English Heteronyms: Different words that look the same!

174,269 views ・ 2019-08-07

English with Ronnie


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Heteronyms, heteronyms, heteronyms.
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Heteronyms; this is a word, and it has a meaning.
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Heteronyms.
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It's spelt strangely on the board; that's the correct spelling, but the word is "heteronyms".
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What the hell are heteronyms?
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Good question; I'm glad you asked.
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They are very confusing words, and I don't like them, but I'm doing this to help you
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because heteronyms are words that are spelled the same-dunh-dunh-dunh-but have completely
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different pronunciation and meaning.
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So, when you look at the word, your brain goes: "Oh my god.
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Do I say it this way or this way?
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Why are there two different words...
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One word with two different meanings?"
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These are called heteronyms.
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Welcome to the wonderful word of heteronyms.
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The first heteronym you might know if you play an instrument or if you are a singer,
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is this word; but if you like to eat fish, you know it as this word.
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So, this word: "bass" - a kind of fish we call a bass.
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But if you play an instrument or you sing, it's called a bass.
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So, "bass" is a kind of instrument; it's a bass guitar or a stand-up bass.
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Bom-bom-bom.
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Any stand-up bass players out there or regular bass guitar players?
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Hey, there.
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You can play the bass, but you can eat a bass fish.
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Exact same spelling; both nouns, but the pronunciation and the meaning is completely different.
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Stay with me on this one.
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It's going to get more difficult; don't worry.
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The next one we have is this word; this is an adjective.
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As an adjective, we say: "close".
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It's a long "s" sound.
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"Close" means the same as near.
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So, you can say: "The elephant is close to me" or "The elephant is near me."
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The next one we have with this word is "close".
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We have to really be able to pronounce the "s" and the "z", here.
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So, this word is "close".
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"Close" means to shut something.
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So, this is a verb.
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For example: "Close the door"; and this is an adjective: "close".
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The door needs to...
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We need to close the door because the elephant is close.
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Or you can say: "Shut the door; the elephant is near."
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And then you don't have to worry about these crazy things.
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The next one.
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I think you guys know this one already; it's very common.
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We have a noun and a verb.
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The noun is a land full of sand.
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Oh, that rhymes; I'm a poet.
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So, a land of sand is called a "desert".
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The pron-...
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The accent is on the first part of the word and it's two syllables, so this word is desert.
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There's the Sahara Desert, and there's many other deserts, but I don't know the names
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of them.
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Then we have the verb: If you abandon someone or you leave them and you don't tell them
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you're going, this is called "desert".
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So, you will hear people say: "He deserted me."
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And then you think: "Is that a food?"
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No.
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A food has two Ss.
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"Oh, are you in the Sahara?"
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And you go: "No, no, no.
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I was just abandoned."
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The...
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The words with two syllables are a little bit easier, but not that much.
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The ones that have crazy sounds like this, they're more difficult, so you're going to
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have to practice; you've got homework.
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The next one is one of these birds that everyone loves, and it's called a "dove".
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The spelling is like this, but the pronunciation is like: "dove".
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A dove is a kind of bird; it's white; it looks like a pigeon.
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Apparently it's not a pigeon, but I think it's a pi-...
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It's not a pigeon; it looks like a pigeon.
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It's not a pigeon.
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It's a kind of soap brand as well.
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And then we have the past tense of "dive", which is "dove".
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So, we have: "dove", the bird of peace-aw-and then we have "dove".
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So, I can say: The dove dove into the building.
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Oh my god.
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Now it's dead.
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If you're sad about this, maybe you're going to cry and you're going to produce a droplet
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of water; your eyes are leaking, and this is called a "tear".
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The pronunciation is like with two e's, so we say: "tear".
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Then the same word as a verb is if you rip something.
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If you rip something, you tear it.
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You might hear someone say: "Tear it up!"
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That means, like: "Do your best!
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Yeah!
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Go, go, go!"
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So...
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Or: "Rip it up".
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"Tear" is like a teardrop when you're crying; and "tear" is you rip.
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But look at the spelling.
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Oh my god.
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It looks like...
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It looks like "tear", which is actually this one.
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The next one: "lead" and "lead".
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"Lead" is a kind of metal that's dangerous to people, so don't be licking lead things
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anymore.
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When I was a child, I had a lead dog and he barked a lot, and I licked him, and then I
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died.
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That is not true.
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None of that is true; what I just said.
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I did have a dog.
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It was made of lead.
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I didn't lick it and I'm not dead.
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So, "lead" is a kind of poisonous metal; and "lead" means to be in charge.
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This is where we get the noun of "leader".
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So, "leader" is to be in charge of something; it's from the verb "to lead"; to be in charge
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of something.
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Yeah.
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These two, they're kind of cool because the pronunciation is similar.
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Oh.
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You gave me a "present", that's so nice.
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But something that's not so nice: If you have to "present" something.
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So, if you have to give a presentation-hey, there's a trick in there-you present.
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So, I'm presenting this-dunh-dunh-dunh-dunh-it's my metal dog.
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But a present is a gift.
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Check this out: He presented me with a present.
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He gave me a gift.
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Easier, but the pronunciation's the same.
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Oh, this is also a grammar term; some kind of verb, a present verb, which would be the
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same.
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Let's not do grammar; this is enough.
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The next one is a verb.
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We say: "produce".
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"Produce" is a verb; means to make.
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So, you can produce anything in a factory.
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You can produce things at your house.
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And, as a noun, "produce", you'll hear people selling fresh produce.
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"Produce" are things like vegetables or fruits.
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So, this pronunciation has two meanings...
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Or, sorry.
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This word has two meanings and two pronunciations; "produce", which means make, and "produce".
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This one, we don't use it as much in Canada, but you will hear it: "refuse".
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"Refuse" just means garbage or waste; that's a noun.
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This verb we use more.
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If you "refuse" someone, you object.
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You say: "Oh, no way.
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Hell no."
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So, this is "refuse", which is, like, garbage; and this is "refuse".
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I'm refusing to do anymore; this is crazy.
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How are you ever going to learn this?
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Okay, we'll do it.
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This one's fun.
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You know this as "wind".
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[Blows] So, you go outside and it's windy, and it's air.
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This is a noun.
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Okay?
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The other one we have is "wind".
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Same word; completely different pronunciation; completely different word.
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So, you wind a watch; it means you turn something.
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Also, in British English, if you wind someone up-if you're living in the UK-it means you
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make fun of them or you try and make them angry.
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So, you turn something, like you wind your watch.
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And "wind"-[blows]-is this one.
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We're almost to the end.
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Are you happy?
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Are you amazed and interested of how crazy English is?
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The last word is this word: "bow" as a verb, you bend at the waist, so we bow.
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If you are from Japan or Korea, you usually bow to pay respects to people.
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We don't do that.
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[Laughs] We don't respect people here, but "bow" means you bend at the waist.
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The other word is "bow".
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Tur-bow.
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"Bow" is something that you need-dunh-dunh-dunh-dunh-if you're going to play the violin or the viola.
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This part; this imaginary thing, here, is the violin or the viola, and the bow is this
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one.
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En guard.
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A "bow" is also a noun; you can put it in your hair or decorate a gift with it.
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So, a "bow" has two meanings; it's a hair, or a wall, or a gift decoration; and also,
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it's something used to play the violin; also, as a verb, you bend at the waist.
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I would like to say: Thank you very much-arigatogozaimashita-for watching this lesson.
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I don't believe I did it.
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Good luck learning these, and we'll see you next time.
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