Is it the verb to be? Or is it B as in bzz?
Aww yeah, what's up RealLifer's?! Ollie here. Today's lesson is all about homophones, words
that sound the same, are spelled differently, and have different meanings. Confusing, right?
Understanding homophones will greatly improve your listening. And if you're one of those
people who easily confuses words, don't worry because by the end of this lesson, you will
be a master of the 10 homophones that I'm going to teach you in this lesson because
I have a little secret so that you never confuse these words again. But before we get started,
I would like to give a shout-out today to Aman Singh, who says that having lessons with
Ollie and with us at RealLife English is everything that you need to be able to speak fluently.
Thank you so much Aman for such kind words. And if you want to get shouted-out, in one
of these lessons, make sure you leave me a comment below. And furthermore, if you want
to be able to understand fast native speech, be understood by anyone, and connect to the
world, then make sure you hit that subscribe button and the bell down below so you don't
miss any of our new lessons. Okay, so let's get on to today's lesson and it's all about
homophones. As I said, these are words that sound the same, are spelled differently, and
have different meanings. And you might see on the internet quite a few memes, okay. So
this one is funny. If I never mixed up homophones, that wood bee grate. You could see, you can
see that wood, bee, and grate are all spelled incorrectly because they sound like other
forms of the word. English is fun, right? And you can see a few more funny ones here
as well. I actually love the Reece Witherspoon. Witherspoon is her last name. With, with a
spoon if you slow it down, with a spoon, and in the second one, it's Reece without a spoon.
So if you see things like this on the internet, then you know that it's quite funny. Okay,
let's get on with today's lesson. I want you to pause the video and write down the
two words that you think are spelled. Be careful because there are two answers for each number.
I've used the international phonetical alphabet. I've put both the us and the UK pronunciation
to help you. So pause the video now and see if you can
get the correct words. So for number one, if you put complement or compliment, then
you are correct. Sound the same, have different meanings. Let's look at the example here.
The sauce you made really complements the tender chicken. Wow, that's an amazing compliment.
Which compliment/complement do you think goes in the first space and which compliment/complement
do you think goes in the second space? I'm going to give you four seconds.
Okay. If you put complement with an E, then you are correct, and this complement is a
verb and it means to enhance something or to make it better. And if you put in the second
one, compliment with an I, you are correct because this is a noun. And it basically,
you say this when you want to tell somebody that they have done a good job. So the secret
is complement with an E is a verb and compliment with an I is a noun. So there's a secret that
you can use to not get these two confused again. Let's move on. Number two, if you put
stationary or stationery, stationary or stationery, then you are correct. Let's look at the example
sentence on the way to the stationery shop to buy some new materials for school, the
traffic got slower and slower until it was stationary. Okay, I'm going to give you four
seconds to choose the correct answer. Okay, If you put stationery with an E, then
you are correct there. Uh, and this is a noun. So that's the secret, right? And stationary
refers to like your materials, pens, anything that you need for school, pen, book, eraser,
things like that. Let's continue on. To buy some new materials for school the traffic
got slower and slower until it was stationary. This is an adjective and it means not moving.
Okay. So if you hear stationary in the context of cars, it means they are not moving. Secret
is stationery with an E is a noun. Stationary with an a is an adjective. Easy, right!? If
you are still confused with how to identify homophones and be able to use them correctly,
then our Native Immersion Course is perfect for you.
This is a 41 week course that is the next best thing to living in an English speaking
country. You're going to learn pronunciation. You're going to learn connected speech, and
you're going to learn all about our culture. And the best part is you can try it for free
today with our Three-part Power Learning Series. To get started today, I've left a link in
the description below. All right, let's go on. Number three, steel and steal. Hmm. Let's
look at the example sentence. Someone who decides to steal a car has committed a crime,
but auto parts are made of steel. I'm going to give you four seconds to think of your
answer. Let's have a look. Good, someone who decides to steal a car has committed a crime,
as you can tell by the word that comes before steal, to. Steal is a verb, alright. And it
means that you take something that is not yours. And the second one, but auto parts
are made of steel. Here, this steel is a noun and it refers to the silver material that
we use to build things, right. Awesome. Okay. Let's move on to number four. Pier and pier.
Let's look at the example sentence. I thought I saw a shark in the water, so I wanted to
peer off the pier to see if I could see it. So confusing, right? Four seconds to think
of your answer. Four... Okay. If you put peer with two E's that is correct. And as you can
tell by the word that comes before it, it is a verb. And to peer means to have a little
look over something that you can't really see. So if I'm back here, I can't peer. I
can't look, but if I get closer, I can peer off the edge and that's fine. Okay. And the
next one is the pier. And you can tell that this is a noun by the, the pier. And a pier,
if you live near the beach, or if you, uh, go and visit a beach and you see like a wooden
structure that goes out on over the water and you have like shops and things on
there. Santa Monica pier in Los Angeles, I think is a famous one. A famous oop, my microphone,
is a famous pier. Okay. So it's the wooden structure that you go on and it is a noun.
So you can start using these words today on the RealLife English app. We have been working
really hard to develop this app. And on the app, you can listen to our podcast and read
the transcript at the same time. This will improve your listening, your reading, and
your spelling as well. The app also has a speaking part where you can
connect with people from all around the world to practice your speaking. If you haven't
tested the app, what are you waiting for?! To download it today, there is a link down
in the description below. You can also download it on your Android and we will keep you updated
of when it's available in the Apple store. All right, let's look at number five. If you
put heel and heal, you are correct. Let's look at the example sentence. If the heel
breaks on your shoe, you might fall. However your injuries will heal over time. Oop, I
gave that one away. Four seconds, four... Okay. If the heel breaks on your shoe, okay.
So as you can tell from the word before heel 'the', heel is a noun, and it's basically,
think of your shoe as this, your toes are here. The heel is this part at the back, right?
The heel of your shoe, the heel of your shoe. And you also have a heel on your foot as well.
Breaks on your shoe, you might fall. However, your injuries will heal over time. And to
heal means to cure or to get better. Yeah. Interesting, right. So what
you've learned in this lesson is that even though some words in English sound the same,
are spelled differently, and have different meanings, they are often easy to
identify depending on what part of speech. That is, is it a noun? Is it a verb? Is it
an adjective? So next time you think, Oh, what's the word?
Think to yourself, is it a verb? Is it a noun? Is it an adjective or what part of speech
it is, and that is going to help you to be able to not get confused again, it's the secret,
right? And before I go, I just want to say, and lastly, bye to say goodbye, I can say,
I am going to buy some new clothes, or I can say that this video was made by me. And don't
forget, you can chat with me over on the RealLife English Instagram @RealLife.English. I will
be there answering all your questions. Thank you for joining me today and I will see you
next time. Aww yeah!