly, how they can trip us up, and they trip up native speakers too.
I get tripped up on these sometimes.
I'll read the thing.
I was like, which one is it?
You know?
Yes.
You have to stop and figure out the context before you know which one it's supposed to be, sometimes for sure.
Yes.
So I've definitely messed up read and read where I'm reading along and I'll say, read.
Oh, nope.
That's past tense.
Okay.
Fix myself.
I know.
So guys don't worry.
I mean, this is a great example today of a skill that everyone struggles with, but we're going to show you some of the most common ones today right,
Aubrey and make sure you get that shortcut to success to connection.
Exactly.
Yes.
This comes up all the time.
In fact it came up in one of my live group classes just the other day where students kept saying objection for the word objection.
And I realized it's because they're more familiar with the word object, the noun, but there's also the verb object and the noun objection.
And there's so.
So object and object homograph, spelled the same, pronounced just a little bit differently, totally different meanings.
And as you're reading along, you might assume it's one, but it's the other.
So we had a really interesting conversation about it actually.
I love that.
I love that that came up in one of our live group classes.
Guys.
By the way, if you're interested in our live group classes, go over to allearsenglishcom.
Slash class C-L-A-S-S.
And what do they get for the first two weeks, Aubrey, when they join the unlimited speaking classes?
Yes, you get unlimited free classes, guys.
You can be in there as much as you have time for.
Check it out and decide if you want to subscribe.
Of course, most students do.
They're really fun classes with us, the All Ears English team and lots of other native speakers at your English level who are working in English and trying to improve their English.
Yeah, it's so good, guys.
So your first two weeks are free.
You sign up at allersenglish.com slash class.
So let's go into, are we going into the first one today, Aubrey, one of them?
Yes, exactly.
So we talked about object and object.
Yeah.
And there are so many more, but we are highlighting the most common ones here.
Yes.
First of all, we have close the verb and then close the adjective spelled exactly the same.
The first one that S makes a Z sound.
So it sounds like a totally different word, but when you're reading along, they look the same.
They're spelled the same.
Right.
So some examples, guys, can you please close the door?
Right.
That is the verb.
So that's the sound, not the S sound.
Yes, exactly.
Close the door.
There's a draft.
Right.
Close the door.
Close the door.
Good.
Oh, I love this next one.
Now we're going over to the adjective, right?
Aubrey.
Yes, exactly.
And we love the phrase.
He's a close talker.
This comes from Seinfeld the show, if you haven't seen it, where someone's stands a little too close to you when they speak.
So there's that adjective meaning near.
Yeah.
Are you a regular watcher of Seinfeld or were you a regular watcher of Seinfeld?
I wasn't when it was on, I was in college and very busy.
So I didn't see it and I haven't actually gone back.
So I've seen highlights here and there episodes here and there.
I really should go back and just watch the whole season, the whole series.
It's just funny.
It's timelessly funny.
Michelle references that show a lot on this, on this show, right?
Because, and the close talker is a classic episode.
If you do want to find that episode, because native speakers honestly guys, they talk about that episode.
Okay.
They refer to it all the time.
That would be a great episode.
Idea Aubrey, for us to do an episode on sitcom episodes that people refer to in English all the time.
Yeah, that's a great idea because often if you're part of a conversation and natives quote a sitcom episode or start chatting about one because there are some highlights for sure you want to be in on the know, you want to know what they're talking about, what they're referring to, without having to ask, if at all possible.
So that would be really fun for us to do.
Yeah, because that just builds connection guys, and it's connection, not perfection, is our vision for you guys.
Guys, go to youtube if you want to find that close talker seinfeld episode, good stuff.
So a couple other little examples, right.
Of course she's standing close to me, but we also use this word as an idiom to say I feel close to her.
This has nothing to do with proximity, with how near you are someone.
It is how you feel about them.
If you feel bonded, if you have a close relationship.
We also use this word to talk about how close you feel to someone.
Yes, I love that.
I feel close.
And that's very common.
Natives use that all the time.
Right, Aubrey?
Super common.
Yes, I love it.
Much more often than saying, I really like her.
I care about her.
I would say I feel close to her.
Yeah, we like to be able to talk about relationships with different words. different ways to say it.
So that is a good one.
So guys, I hope you're writing these down.
Do we have a role play to show our listeners where this shows up?
Yes.
We're going to do a little mini role play after each of these examples.
So let's just dive in.
Lindsay and I work together and we're talking about a sales deal.
Here we go.
All right, were you able to close that deal you were telling me about?
Oh, not yet, but we're so close.
Nice, exactly.
So just the tiniest bit of pronunciation different, spelled the same, totally different meaning.
And this would happen a lot where you use them one after another like that.
Well, because these words are so common.
These two words, close and close.
So, so common in English guys.
So remember this as one of your core takeaways today, close and close.
Aubrey, are we ready to go into the next one?
Yeah, let's do it.
So this one is led the noun and lead the verb, spelled exactly the same L E A D, totally different meaning, very different pronunciation.
Oh, my gosh.
Native speakers have all kinds of problems with this word lead because I know in the past tense, in the present perfect, people get confused about how to spell it as well.
So that's for another day.
But yeah, let's get into this.
Now, here we go.
Yes okay, so lead is the.
The chemical symbol is pb, which is always a good trivia question what's the chemical symbol for lead?
That's the one you asked me, isn't it in our trivia last year?
Yes, you remember that exactly on one of our group conversations.
That was so fun.
But so you would say like, my pencil is out of lead or this doorframe is made of lead, right?
I remember I had a friend named Elke in the Netherlands when I was living in Belgium.
And she couldn't think of this word in English.
She was trying to describe it.
And she said, on the chemical chart, it's PB.
And luckily I knew that.
So I was like, oh, lead.
You knew it.
I love it.
And guys, there is something important to reference about lead, right?
So in the Connected Communicator online course, we go up to Flint, Michigan.
Right.
And we interview locals who have been affected by that crisis.
Are you familiar with what's been going on in Flint?
Yes, somewhat.
There are a lot of people who are suffering from the long term effects of lead poisoning, mostly due to chemicals in their water.
And especially in Flint.
The big issue is that corporations were aware of this and, because it was too expensive to fix, maybe did nothing.
And now, you know, people have terrible hair health, people are dying and it's really unfortunate.
Yeah.
I mean, I sat in people's houses and chatted with them, and some of these people are not taking shower.
They can't use their showers.
So they have to find a shower in another way.
They can't because they'll immediately develop a rash.
So it's not just long-term.
Yes.
It's long-term, which is more dangerous right away.
You come out with a rash.
And this is happening in the US, you know, in a city that used to be in a boom because of, you know, the car industry, but it's come down quite a bit.
So guys, if you're interested in that, check out our Connected Communicator course.
We do a whole module on the Rust Belt.
Super interesting and important to know about that issue, Aubrey.
Yes, definitely.
So interesting.
So let's jump to lead, right?
We have the verb and you're right.
This is a little tricky with the past tense because it's spelled differently.
It's an irregular past participle, but even in present tense it's tricky because you have the other word led.
So for example, you might say, I want her to lead the team.
This is a verb that comes up all the time in business English because we're often leaders, we're put in leadership positions and we use that verb needing to lead others.
Oh, yeah.
We talk about leadership all the time in our on our podcast and our courses, guys.
We love talking about leadership.
So lead.
And then the next example is you can lead a horse to water, but you can't make him drink.
Common expression, right, Aubrey?
Yes, a really common expression, just meaning like you can give someone all the tools they need, but you can't force them to do anything.
Change, do any kind of action right.
It doesn't actually have anything to do with horses.
It's about us as people and our tendency to, you know, you can't force anyone to do anything.
They have to choose it for themselves.
Yeah.
Like if you have a friend who wants to be in good shape but they're out of shape and they're always on the couch.
You know you can try to show them what to do um, and set them up.
You can book them classes and all these things, but a gym membership.
But if they stay on the couch, you just can't.
You can't do anything about it.
So that's a really common expression guys.
Love it.
So fun.
Let's do another mini role play with these.
Okay.
I'll start us.
Okay.
You really have a lead foot today.
Oh, yes.
Sorry.
I like to be in the lead whenever I'm driving.
Nice.
Okay, so this, we're both in a car and Lindsay's driving quite fast.
So I'm using this idiom, lead foot.
This is another place where you'll see that word lead.
And it means like heavy foot, like you're pressing down on the accelerator.
It just means you're driving really fast, right?
Yeah.
Yeah.
Yeah, for sure.
For sure.
And then I said, I like to be in the lead, right.
To be in the lead whenever I'm driving.
So different word guys, what is something we have to let our listeners know about these idioms?
Yes, this is interesting.
We've mentioned before on the podcast how idioms have to be used word for word.
But this came up again in our live group classes.
We had taught the expression pedal to the metal, which also means to go fast, right?
To push the accelerator down to the floor on a car.
And a student changed it and said, I'm pedaling to the metal.
And they changed the noun pedal to the verb pedaling, thinking, oh, this is the same meaning.
This will mean the same thing.
Unfortunately, no, right?
The meaning changes because it's idiomatic.
You have to use it word for word.
You have to say lead foot or pedal to the metal.
We can't change them, unfortunately.
Well, good for that student for trying.
I mean, that's how we get to connection and that's actually how we learn right Aubrey, by making those mistakes and then getting corrected.
Yes, so true.
This is Nightsay.
You've probably met her, one of our amazing live group class students.
And she does, as soon as we teach an idiom, as soon as we use phrases, she's trying to use them.
All our students are like, this is the opportunity to practice and get corrected if needed.
So I'm going to try, I'm going to use them and then find out like, is this right?
I love that.
Okay, Aubrey, should we go into the next one?
Yes, this next one is tear, the noun, like a tear when you cry that runs down your face.
Or tear, which can be a noun and a verb, right?
We have a tear in someone's clothing, or the verb to tear something, meaning to separate, especially with like paper or fabric or things that separate easily.
Oh my gosh.
This is another good one that we encounter all the time as native speakers.
And it can be tricky.
I have to do a double take every time I read these words, right?
Yeah, exactly.
You have to figure out the context before you know how to pronounce them, because they're spelled the same.
Exactly.
So guys, this is another reason why, when you're reading, when you're speaking, think about the context, right?
Don't just go right to each word individually.
Exactly.
Yeah.
So let's do some examples.
For the noun, there is a tear in your shirt.
For the verb, oh, did you tear the paper?
And then a really fun idiom, right, Lindsay?
Yes.
Yes.
Okay.
Oh, I love this one to be on a tear.
Is that the one you mean?
So the team has been on a tear this week.
I think you might use this a lot.
I don't use this as much, but I like it.
It sounds cool to me.
I'm going to start using it now.
You should.
I do use this a lot and I hear it quite a bit more and more.
I feel like it's sort of trending.
Oh, it's trending.
It's trending.
Yeah.
Another episode idea, by the way.
Exactly.
Right.
So this means great success over a period of time.
I hear this a lot on the news talking about sports teams to say like that team's been on a tear and that means they're winning games.
They've had success over a period of time.
Yeah.
I could see that on the local news.
You know what I mean?
Covering the local baseball team or softball team or something.
They're on a tear, right?
Next time they're playing the next County or something.
Right.
I love it.
Exactly.
Right.
And I say it myself.
I'll be if I'm doing something really well, like my kids are eating what I cook several days in a row and say like Oh man, I'm on a tear.
Things are going really well.
All right.
Then let's go over to, you know, crying, right?
Yes.
So what is this?
So you could say I could see a tear running down his cheek.
And we have a fun idiom here too, to call something like a movie a tear jerker.
What does that mean?
Lindsay?
Oh, it's something that makes you cry, right?
A movie that makes you cry.
It's a tearjerker.
Do you tend to cry in movies, Aubrey, that type or?
Yes, totally.
Yeah, I cry all the time.
I recently saw the movie Everything Everywhere all at once.
Did you see that?
It was so good.
I've heard about that.
I missed it, though.
It's a little bizarre.
It might still be in theaters or it might be on streaming soon.
I loved it.
Jessica loved it.
It's very unique, but I sobbed and it's not really meant to be sad maybe, but there was this really touching relationship between a mother and a daughter that just made me.
It was a real tear jerker for me.
I just hit all the notes, right?
Yeah.
Sometimes it's just certain things can trigger us for sure.
I love that.
So good.
So tearjerker guys is a movie that makes you cry again.
Very self-explanatory.
Do we have a role play Aubrey here?
Yes.
And this we're talking about a sports injury.
So I'll start us out.
I hear you have some kind of muscle tear.
Oh yes.
I tore my hamstring.
Oh, sorry to hear it.
That sounds miserable.
It really hurt.
I definitely shed a tear or two.
Nice, and this is very accurate.
I've been playing volleyball where someone will tear a muscle or get injured and it'll make you cry.
Just the pain and trying to control right.
So it's pretty accurate.
Yeah.
Sports injuries can also be tearjerkers.
Oh, they're the worst.
Yeah, for sure.
You can't help it.
You know, you can't like, there's also for me when I cry, there's an element sometimes of fear.
Like I'm afraid if I fall I might cry or something, because I'm afraid, like I get scared for a minute.
Right.
And then, yeah.
So yeah.
But this is actually an interesting phrasal verb to say shed tears.
This is very native.
Instead of saying I cried or I had tears, however you would say it, we use that phrasal verb and say I shed a tear or I shed tears.
Usually we have the I shed a tear or two.
Yeah guys, for connection.
Think about how much more interesting it is to say i definitely shed a tear or two, as opposed to i definitely cried.
You know the first.
The second one is fine, but you're going to connect more by being more unique with your language, for sure.
It's just interesting, right?
Yes yes, i love it all.
Right, do we have time for one more?
Yes, really quick, this.
Um, this is interesting because we talked about the word minutia in a recent episode, 1765 so if you guys missed it, go check that one out.
It's called don't split hairs with outdated english idioms.
Right, and that's sort of coming up here because we're talking about the noun minute.
I'd rather switch that.
The noun, minute, and the adjective, minute.
See, it just happened to me there, because they're spelled the same.
We get confused.
Which one am I saying?
Yeah, exactly.
And so for the noun, right, we'll say I need a minute.
And this is a fun phrase because it doesn't mean you actually need a minute.
We talked about this recently.
It actually probably means you need a little bit of time, probably like 10 minutes at least.
Yeah, 10 minutes.
Yeah, whatever you're doing in the context of what you're doing, right?
So I need a minute, that's the noun.
And then I don't worry about the minute details, right?
That would be the adjective.
So minute details, again, the minutiae. exactly everything's small unimportant we use this adjective minute but again homograph they're spelled exactly the same so just like i just switched them pronouncing them it's really tricky Yeah.
I love it.
So good.
So good.
And if you guys want to find that episode again, that is it.
That's the one where we taught minutia, right?
Okay.
That's the one.
Okay, good.
Go back and find that one.
1765.
Let's do a quick role play.
I'll break.
All right.
All right.
Ready to go.
I need a minute or two to get ready.
You look great.
Stop worrying about all the minute details.
I love that.
That's totally something I would say to someone.
I'm ready to go.
And they're like, I'm still doing my makeup.
And I'm like, let's not worry about the minute details, right?
We're just going to play volleyball.
Yeah, I would say that too.
I definitely don't put on makeup very much.
So I would be in the same camp as you, Aubrey.
Oh, I love that in the same camp.
We say that a lot, meaning like we're similar.
We have that in common.
Yeah, that's a great one.
Another good one to write down for another good idioms today on top of the homographs.
So many good ones guys hit follow on this podcast.
If you love these ideas and you want to catch these upcoming episodes, Aubrey.
What is the takeaway today?
Yes, homographs, guys, are one of the main things that make English pronunciation so difficult.
Even natives make these mistakes, like we were saying.
Today's episode really highlights some of the most common ones.
And beyond that, it's just a matter of understanding the context, paying attention to the context, so you know which of these to use, because this really can be a potential roadblock.
Yeah.
I mean, I really think this is a great episode guys for connection.
If you're at that upper intermediate level.
This is your next kind of benchmark to hit these words right.
Cause these even confuse native speakers.
If you can nail these, you're going to feel super confident with your English.
So don't, don't put it aside, go back, listen again and get this right.
And it's such a good example of, you know, what we're always saying, connection, not perfection.
You're going to make mistakes with them.
Natives make mistakes with them.
So it is important to be aware of them and, you know, make the effort to get them right.
But of course, don't stress about making mistakes.
It's going to happen.
It just happened to me in the episode.
There you go.
It happens.
Totally.
All right, Aubrey, this has been fun.
I'll see you on the next one.
Have a good one.
You too.
Bye.
Bye.
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