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XI. Misc > Homonym Errors Can Be Funny...

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message 1: by Martyn (new)

Martyn Halm (amsterdamassassinseries) | 915 comments Like every author, sometimes even I struggle with homonyms, like mixing up discrete and discreet, but most of the time I catch these mistakes before I publish.

Recently, I read a book where a character walked with a loping gate. In another book, a character stopped a car by applying the breaks.

Have you found amusing homonym errors? Post them here!


message 2: by Ruth (new)

Ruth I await more posts with "baited" breath.


message 3: by R.F.G. (new)

R.F.G. Cameron | 443 comments Ah, the troubles hominins have with homonyms.


message 4: by Groovy (new)

Groovy Lee I don't remember the exact sentences, but I see it a lot, believe it or not, in some authors writings. They often mistake these words:

your/you're
their/there/they're
ads/adds
cents/sense/scents

I'm guilty of past/passed/pass. I have to reread the examples I'm given to get it correctly quite a few times before I'm satisfied I got it right.


message 5: by Wendi (new)

Wendi Wilson | 37 comments My character was looking at herself in the mirror at her "waste." omg Ha!!


message 6: by BR (new)

BR Kingsolver (brkingsolver) | 36 comments In the Kindle Reader forums, there is a years' long thread on this sort of thing. Check it out, it's hilarious. :)


message 7: by R.F.G. (new)

R.F.G. Cameron | 443 comments https://notenoughwords.wordpress.com/...

The time passed slowly.

The time is past.

I knew I passed my drug test because I filled the little bottle from the correct plumbing due to past exerience.

My pastime is in the past because the Wife passed her pregnancy test.

It are easy to mess in the mess-kit with homonyms.


message 8: by Groovy (new)

Groovy Lee R.F.G., LOL!, now I need a day's rest just to get all that confusion out of my head! Thanks for the website:)


message 9: by R.F.G. (new)

R.F.G. Cameron | 443 comments Groovy wrote: "R.F.G., LOL!, now I need a day's rest just to get all that confusion out of my head! Thanks for the website:)"

I tested out on six hours of College English, score very well on the English portion of the SAT, and still have times in writing mode where I scratch my head.

I passed the past tense when it became a pastime for past lives for those who had passed.

Gem and gym can be fun as well.


message 10: by Groovy (new)

Groovy Lee R.F.G., I have a book coming out in two weeks. So, when you gave me some tips about my overwhelming problems with past, pass, and passed, I just discovered some errors! Now I have to go through the entire manuscript and correct them. Thank you! I am really thankful Martyn V. opened this thread or I would have given no more thought about it. And I probably would have gotten a few reviews about how I suck in that area--again!

I will probably never come to understand the differences. I've been fighting this problem since the longest and it's frustrating.


message 11: by R.F.G. (new)

R.F.G. Cameron | 443 comments Past can be a noun, adjective, or adverb, but not a verb.

Passed can be a verb, noun, adjective.

Simply put if you're indicating an action or state of being: passed. I passed a car. He passed away.

If you're referring to time: past. It's in the past, though the future is never in the past.

Wait till my tiny demon is old enough for me to home school, not going to be pretty.


message 12: by Martyn (new)

Martyn Halm (amsterdamassassinseries) | 915 comments The main issue is that people are blind to their own misuse of homonyms, so re-reading your own work often won't catch your particular blind spots.

Groovy, if you think you will miss errors, try to get betas who will proofread your work as well.


message 13: by R.F.G. (new)

R.F.G. Cameron | 443 comments Martyn,

Eye here ewe their.

I catch stuff by setting the work aside for a while and then where ready for editing treating it like someone else wrote it.


message 14: by Tom (new)

Tom (tom_shutt) | 87 comments *reading through the thread* Y'all're talking about homophones, not homonyms. But it's still amusing, so I won't stop it.

Yes, I'm fun at parties.


message 15: by Ruth (new)

Ruth Tom wrote: "*reading through the thread* Y'all're talking about homophones, not homonyms. But it's still amusing, so I won't stop it.

Yes, I'm fun at parties."


By Jove! You're right.


message 16: by Groovy (last edited Aug 07, 2015 07:39PM) (new)

Groovy Lee Homophones, homonyms--see what I mean? This is my fault, I apologize. Back to homonyms:)


message 17: by Martyn (new)

Martyn Halm (amsterdamassassinseries) | 915 comments Tom wrote: "*reading through the thread* Y'all're talking about homophones, not homonyms. But it's still amusing, so I won't stop it.

Yes, I'm fun at parties."


Finally, someone catches on. Hurrah.


message 18: by Tom (new)

Tom (tom_shutt) | 87 comments *nods to Martyn* Someone has to be the voice of reason ever since The Source closed its doors, haha.


message 19: by Martyn (new)

Martyn Halm (amsterdamassassinseries) | 915 comments Tom wrote: "*nods to Martyn* Someone has to be the voice of reason ever since The Source closed its doors, haha."

You'll be the Voice of Reason, I'll be Baron Sang-Froid.


message 20: by Andrea (new)

Andrea Jackson (paperbackdiva) | 108 comments Ruth wrote: "By Jove! You're right."

or did you mean: your write.


message 21: by Andrea (new)

Andrea Jackson (paperbackdiva) | 108 comments passed, past, pass


message 22: by Groovy (new)

Groovy Lee **screaming out frustration**


message 23: by R.F.G. (new)

R.F.G. Cameron | 443 comments I was originally talking about hominims, who began reasoning while running from predators.

http://dictionary.reference.com/brows...

And per a dictionary, homophones can be homonyms.

Oh well, back to packing and then washing dishes.


message 24: by Groovy (new)

Groovy Lee So, I didn't lead all of you astray? So, there to the rest of you! LOL!


message 25: by R.F.G. (new)

R.F.G. Cameron | 443 comments No, some of us do know how to use a dictionary :)


message 26: by Groovy (last edited Aug 16, 2015 08:15PM) (new)

Groovy Lee I didn't want to open another thread for this, but since we're talking about grammar errors, what about knowing when to say "John and I", or "John and me"? I hear it all the time, especially on TV. People always say, "John and I", or whoever and I, and nine times out of ten it's wrong.

I just had to get that off my chest:)


message 27: by Tom (new)

Tom (tom_shutt) | 87 comments It's psychological. Using "I" has been presented as the classier way, but the rule is so simple: If you would've said "me" without anyone else involved, it's still "me" when you add someone else into the mix.

Or, you know, depends on whether you're the subject or the object :P but that definition is less fun to explain.


message 28: by Andrea (new)

Andrea Jackson (paperbackdiva) | 108 comments Tom, I agree that it should be an easy choice in most cases. Drives me crazy when people mangle it.


message 29: by T.L. (new)

T.L. Clark (tlcauthor) | 145 comments Argh! Past vs passed is my most common Moomin! ;-P

Groovy wrote: "I don't remember the exact sentences, but I see it a lot, believe it or not, in some authors writings. They often mistake these words:

your/you're
their/there/they're
ads/adds
cents/sense/scents

..."



message 30: by T.L. (last edited Aug 17, 2015 03:27AM) (new)

T.L. Clark (tlcauthor) | 145 comments Mind you, in a work email the other day, I did ask everyone to "where PPE"! (*blushes*)

Could've been worse...
in a different work email I once wrote (to 2,500 staff) "Please bare with us"! Oh the humanity!!!! :-O


message 31: by Michael (new)

Michael Puttonen (mput) | 37 comments I once had trouble with course and coarse. Of coarse, I don’t anymore.


message 32: by Martyn (new)

Martyn Halm (amsterdamassassinseries) | 915 comments Groovy wrote: "I didn't want to open another thread for this, but since we're talking about grammar errors, what about knowing when to say "John and I", or "John and me"? I hear it all the time, especially on TV. People always say, "John and I", or whoever and I, and nine times out of ten it's wrong."

It's not like it's incredibly difficult.

And so do John and I (do). Right.
And so do John and me (do). Wrong.

It's and its mix-ups disturb me the most.


message 33: by R.F.G. (last edited Aug 17, 2015 11:19AM) (new)

R.F.G. Cameron | 443 comments Usages Not To Teach Kids

Wear is that wherewolf were hunting, or we're we hunting?

Its simple when it's property is involved, Precious.

John and me got lucky at the casino.

They tried to arrest John and I.


message 34: by Groovy (last edited Aug 17, 2015 02:13PM) (new)

Groovy Lee You guys!! LOL!!

Now I may trip all over this, but "It's" refers to a shortened "It is", and "Its" is used to show possession.

Tell me if I got this right:

"A moment of silence past.." not "A moment of silence passed"--right?


message 35: by Andrea (new)

Andrea Jackson (paperbackdiva) | 108 comments Groovy wrote: "Homophones, homonyms--see what I mean? This is my fault, I apologize. Back to homonyms:)"

Actually a homophone is a type of homonym. We have to bear with the trusty homograph as well under that label.


message 36: by Andrea (new)

Andrea Jackson (paperbackdiva) | 108 comments The mixed up then/than makes me want to tear out my hair because it's not any kind of homophone. It's just carelessness. Possibly a typo but who doesn't pick that up on re-read?


message 37: by T.L. (new)

T.L. Clark (tlcauthor) | 145 comments But veg stall holders infamously write "Carrot's 50p"
And people say "carrot's what are 50p?" So sometimes it does show posession??


message 38: by R.F.G. (new)

R.F.G. Cameron | 443 comments Groovy wrote: "You guys!! LOL!!

Now I may trip all over this, but "It's" refers to a shortened "It is", and "Its" is used to show possession.

Tell me if I got this right:

"A moment of silence past.." not "A moment of silence passed"--right?"


"A moment of silence past." would refer to a silence in the past, without a verb in the sentence.

"A moment of silence passed." indicates that a moment passed, in silence where passed is the verb.

The second would be correct.

ware, were (as in wolf), wear, where, my what fun


message 39: by Groovy (new)

Groovy Lee Thanks, R.F.G., Of course, as you may guess, I wrote the wrong one, and now I have to go back and correct it. **banging head on desk**


message 40: by R.F.G. (new)

R.F.G. Cameron | 443 comments Groovy,

Anglish is a language comprised of different languages at this point in time, because as time passed other idioms were assimilated even though in the semi-distant past it was the language of a Germanic tribe.

Past can be a noun, adjective, or adverb, but not a verb.

Passed can be a verb, noun, adjective.

Simply put if you're indicating an action or state of being: passed. I passed a car. He passed away.

If you're referring to time: past. It's in the past, though the future is never in the past unless sufficient time has passed.



message 41: by Andrea (new)

Andrea Jackson (paperbackdiva) | 108 comments Groovy wrote: "Thanks, R.F.G., Of course, as you may guess, I wrote the wrong one, and now I have to go back and correct it. **banging head on desk**"

Hee, hee.


message 42: by R.F.G. (new)

R.F.G. Cameron | 443 comments Aye, tis easy to clepe the wyrd after.

Dang, my dementia just came up with the perfect genetically engineered character, a hominin wit a penchant for archaic usages. That would be meet.


message 43: by Groovy (new)

Groovy Lee Aw, I get it--word play!


message 44: by R.F.G. (new)

R.F.G. Cameron | 443 comments It can be fun at times.


message 45: by Andrea (new)

Andrea Jackson (paperbackdiva) | 108 comments Chris wrote: "How about 'casting off the yolk of oppression'? Messy. (Yes, that was a real one.)"

Ha,ha,ha! I just saw Jimmy Fallon and a guest in a game of egg Russian roulette this week. Indeed, messy--and funny!


message 46: by Groovy (last edited Aug 20, 2015 01:19PM) (new)

Groovy Lee R.F.G. wrote: "It can be fun at times."

I know. There's this "got a joke" thread on another forum I'm on and we've been word playing for the last 3 pages. And it's only 4 of us doing it. Where is the rest of the 1,000 in that forum:)

Chris wrote: "How about 'casting off the yolk of oppression'? Messy. (Yes, that was a real one.)"

Yolks, kidding. (get it?)


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