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The Maple Leaf Rag

Mapleleaf Man

Canada

November 11, 2010

English is full of words that sound the same and mean something different. It's also full of words that look EXACTLYthe same but mean different things, depending on how you say them. Here are a few of those words. 

Rose - it can mean a flower or when someone gets up from sitting down, or when something goes up in the air. (The balloon rose up into the sky.)

*Polish - it can mean to shine your shoes or it can be someone from Poland. (He is Polish.)

*Sewer - A person who sews or a stinky pipe underground. 

*Lead - a kind of metal or a chain for a dog or horse or what you do when you are out in front. (Let me lead the way.)

Bear - the animal or to support something. (I can't bear this pain anymore!)

*Sow - a female pig or planting seeds. 

*Read - this is hard to explain. You can read something but once you read it, you have read it!

*Close - to shut something or to be right beside someone. (Close the door and come stand close to me.)

*Wind - the air blowing or to roll something up. (The wind blew the hose down. Now I have to wind it up again!)

Chinese also has these words. Can you think of some? Send me a message about them. In this case, Chinese and English are much the same. Difficult!!! Hahahaha

Thanks for reading. 

 

*These words are pronounced differently, depending on their meaning. 

02:39 PM Nov 14 2010

Mapleleaf Man
Canada

 I'm glad you took my comment in stride, dancin4108. I see this error everywhere, from msn.com to comments and blogs all over the Internet. Don't feel bad. :)

06:42 PM Nov 13 2010

dancin4108

dancin4108
United States

 Embarassedoh Im embarrased. Im happy you pointed this out to me. I do this all the time with the your. :)

05:29 PM Nov 13 2010

Mapleleaf Man
Canada

Thanks for the Arabic information, Ryo. That is interesting. It`s not just English! Hahaha. 

Dancin4108, I am forced to comment on `your`instead of `you`re`. I know it`s a typo but I see it everywhere and it`s frustrating! Hahahaha.

For Ryo, or anyone else who reads this, your is possessive, of course, but `you`re`means `you are`. Many people use `your`for both but that incorrect. Keep track of which one you mean. 

12:40 PM Nov 13 2010

dancin4108

dancin4108
United States

 Yes Ryo, your right, it is easy for me :) when I said Id never thought of it that way, I was simply agreeing with what Mapleleaf man had to say in his blog, many different ways and meanings of some english words :)

10:36 AM Nov 13 2010

Ryo

Ryo
Saudi Arabia
 i  think that s English language
 it's easy for you
so  its not pain in the ass  for you 

10:14 AM Nov 13 2010

dancin4108

dancin4108
United States

 Never thought of it like that, but yes your right :)

09:33 AM Nov 13 2010

Ryo

Ryo
Saudi Arabia

Sar  it could  be pleasing or  somthing happy when its noun 

and  it means Walked when  its  verp  and in the  past

Dahab   its    means     gone  when  its   verp 

and gold  when  its  A noun 

it  depneds in the sentence  and How pronounces

 

 

07:52 AM Nov 13 2010

Mapleleaf Man
Canada

 I think you are correct, Ryo. English is really a collection of languages and maybe that is why there are so many idioms. Do you know some Arabic idioms that you could share? 

10:50 AM Nov 12 2010

Ryo

Ryo
Saudi Arabia

i think maybe  most launage is full of word s has same meaning 

but maybe english more 

November 6, 2010

A young man wrote to me recently, asking me for advice about his situation. He was a freshman at university and, after a good start, felt that he was getting discouraged with his life there. Here is what I told him : 
 
University life is difficult, especially if you are far away from your home. I'm sure you miss your family and friends. 
Two things might help you: 
1. Make sure you get lots of exercise. Run, walk, get active. The more exercise you get, the better you will feel. You will have more energy for schoolwork and you will sleep better, too. 
2. Set a goal for yourself. Although your major may not be your favourite, set a goal for yourself. something like "I will get a B in this course", or an A, depending on your abilities. 
Some other ideas: Write a log in QQ or renren. Let everyone know how you feel. If you are sad, tell people that. Your friends will read that and try to cheer you  up.
Join a club on campus. Clubs are great for meeting other people and having fun. Sure, you have to study but you can also take some time for yourself. 
Volunteer to help out at a school or a senior's home. Maybe you can tutor younger people in your best subject. Remember this: When you are down and out, there is always someone worse off than you. Help them and you will help yourself. Every nice thing you do will come back to you. Life is like that. As we say in English, what goes around, comes around. This is the old 'yin yang' isn't it? When you help others, you are helping yourself.  
I hope these ideas help. Don't lay around feeling sorry for yourself! Get up and enjoy life! This will all end soon and you'll be working. You have time now to do the things you want. Once you start working, it will be hard to have as much fun.
 
Thanks for reading. I'm not a psychologist but I have been around a long time. Let me know if you need some help.  

07:59 AM Nov 13 2010

fallbn

fallbn
Viet Nam

 thanks a lot, your write is so good. I am a senior. My major is not my favourite but throught your write , I will try, I pursue to end for my select.

October 28, 2010

One of my friends on QQ asked me about the words 'hope' and 'wish'. At that time, I didn't have an answer for her. After some thought, I'll try to give you and idea about these two words and how and when to use them. 

If you wish for something, it's very indefinite. "I wish that I could be a movie star." Maybe someday this could happen but, for now anyway, it's a dream. You can wish upon a star or make a wish when you blow out a candle. These things aren't definite and usually they won't happen. Wishes and dreams are similar. 

If you hope for something, then there is a definite possibility that it will happen. "I hope it rains tomorrow, the ground is really dry." "I hope that the dentist can fix this pain in my tooth." In both cases there is a chance that these things will happen.

Hope is also something that you have if there is a chance that something will happen. The miners in Chile were trapped very far underground but there was always hope that they would be saved. If there was no communication with them for weeks, then all hope would be lost. 

Wish can also be a verb. "We wish you a Merry Christmas." Hope is a verb, too but, in this case, wish is a bit lighter. You wish a person a happy birthday. But you hope they had a great party. In these cases, you just have to have a bit of luck making the choice. 

As with most things to do with English, it's sometimes easier to change the words around when you can't decide which word to use. "It would be nice if it rained tomorrow." That takes care of your problem. We have a million words in English. There is always another way to say the same thing. Don't worry! 

Thanks for reading! If you have questions, feel free to ask. 

03:26 PM Nov 06 2010

M5R7

M5R7
Iran, Islamic Republic Of

The best way you could explain it! It also was a question to me. But most of the time I make the right (or more common) choice, by the experience of listening.

Good luck