Confusing words

Confusing Homonyms
Their, There and They're
Two, Too and To
Your and You're
Passed and Past

List of Confusing Homonyms:
http://owl.english.purdue.edu/engagement/index.php?category_id=2&sub_category_id=1&article_id=48

I. There, Their and They're
(Lesson)
Their, There, They're

Their = possessive pronoun:
They will get their books.

There = that place:
My house is over there. (This is a place word, and so it contains the word here.)

They're = contraction for they are:
They're making dinner.(Pronouns have apostrophes only when two words are being shortened into one.)

Click on the link below for more information / another lesson:
http://www.wikihow.com/Use-There%2C-Their-and-They%27re

Practice using There, Their and They're
http://webschool.wash.k12.ut.us/language/lessons/there.html

Write 2 sentences for each form of 'there'

Complete the worksheet:
The Three Little Pigs

II. Your and You're
(Lesson)

1.Recognize that "you're" is the contraction for "you are."
2.Understand that "your" is a possessive pronoun for you, meaning that "you own something."
3.As you write a sentence, ask whether you want to indicate possession. If so use "your."
4.Read your sentence aloud using the phrase "you are." If it fits, you can use "you're." If it doesn't, "your" is your option.
5. Remember that you can add an "s" on the end of "your" to create "yours," but you can not add an "s" onto the end of "you're." This is an easy rule to help you decide which of these two commonly confused words to use when your sentence requires "yours."

Click below for additional info/ lesson:
http://www.wikihow.com/Use-You%27re-and-Your

Practice using Your and You're:

http://english-zone.com/verbs/your1.html

Complete the following:
Write six sentences using your and you're. (Both words must be used in each sentence)

III. Two, Too and To
(Lesson)

To, Too, Two

To = preposition, or first part of the infinitive form of a verb:
They went to the lake to swim.

Too = very, also:
I was too tired to continue. I was hungry, too.

Two = the number 2:
Two students scored below passing on the exam.

Practice using Two, Too and To:
http://www.quia.com/pop/1000.html?AP_rand=183145000

Complete the following:
Write a paragraph using each form of TO 3x

There will be a quiz using all of the information presented on this blog.

III. Passed and Past
(Lesson)
Short Intro:
Past is an adjective meaning "before now." It is also a noun meaning "the time before now."
Yesterday is part of the past; let's think about today.
Xena regrets her past.

Passed is a participle -- that is, a verb-form. Always use it as a verb. It's the past-participle form of the verb "to pass" meaning "to give" or "to move" or, in games, "to decline one's turn."
Xena passed this way yesterday.
Xena passed Gabrielle some nut bread.
I didn't have enough points to bid, so I passed.

Some people also use it euphemistically for death:

My grandfather passed (or passed away) last year.



PASSED
The form passed is the past participle of the verb to pass.

Pass can be used transitively:
I passed the church on my way to the store.

or intransitively:
He passed through life without a care.

Intransitive pass is also used as a euphemism for “die,” as in When did your father pass?
The form passed is the past participle of the verb to pass.

PAST
The word past can be used as an adjective:
Don’t hold grudges for past offenses.

as an adverb:
I thought he would stop, but he just ran past.

and as a preposition:
How does the food always get past the bib?

The word past can be used as an adjective:
Don’t hold grudges for past offenses.

Extended Lesson:
http://www.dailywritingtips.com/passed-vs-past/

or
http://www.towson.edu/ows/past.htm


Practice using Passed and Past:
http://www.towson.edu/ows/exercisepast.htm


Complete the following: (write the correct choice)

The passed / past has a habit of repeating itself. In a carbon copy of last year’s final, the young Argentinean blasted the ball passed / past the post after being awarded a penalty in the last minute. Visibly distraught, he removed his captain’s armband and passed / past it to Wells. He stormed off the pitch, walking straight passed / past his manager without so much as a glance.

Next, you will write a paragraph like the one above. It will be a quiz-type paragraph and you will make an answer key. You must include 6 sentences that include past /passed.

You must use both forms in your paragraph.

MORE HOMONYMS:
http://www.cooper.com/alan/homonym_list.html

1.5.11C- Write with controlled organization1.5.11D- Write with a command of the stylistic aspects of composition.


Future Lessons:
Grammar Issues for ESL Writers

Proofreading Your Writing: Finding Common Errors - The OWL at Purdue
May 5, 2009 ... and homonyms like your/you're, to/too/two, and there/their/they're. ... be