Commonly Confused Words

Pip has just finished his competition entry to become an influencer for Surf Squad, a surf company. "I can already see myself ripping the most gnarly waves." "Not so fast Pip, this is going to need some spelling corrections before you send it off!" "Huh? These are all spelt correctly, so what needs to be fixed?" Let's help Pip by learning about commonly confused words. Homophones are words that sound the same but have different meanings, origins, or spellings. We can use context clues by reading around the word to help us decide which is the correct homophone to use. Let's read Pip's text: ‘I think I should be a Surf Squad influencer for several reasons. First of all, Surf Squad influencers love going two the beach and I do too! Secondly, I know sharks are out their since it’s there home, but I'm not scared because they're friendly! Finally, you’re surfboard company needs someone who loves surfing, well your done searching because it's me!’ Now, let's look at the word 'to.' There are three different spellings and meanings for this word. ‘Two’ is the number that comes after one. ‘Too’ means also or something excessive. The last way of spelling 'to', that is not used in this sentence, shows where something is moving or going. Let's read Pip's sentence again, paying close attention to any context clues that may tell us which homophone to use: First of all, ‘Surf Squad influencers love going two the beach and I do too!’ Which homophone goes in the first blank? ‘To’ because the context clue going tells us the influencers are going to the beach. In the second blank we write "too", just like Pip wrote before because the context clue ‘I do’ tells us Pip likes doing it also. Now, let's look at the word 'their'. There are three different spellings and meanings for this word. ‘Their’, shows something that belongs to someone. ‘There’, is a location or place. ‘They’re’, is a contraction for they are. Let's read Pip's sentence again, paying close attention to the context clues: ‘Secondly, I know sharks are out their since it’s there home, but I’m not scared because they're friendly!’ Which homophone goes in the first blank? ‘There’, because the context clue out tells us the sharks are in a location: the ocean. In the second blank we write, ‘their’ because the context clue home tells us the ocean is where the sharks live. In the third blank we write ‘they're’, just like Pip wrote before because the sentence states they are friendly. Now, let's look at the word 'your'. There are two different spellings and meanings for this word. ‘You're’, is a contraction for you are. ‘Your’, refers to something a person has or owns. Let's read Pip's sentence again, paying close attention to the context clues: ‘Finally, you’re company needs someone who loves surfing, well your done searching because it's me!’ Which homophone goes in the first blank? ‘Your’, because the context clue company tells us the surfboard company belongs to the owner. In the second blank we write ‘you're’ because the sentence states you are done searching. Now Pip's entry is fixed, let's review while he waits to see if he is chosen! Remember, homophones are words that sound the same, but can have different meanings, origins or spellings. We can use context clues and the meaning of each surrounding word to help decide which is the correct homophone to use. "That's it Pip!" "This wave is totally awesome dude!" "Wait, you're just practising what you want me to record while you're in the water right?" "Oh no, I don't actually know how to surf, I just think surfing looks cool."