Homophones and near-homophones

For grown-ups: this lesson in words

Years 3 to 6 · English

Homophones and near-homophones: I can choose the right spelling of a homophone by thinking about what it means.

1. Here is a short story set in the park. Listen for three words that sound exactly the same.

   Their, there, they're. They sound the same, but each one is spelt differently.

   Words like these are called homophones.

   We cannot hear the difference, so we use the meaning to choose the spelling.

   Picture: A short text called "At the park" with a picture of a tree: "Their dogs ran over there. They're very fast!" "Their", "there" and "They're" are underlined.

2. Three spellings, three jobs. Let's sort some cards.

   Their, with the letter i, means belonging to them: their bags.

   There has the word here inside it. It is about a place: sit there, over there.

   They're, with an apostrophe, is they are squashed together: they are late, they are singing.

   Picture: Sorting into 3 groups: Belongs to them, A place, They are. Belongs to them: their bags (school bag). A place: sit there (chair), over there (tree). They are: they're late (clock), they're singing (musical note).

3. Your turn: Here are 2 children and 2 coats. The coats belong to the children. The children put on ____ coats. Which spelling fits?

   Picture: The children: 2 children and coats: 2 coats.

   Choose one:

   • there
   • their
   • they're

   Answer

   The answer: their

   Their coats. The coats belong to them, so it is their, with the letter i.

Words to know

homophone:

Words that sound the same but are spelt differently, like there and their.

near-homophone:

Words that sound almost the same, like accept and except.

noun:

A word that names a thing, a person or a place.

verb:

A doing or being word, like run or is.