There are so many words that sound the same but are sometimes spelled differently (not always) but have totally different meaning. Sometimes the same word had several very dissimilar meanings. An example of the first are the three words: there, their, and they're.
there means in or at that place.
their personal pronoun (possessive) belonging to them.
they're a contraction of they are
For a good list of these words, known as homophones, click here.
Since language evolves from other languages as well as with new concepts, it helps to know other languages. I was raised bi-lingually into 'kitchen Greek' at a time when my parents were totally isolated from their mother country by two wars. During that period, Greek took on many words from other languages. For example, a restroom in Greece is more apt to display a 'toilette' sign, clear;y French.
English is the most widely learned language in the world at present, with French being the second. To read more, click herehttp://askville.amazon.com/learned-foreign-language-English-number-purhcas/AnswerViewer.do?requestId=848052.
Unfortunately most data on language came out with the 2000 census. At that time, Spanish was second to English as most widely spoken at home. Having been raised in a household where parents spoke Greek but knew that they had to learn English to assimilate, as children we were required to speak Greek to our parents who in return spoke English to the children. It was a case of the lame and the halt, in a way, but taught both parents and children something necessary and helpful. It saddens me that there are people on the road, driving cars, that can't read signs beyond STOP. We spend a lot of money to make signs in English and Spanish but this is not at all helpful to the many other languages spoken. I submit the we, as citizens, should not have to pay more taxes to print signs for foreigners but that foreigners be required to speak English to live in this country. As of 2000, click here to see languages spoken in homes in America. It does not include the well more than a hundred other languages spoken. Click here for the most spoken in homes.
And you will hear it here. You will go by plane to Spain where the rain stays mainly on the plain.
However, one of the worst found is bear: # have; "bear a resemblance"; "bear a signature"
# give birth: cause to be born; "My wife had twins yesterday!"
# digest: put up with something or somebody unpleasant; "I cannot bear his constant criticism"; "The new secretary had to endure a lot of unprofessional remarks"; "he learned to tolerate the heat"; "She stuck out two years in a miserable marriage"
# move while holding up or supporting; "Bear gifts"; "bear a heavy load"; "bear news"; "bearing orders"
# bring forth, "The apple tree bore delicious apples this year"; "The unidentified plant bore gorgeous flowers"
# take on as one's own the expenses or debts of another person; "I'll accept the charges"; "She agreed to bear the responsibility"
# hold: contain or hold; have within; "The jar carries wine"; "The canteen holds fresh water"; "This can contains water"
# yield: bring in; "interest-bearing accounts"; "How much does this savings certificate pay annually?"
# wear: have on one's person; "He wore a red ribbon"; "bear a scar"
# behave: behave in a certain manner; "She carried herself well"; "he bore himself with dignity"; "They conducted themselves well during these difficult times"
# have rightfully; of rights, titles, and offices; "She bears the title of Duchess"; "He held the governorship for almost a decade"
# hold: support or hold in a certain manner; "She holds her head high"; "He carried himself upright"
# massive plantigrade carnivorous or omnivorous mammals with long shaggy coats and strong claws
# have a bun in the oven: be pregnant with; "She is bearing his child"; "The are expecting another child in January"; "I am carrying his child"
# an investor with a pessimistic market outlook; an investor who expects prices to fall and so sells now in order to buy later at a lower price
as compared to bare: Online English Dictionary
Online English Dictionary
bare
Definition bare [adj]
1. completely unclothed; "bare bodies"; "naked from the waist up"; "a nude model"
2. lacking in amplitude or quantity; "a bare livelihood"; "a scanty harvest"; "a spare diet" 3. not having a protective covering; "unsheathed cables"; "a bare blade"
4. lacking its natural or customary covering; "a bare hill"; "bare feet"
5. just barely adequate or within a lower limit; "a bare majority"; "a marginal victory" 6. apart from anything else; without additions or modifications; "only the bare facts"; "shocked by the mere idea"; "the simple passage of time was enough"; "the simple truth" 7. lacking a surface finish such as paint; "bare wood"; "unfinished furniture" 8. providing no shelter or sustenance; "bare rocky hills"; "barren lands"; "the bleak treeless regions of the high Andes"; "the desolate surface of the moon"; "a stark landscape" 9. having everything extraneous removed including contents; "the bare walls"; "the cupboard was bare" 10. lacking embellishment or ornamentation; "a plain hair style"; "unembellished white walls"; "functional architecture featuring stark unornamented concrete"
bare [verb
1. lay bare; "bare your breasts"; "bare your feelings" 2. make public; "She aired her opinions on welfare" 3. lay bare; "denude a forest"
I couldn't bear being bare in public! For shame!
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