aisle, isle
altar, alter
arc, ark
bare, bear berth, birth brake, break buy. by
canvas, canvass capital, capitol cereal, serial cession, session chord, cord coarse, course
die, dye dying, dyeing
faze, phase fiance, fiancee forth, fourth foul, fowl
hear, here heard, herd hole, whole
its, it's
lead, led lessen, lesson
mantel, mantle marshal, martial
medal, meddle
passed, past peace, piece plain, plane principal, principle
rain, reign, rein
right, rite, wright, write
ring, wring
role, roll
sight, site, cite sole, soul stake, steak
stationary, stationery steal, steel straight, strait
tail, tale
their, there, they're threw, through, thrown, throne to, too, two troop, troupe
vain,vane, vein
waist, waste weak, week who's, whose
your, you're
Words similar in sound and form
Learn the following words and prepare them for spelling dictation
accept, except
adapt, adept
advice, advise
ffect, effect
alley, ally
allusion, illusion
angle, angel
author, Arthur
basis, bases
bath, bathe
born, borne
breath, breathe
casual, causal
censor, censure
choose, chose
close, clothes,
cloths cloth, clothe
collar, colour
coma, comma
complement, compliment
costume, custom
council, counsel, consul
diary, dairy
decent, descent, dissent
desert, dessert
device, devise,
dual, duel,
elicit, illicit
emigrant, immigrant
eminent, immanent, imminent
ever, every
farther, further
foreword, forward
formally, formerly
holly, holy, wholly
human, humane
later, latter
loath, loathe
loose, lose, loss
marital, martial
moral, morale
of off
personal, personnel
poor, pore, pour
prophecy, prophesy
quiet, quite, quit
respectfully, respectively
sense, since
speak, speech
statue, stature, statute
suit, suite
than, then
though, thorough, through
trail, trial
vary, very
wander, wonder
weather, whether
woman, women
Reproductions
Reproduction 1 Balzac and the thief
The name of the famous French writer Balzac is very popular in many countries. His novels have been translated into many languages and are read all over the world.
Balzac is famous not only as a talented writer. He is also known, as a great humorist. His humor is described in many stories. Here is one of them.
It happened at night, when Balzac was lying in bed awake. He couldn't sleep as it was quite light in the room thanks to the moonlight.
Suddenly Balzac heard some noise and soon he saw a man enter his room.. He moved very carefully trying not to make any noise. Balzac realized that the stranger was a thief. He understood that the thief was looking for money. He was risking his life in order to find money at night.
Balzac began to laugh very loudly, but the thief did not get frightened and he was brave enough 10 ask the famous writer why the latter was laughing.
Balzac told the thief that he was very sorry for him. The famous writer had no money and very often could not find a penny in his desk. The thief was very much surprised. He thought that a great writer must have a lot of money. He was disappointed and left the room at once.
Balzac [ba:l`za:k]
Reproduction 2 A Story that made Daniel Defoe famous
Daniel Defoe, the great English writer, lived a full and interesting life. He travelled, tried many professions and wrote many books and pamphlets.
In 1712 Defoe met a sailor who told him a very interesting story. Alexander Zelkirk was the sailor's name. He quarreled with his officer and was put ashore on an island off the coast of Chile. For more than four years he had lived quite alone on the island. He was saved by a ship putting in this island for water. When the sailor returned to London, his story became the talk of the town. Several stories about him were printed, read and then forgotten.
Daniel Defoe could not forget the story. The sailor's experience produced a great impression on him and he started writing a story. He chose an island in a different part of the world, changed the name of the main character and created a very interesting book.
As Defoe was a journalist, he was able to make the story seem absolutely true.
His book about Robinson Crusoe was a great success not only in Great Britain but also in many countries of the world Both children and grown-ups read it with great interest. But the true story of Alexander Zelkirk is practically unknown today.
Daniel Defoe [`dænj l di`fou]
Alexander Zelkirk [ælig`za:nd `zelk k]
Robinson Crusoe [`robinsn `kru:sou]