Easy English Learning

Study Tips:▶
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⭕Many idioms are metaphors. That is, they are symbolic extensions of the concrete words within them. Take, for example, the idiom "bad egg." A rotten egg is spoiled, no good, and unpleasant to be around. When the term "bad egg" is applied to a human being, it implies the qualities of being spoiled, no good, and unpleasant to be around.

🔘If you don't know the meaning of an idiomatic expression, make a guess based on what you know about the words in the idiom. For example, "It is 500 miles from Portland to San Francisco as the crow flies." Even if you are not familiar with the idiomatic expression, you instinctively know that a bird doesn't follow the curves of a highway. It flies in a straight line from one point to another. So you can guess that "as the crow flies" means "in a straight line between two places."

PHARASAL IDIOMS:
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⭕Most American idioms consist of phrases. Imagine that Henry Smith (the man we met in Lesson Three) has bought out his no-good partner and is trying to restructure his business. He calls his employees together for a meeting in an effort to get the company back on track (moving in the right direction again).

In the meeting, Mr. Smith speaks off the cuff. He says, "I'm not going to beat around the bush today. I'm going to lay the cards on the table. Our company is on the rocks financially, and if we don't get on the ball, we're going to lose everything. We blew it last year, and now we are facing the music. We're at the end of our rope. But if we put our shoulder to the wheel, I think we can keep this company from biting the dust.

"Here's the plan. Here's what I'm asking you to do: Keep your ear to the ground for new ideas. Pick the brains of people in-the-know. Then clue me in. That won't get under my skin. We're all in this thing together. We're all in the same boat. So, let's keep a stiff upper lip. And above all, let's keep our noses clean.

"If you hear gossip about a fellow-employee, keep it under your hat. If someone causes you a problem, go to him and mend your fences. But if you see someone stealing or doing something illegal, blow the whistle on him. That kind of person will pull the rug out from under all of us.

"When talking to a customer, try not to put your foot in your mouth. If a customer says something you don't like, don't get on your high horse and put him down. Listen to him, and try to be patient and kind.

"We'll be operating on a shoestring, but I think we can pull this thing together. And we can have a ball doing it. So, let's take the bull by the horns, tighten our belts, and turn over a new leaf. We're going to pass this test with flying colors. By this time next year, we'll be singing a different tune. Well, are you with me? Are you ready to get your feet wet?"

As Mr. Smith finished his pep-talk, his employees burst into applause. His speech brought down the house.

🔘Vocabulary Study:
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✔1. OFF THE CUFF (adverb): informally, without advance preparation.
✅2. BEAT AROUND THE BUSH (verb): slang for talking in circles.
✔3. LAY THE CARDS ON THE TABLE (verb): to let people know exactly what you are thinking.
✅4. ON THE ROCKS (adjective): ruined, destroyed, wrecked.
✔5. GET ON THE BALL (verb): slang for being alert and getting to work.
✅6. BLOW IT (verb): slang for making a serious mistake.
✔7. FACE THE MUSIC (verb): to pay the consequences.
✅8. END OF ONE'S ROPE (noun): the end of one's ability and ideas.
✔9. PUT ONE'S SHOULDER TO THE WHEEL (verb): putting one's total energy and effort into a task.
✅10. BITE THE DUST (verb): to fall in defeat.
✔11. PUT ONE'S EAR TO THE GROUND (verb): give attention to what is going on and to what people are saying.
✅12. PICK THE BRAINS OF (verb): To borrow ideas from someone.
✔I13. IN THE KNOW (adjective): expert; someone with knowledge.
✅14. CLUE ONE IN (verb): to inform someone.
✔15. GET UNDER ONE'S SKIN (verb): to irritate and upset someone.
✅16. KEEP A STIFF UPPER LIP (verb): to face trouble courageously.
✔17. KEEP ONE'S NOSE CLEAN (verb): slang for staying out of trouble.
✅18. KEEP UNDER ONE'S HAT (verb): to keep something a secret.
✔19. MEND ONE'S FENCES (verb): to make amends and restore friendship.
✅20. BLOW THE WHISTLE ON (verb): slang for informing on someone.
✔21. PULL THE RUG FROM UNDER (verb): to suddenly remove someone's support.
✅22. PUT ONE'S FOOT IN ONE'S MOUTH (verb): to carelessly say things that hurt someone's feelings.
✔23. ON ONE'S HIGH HORSE (adjective): acting superior to others and becoming angry and unfriendly.
✅24. PUT ONE DOWN (verb): to belittle someone with insults.
✔25. ON A SHOESTRING (adverb): on a low budget; with no money to waste.
✅26. HAVE A BALL (verb): slang for enjoying oneself.
✔27. TAKE THE BULL BY THE HORNS (verb): to act decisively.
✅28. TIGHTEN ONE'S BELT (verb): to spend less money than usual.
✔29. TURN OVER A NEW LEAF (verb): to start agai

VERBAL IDIOMS:⤵
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⭕Most of the idioms in Section I of the TOEFL are verbal idioms consisting of two or three words containing a verb, that has a meaning different from the meaning of any individual word within it.
🔘The following list of two- and three-word verbal idioms should be learned. Because they are idiomatic, you are less likely to find them in the grammar section in any books.

✔BREAK OFF: end. As a result of the recent, unprovoked attach, the two countries broke off their diplomatic relations.

✅BRING UP: raise, initiate. The county commissioner brought up the heated issue of restricting on-street parking.

✔CALL ON: (a) ask. The teacher called on James to write the equation on the blackboard. (b) visit. The new minister called on each of the families of his church in order to become better acquainted with them.

✅CARE FOR: (a) like. Because Marita doesn’t care for dark color, she buys only brightly colored clothes. (b) look after. My neighbours asked me to care for their children after school.

✔CHECK OUT: (a) borrow books, etc. from a library. I went to the library and checked out thirty books last night for my research paper. (b) investigate. This photocopy machine is not working properly. Could you check out the problem? (c) leave. We were told that we had to check out of the hotel before one o’clock, or else we would have to pay for another day.

✅CHECK (UP) ON: investigate. The insurance company decided to check up on his driving record before insuring him.

✔CLOSE IN ON: draw nearer, approach. In his hallucinatory state, the addict felt that the walls were closing in on him.

✅COME ALONG WITH: accompany. June came along with her supervisor to the budget meeting.

✔COME DOWN WITH: become ill with. During the summer, many people come down with intestinal disorders.

✅COUNT ON: depend on, rely on. Maria was counting on the grant money to pay her way through graduate school.

✔DO AWAY WITH. eliminate, get rid of. Because of the increasing number of problems created after the football games, the director has decided to do away with all sports activities.

✅DRAW UP: write, draft (such as plans or contracts). A new advertising contract was drawn up after the terms had been decided.

✔DROP OUT OF: quit, withdraw from. This organization has done a great deal to prevent young people from dropping out of school.

✅FIGURE OUT: solve, decipher, interpret, understand. After failing to figure out his income tax return, Hal decided to see an accountant.

🔘Word Studies
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✔EAT IT UP: like it. "Proud people eat up praise."
✅TURN ON: to arouse interest; to turn around and attack.
✔CALL ON: to ask; to visit. "Call on me in the day of trouble, and I will deliver you.
✅CARE FOR: to like; to look after. "God cares for his people."
✔CHECK OUT: to borrow books; investigate the facts.
✅CHECKUP: examination by a doctor. "I think I need a checkup."
✔CLOSE IN ON: to come nearer. "The police are closing in on him."
✅COME DOWN WITH: to become ill. "Helen came down with a cold."
✔COUNT ON: to depend on. "You can count on me."
✅DO AWAY WITH: to get rid of. "I wish we could do away with drugs."
✔DO IN: to kill. "These young people are going to do me in."
✅DROP OUT OF: to withdraw from. "Peter dropped out of the play."
✔FIGURE OUT: to solve. "I can't figure out what he means."
✅FIND OUT: to discover. "I found out I made an "A" in chemistry."
✔GET BY: manage to survive. "They're just getting by."
✅GET ON WITH: to continue. "Let's get on with it."
✔GET THROUGH: to finish; to make someone understand.
✅GO ALONG WITH: to agree. "I can't go along with that."
✔HOLD ON TO: to grasp; to maintain. "Let's hold on to it."
✅GIVE SOMEONE THE RUN AROUND: to avoid someone.
✔HOLD ON: to wait; to endure. "Hold on. What's the hurry?"
✅HOLD UP: to endure under pressure.
✔LOOK AFTER: to take care of. "Would you please look after my sister?"
✅LOOK INTO: to investigate. "They are looking into the problem."
✔MAKE SURE OF: to be certain. "We'd better make sure of that.
✅PASS OUT: to lose consciousness; to distribute.
✔PASS OVER: to overlook. "Nobody likes to be passed over."
✅PICK ON: to mistreat. "Everybody picks on Molly."
✔PICK OUT: to select. "You can pick out a new dress."
✅PICK UP: to give a ride. "The school bus picked up the children."
✔POINT OUT: to call attention to. "Please point her out to me."
✅PUT OFF: to delay. "Never put off until tomorrow what you can do today."
✔PUT UP WITH: to tolerate, endure. "Must I put up with that?"
✅SEE TO: to assure. "See to it that you're not late again!"
✔RUN ACROSS: to discover; to meet. "I ran across John yesterday."
✅RUN INTO: to meet accidentally. "I ran into an old friend yesterday."
✔TAKE OFF: to leave the ground in flight. "Our plane took off."
✅TAKE OVER FOR: to substitute for. "Would you take over for me?"
✔TALK OVER: to discuss. "Let's talk this matter over."
✅TRY OUT: to test; to audition for. "He tried out for the play."
✔TURN IN: to submit something; go to bed. "I think I'll turn in."
✅TAKE ON: to accept a responsibility. "Don't take on too much."
✔TURN OUT: to attend; to produce. "Th

AMERICAN IDIOMS CONTINUED:
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⭕Frank and Koni were sweethearts. They were all set to get married when Koni got cold feet and backed out.

Koni discovered some serious shortcomings in Frank. He relished playing dirty tricks on her. And he would constantly butt in while she was talking. Then he would get up tight and bawl her out. Later he would simmer down, apologize, and promise to shape up. But his tirades wore thin.

Worse yet, Frank had sticky fingers. One day, Koni discovered that he had made off with her money. When she confronted him, he shed crocodile tears and promised to go straight.

Frank was always trying to make a fast buck, and he had a pipe dream about getting filthy rich. Koni had the gut feeling that Frank was into drugs. She was an early bird who came alive at the crack of dawn. But Frank was dead tired in the morning and sacked in until noon. He would make a date with Koni for lunch and fail to show up. Koni had a feeling he was spaced out. One day, she caught him smoking a joint of ma*****na. When she threatened to leave him, he got choked up and promised to quit cold turkey.

Then, one night, Koni caught Frank messing around with another girl. He and the girl were making out in the back seat of a car. That was the straw that broke the camel's back. Koni was steamed. She threw the engagement ring at him, and walked away.

Koni's friends, standing nearby, applauded. They said, "Good riddance to bad rubbish! It's high time you dumped that jerk."

Koni is still down in the dumps, but she also feels a sense of relief.

🔘Vocabulary Study:
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✔SWEETHEARTS (noun): a boy and a girl who are fond of each other.
✅ALL SET (adjective): ready to begin something. "I'm all set."
✔COLD FEET (noun): a loss of courage and confidence.
✅BACK OUT (verb): to withdraw from an intended activity.
✔SHORTCOMINGS (noun): weaknesses, faults, character flaws.
✅DIRTY TRICKS (noun): a hurtful, unfair action.
✔BUTT IN (verb): slang for an uninvited intrusion into something.
✅UP TIGHT (adjective): slang for irritated, excessively anxious.
✔BAWL OUT (verb): to rebuke or scold in a loud, gruff voice.
✅SIMMER DOWN (verb): to become less excited or angry.
✔SHAPE UP (verb): to begin to behave properly. "You'd better shape up."
✅WEAR THIN (verb): to grow less and less acceptable.
✔STICKY FINGERS (noun): the habit of stealing things.
✅MAKE OFF WITH (verb): to leave with; to take.
✔CROCODILE TEARS (noun): pretended sorrow and grief.
✅GO STRAIGHT (verb): slang for becoming an honest person.
✔FAST BUCK (noun): money earned quickly and often dishonestly.
✅PIPE DREAM (noun): an unrealistic plan. "He is given to pipe dreams."
✔FILTHY RICH (adjective): extremely rich. "Senator Jones is filthy rich."
✅GUT FEELING (noun): an instinctive, intuitive sensation
✔DRUGS (noun): illegal narcotics. "Drugs are a plague to our nation."
✅EARLY BIRD (noun): someone who gets out of bed early each morning.
✔COME ALIVE (verb): to become alert and active. "Okay! Come alive!"
✅CRACK OF DAWN (noun): when light first appears in the morning.
✔DEAD TIRED (adjective): exhausted. "I was dead tired after work."
✅SACK IN (verb): slang for sleeping for a long period of time.
✔MAKE A DATE (verb): make an appointment to do something together.
✅SHOW UP (verb): to appear; to come. "Let's hope he shows up."
✔SPACED OUT (adjective): slang for confused and mentally incoherent.
✅JOINT (noun): slang for a "cigarette" made of ma*****na.
✔CHOKED UP (adjective): emotionally upset; unable to speak.
✅COLD TURKEY (adverb): slang for suddenly and without medical aid.
✔STRAW THAT BREAKS THE CAMEL'S BACK (noun): a problem that, when added to others, becomes unbearable.
✅MESS AROUND (verb): to be morally loose and promiscuous.
✔MAKE OUT (verb): to kiss and hug.
STEAMED (adjective): very angry. "Koni was really steamed."
✅GOOD RIDDANCE (noun): a loss that makes one glad.
✔HIGH TIME (adjective): a time when circumstances

Two Word Idioms:
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Still other idioms consist of two words.

⭕For example, Henry Jones says, "My business partner is a bad egg. One moment, he is an eager beaver. The next, he is horsing around. The other day, I caught him doctoring up our account books. I freaked out. I shouted, 'This time, you have really loused up. If these books are ever audited, we are dead ducks'! He tried to weasel out of it and do a snow job on me. Now I am a basket case, and there is bad blood between us. I don't like to make waves, but if something isn't done, our business is going belly up. I'm beside myself. I don't want to raise a big stink, but this is a bitter pill to swallow. I need to clamp down on my partner, but he's a tough cookie to deal with. He has given our company a black eye in the business world. If I don't chicken out, I'm going to buy him out."

🔘In your own words, can you explain what Henry Jones is saying about his business partner?

⭕Vocabulary Study
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✔BAD EGG (noun): slang for someone who is good for nothing.
✅BUTTER UP (verb): to try to gain someone's favor by flattery.

✔EAGER BEAVER (noun): slang for someone who works extra hard.
✅HORSE AROUND (verb): slang for playing instead of working.

✔DOCTOR UP (verb): to change, alter, or adulterate.
✅FREAK OUT (verb): slang for losing control of one's emotions.

✔LOUSE UP (verb): slang for making a mess of things.
✅DEAD DUCK (noun): someone in a hopeless situation.

✔WEASEL OUT (verb): to back out of an obligation without good reason.
✅SNOW JOB (noun): slang for insincere words used to persuade someone.

✔BASKET CASE (noun): slang for someone who has fallen apart emotionally or physically and is unable to take care of himself.
✅BAD BLOOD (noun): anger and distrust due to broken relationships.

✔MAKE WAVES (verb): to cause a disturbance.
✅BELLY UP (adjective): bankrupt and financially ruined.

✔BESIDE ONESELF (adjective): going crazy; in a turmoil emotionally.
✅BIG STINK (noun): a scandal or a major upheaval.

✔BITTER PILL (noun): a big disappointment that is hard to accept.
✅CLAMP DOWN (verb): to bring someone under control.

✔TOUGH COOKIE (noun): someone who is hardheaded and extremely difficult to deal with.
✅BLACK EYE (noun): a bad reputation.

✔CHICKEN OUT (verb): to decide, because of fear, not to do something
✅BUY OUT (verb): to purchase ownership from someone.

Other idioms are compound words connected by a hyphen:
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⭕Now, let's spin another yarn using compound-word idioms. "Senator Jones is known as an old fuddy-duddy. He is a millionaire brown-bagger who lives as if he were stone-broke. His political convictions are only skin-deep. It is not unusual for him to cop-out on unpopular issues and to double-cross his own party. His voting record leaves his colleagues bug-eyed with amazement. With newcomers, Senator Jones is more than a little stuck-up. The other day, he gave his junior senators a tongue-lashing, and called them pip-squeaks. They called him a two-faced old buzzard. So he retaliated by filibustering against their bills. Yak-yak-yak. He went on and on. I've never seen such a falling-out between senators! Somebody needs to break up this fight before there is a breakup in the senate."

🔘Vocabulary Study:
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✔FUDDY-DUDDY (noun): someone whose ideas are old fashioned.

✅BROWN-BAGGER (noun): someone who brings his lunch in a brown paper bag.

✔STONE-BROKE (adjective): penniless

✅SKIN-DEEP (adjective): superficial, only on the surface.
✔COP-OUT (verb): slang for a flimsy excuse made to avoid responsibility.

✅DOUBLE-CROSS (verb): to promise one thing and do another.

✔BUG-EYED (adjective): slang for wide eyed with amazement.

✅STUCK-UP (adj.): conceited, acting like you are better than others.

✔TONGUE-LASHING (noun): a strong rebuke; a sharp criticism.

✅PIP-SQUEAK (noun): a little, unimportant person.

✔TWO-FACED (adj.): insincere, deceitful, changeable.

✅YAK-YAK-YAK (noun): slang for a lot of talk about nothing.

✔FALLING-OUT (noun): a disagreement; an argument.

✅BREAK UP (verb): to terminate; to bring to an end.

✔BREAKUP (noun): the end of a relationship.

American English Idioms:
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⭕In the TOEFL, you will find idiomatic expressions that make no grammatical sense. These interesting and colorful expressions are best learned by talking with native English speaking people. And, if possible, you should study a dictionary of American idioms.

⭕An idiom is a word or phrase used in a way that is peculiar to a certain region and whose meaning cannot be deduced from its grammatical structure or its component parts. For example, a Chinese exchange student in America is spinning a yarn (telling a fantastic story). His American host laughs, "Don't pull my leg," meaning, "don't try to fool me with your ridiculous story." The Chinese student replies, "I'm not touching you."

🔘Let us examine some of the most common American idioms.

▶Single and Compound Words

🔸Some idioms are single words that carry an unexpected meaning.

🔹For example, Marsha says, "I get bad vibes (vibrations) every time that showoff comes near me." "Vibes" are psychic emanations or feelings coming from someone or something. A "showoff" is an egotistical person who tries to impress others with his actions.

🔸Example # 2: Joe remarks, "Mary is a knockout. Too bad she is so standoffish." "Knockout" is slang for a beautiful woman. "Standoffish" means "aloof, distant, and reserved."

HOMOGRAPS:
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⭕What is a homograph
The word homograph comes from the Greek word homos (=same) and grapho (=write). So, homographs are words that are written/spelled the same but have different meanings and are sometimes pronounced (how we say words) differently. When the words are the same for a noun and a verb, the pronunciation is often just a shift in the stressed syllable, from the first syllable (noun) to the last syllable (verb). For example, record/noun, to record/verb.

🔘List of homographs
Try to read the following words aloud when you look at their meaning. Even though they are spelled the same, some of them sound different.

✔Content (/kənˈtent/)

✅Con-TENT = happy or satisfied (adjective)

✅CON-tent = all that is contained inside something (noun)

✔Desert (/dezət/)

✅DE-sert = a hot, arid region (noun)

✅DEE-sert = to leave (verb)

✔Does (/dʌz/)

✅DOSE = female deer (plural)/present (noun)

✅Does = third person singular form of the verb “do” (verb)

✔Evening (/iːvn̩ɪŋ/)

✅Eav-ning = late afternoon (noun)

✅Ev-en-ing = making more even (verb)

✔Minute (/maɪˈnjuːt/)

✅Min-ut = 60 seconds (noun)

✅My-nute = extremely small (adjective)

✔Read (/riːd/)

✅Red = past tense of reading (verb)

✅Reed = present tense of reading (verb)

✔Present (/prɪˈzent/)

✅PRE-sent = at this moment or right now/a gift (noun)

✅Pre-SENT = to give something to someone (verb)

✔Permit (/pəˈmɪt/)

✅Per-MIT = Give permission (verb)

✅PER-mit = Official document (noun)

⭕Examples of homographs in a sentence
Let’s take a couple of homographs and put them in a sentence. As an exercise, you could try to put the other words from the list above, into a sentence.

🔘I drove down the windy (wine-dy) road on a windy (win-dy) day.

🔘She will read (reed) the book that her older sister read (red) last year.

🔘I’d like to present (pre-SENT) you with a birthday present (PRE-sent).

🔘I wanted to record (re-CORD) the record (REC-ord) on my device.

HOMOPHONES:⤵
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⭕The word homophone comes from the Greek word homos (=same) and phone (=voice). Homonyms can be words that sound the same but have different meanings.

▶List of homophones :
Try to read the following words aloud and then look at their meaning. They should sound identical but have different meanings.

✔ad (advertisement) /
✅add (increase)

✔ate (past tense of eat) /
✅eight (number 8)

✔be (verb) /
✅ bee (the yellow/black flying animal)

✔blew (past tense of blow) /
✅blue (the colour)

✔buy (purchasing) /
✅by (proposition or adverb) /
✅bye (farewell)

✔cell (small room where a prisoner is kept) / ✅sell (hand over in exchange for money)

✔hear (listening to something) /
✅here (in, at, or to this place or position)

✔hour (time) /
✅our (something that belongs to you and others)

✔its (belonging to or associated with a thing) / ✅it’s (contraction of “it is”)

✔know (knowing something) /
✅no (opposite of yes)

✔meet (getting together with someone) / ✅meat (animal product as food)

✔one (number 1) /
✅won (past tense of win)

✔their (belonging to or associated with people) /
✅there (here or nearby) /
✅they’re (contraction of they are)
✅theirs (belonging to or associated with people) /
✅ there’s (contraction of there is)

✔to (motion or direction) /
✅too (as well or in addition) /
✅ two (number 2)

✔who’s (contraction of who is or who has) / ✅whose (belonging to or associated with which person)

✔your (belonging to or associated with which person) /
✅ you’re (contraction of you are)

⭕Some common homophones are as follows:
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✔Hour/our
The appointment at the dentist will take about one hour.

✅Our house was built 20 years ago.

✔Bye/by
“Are you leaving already?” … “Yes, I need to catch the train. Bye!”

✅You need to be in class by 1pm at the latest.

✔To/too/two
I have to go to the dentist.

✅Do you want me to come too?

✅If there are two of us, we should take the car.

✔BEAR (to carry): "My punishment is more than I canbear."
✅BARE (to expose): "Everything is uncovered and laid barebefore the eyes of him to whom we must give account".

✔BORE (to make a hole): "Let's borea hole in the board."
✅BOAR (an uncastrated male pig): "Farmer Brown has a big white boar."

✔BOARD (thin piece of lumber): "The wind blew a board off my fence."
✅BORED (weary, uninterested): "The student became bored in class."

✔BREAK (to damage): "Lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal".
✅BRAKE (a device for slowing or stopping a vehicle): "Put on the brakes!"

✔BY (near): "My mother is standingby the door."
✅BUY (purchase): "Buy the truth, and do not sell it".

✔COARSE (rough, harsh): "John wore a robe of coarse hair."
✅COURSE (a unit of instruction): "Joe is taking a course in astronomy.

✔CITE (to quote): "Mary can cite numerous passages from Shakespeare.
✅SIGHT (noun: something seen): "Surely in vain the net is spread in the sight of any bird".
✅SITE (a place): "Jan lived from one tent site to another."

✔FAIR (just): "God is fair in all his judgments."
✅FARE (fee): "The bus fare was 75 cents."

✔FLOWER (blossom): "The grass withers, the flower fades, but the word of our God will stand forever".
✅FLOUR (fine powder made by grinding grain): "The bin of flour shall not be used up, nor shall the jar of oil run dry"

✔MALE (masculine): "So God created man in his own image; in the image of God he created him, male and female he created them" .
✅MAIL (noun: letters, or a system of handling letters or packages): "They sent three packages through the mail."
✅MAIL (verb: to send letters or packages): "Would you please mail this letter for me?"

✔MEAT (flesh): "It is better to eat vegetables with those who love you than to eat meatwith those who hate you".
✅MEET (to come upon): "You should meettogether and encourage each other".

✔NEED (verb: require): "The eye cannot say to the hand, 'I don't needyou!'".
✅KNEAD (to work dough): "Today, most bakers knead bread by machine.

✔SEW (to stitch): "There is a time to tear apart and a time tosew together".
✅SO (in a certain way): "For as a man thinks in his heart, so is he".
✅SOW (to scatter seed over the ground): "A sower went out to sow, and some seed fell by the path"

✔WAIT (stay): "They who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength".
✅WEIGHT (heaviness): "Most people gain weight during the holidays."

✔WHOLE (entire): "Fear God and keep his commandments, for this is the whole duty of man..
✅HOLE (cavity): "No one sews a patch of unshrunk cloth over a hole in an old coat. If he does, the patch will shrink and pull away from the coat, making the hole worse".

✔WEAK (without strength): "For while we were still weak, at the right time, Christ died for the ungodly".
✅WEEK (seven days): "Now when he arose early on the first day of the week, he appeared first to Mary Magdalene".

✔WOOD (fibrous material beneath the bark of a tree or shrub): "Where there is no wood, the fire goes out, and where there is no talebearer, strife ceases".
✅WOULD (an expression of desire, condition, or determination): "For he whowould love life and see good days, let him refrain his tongue from evil and his lips from speaking deceit".

✔WAIST (the part of the body between the ribs and hips): "Taking a towel, he wrapped it around his waist. Then he poured water into a bowl and began to wash the followers' feet".
✅WASTE (to use up without need or benefit): "Every kingdom divided against it

▶HOMONYMS:
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⭕A homonym is a word that has the same sound or spelling as another but a different meaning. Homonyms can be separated into two groups,
✔homographs (same spelling) and
✔homophones (same sound).

🔸Example
🔘‘Write', ‘right' and ‘rite' are examples of homophones,
🔹and ‘wind' is a homograph with several meanings (‘wind the clock' ‘a howling wind').

✅Some common homonyms are as follows:

🔘BOARD (meals): "This travel package includes board and room."
🔘BOARD (sawed lumber): "Watch out! That board has a nail in it."
🔘BOARD (to go onto a ship or vehicle): "When we found a ship bound for Phoenicia, we went on board and set sail".
🔘BOARD (a group of people who provide leadership and guidance for a corporation): "Allen is a member of the Nations University board."

✅BORE (to make a hole): Be careful not to bore a hole in that door!"
✅BORE (verb: to tire someone by tedious repetition): "Good speakers do not bore their audience."
✅BORE (noun: someone that is dull and uninteresting): "He is a bore."

✔FAIR (clear, free of clouds): "On a fair day, you can see forever.”
✔FAIR (festival): "I'm taking my family to the fair tomorrow."
✔FAIR (impartial): "He is a faithful boy who does no wrong.
✔FAIR (light complexioned; pleasing to the eyes): "She has fair skin."

🔘FARE (fee): "Jan . . . found a ship going to lands ; so he paid thefare and went down into it".
🔘FARE (to get along): "See how your brothersfare, and bring me back news of them".
🔘FARE (food): "The poor man had nothing but one little ewe lamb, which he had bought. He brought it up, and it grew up with him and with his children; it used to eat of his meager fare, and drink from his cup, and lie in his bosom".

✅WAVE (to signal by moving the hand): "The friends waved goodbye."
✅WAVE (a ripple or ridge of water): "Giant waves crashed into the rocks."

🔸Example of TOEFL Procedure
🔘Sentence: "The girl was fair and beautiful".
⚪Which of the following sentences is closest in meaning to the original?
✔(A) The girl was always fair in her dealings with people.
✔(B) The girl was very pretty.
✔(C) The girl worked at a carnival.
✔(D) The girl looked up at a blue, cloudless sky.

⭕(B) is closest in meaning to the original sentence. Black out "(B)."

▶A. Grammar 1.2: Part A (Homonyms and Homophones)

Advanced English Grammar Lesson 1.2
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⭕Part A (Continued):⤵
We have learned that there are nine problem areas that need special attention as you prepare for Section I of the TOEFL:

✔(1) comparative words and phrases,
✅(2) concession words and clauses,
✔(3) conditional sentences,
✅(4) homonyms and homophones,
✔(5) American English idioms,
✅(6) negative words and sentences,
✔(7) modals and perfectives,
✅(8) references, and
✔(9) numbers and simple mathematical calculations.

🔘In Lesson 1.1, we examined the first three of these problem areas.

🔘In Lesson 1.2, we will examine homonyms and homophones.