Some Homographs and their Proximity in Meaning [Archives:2007/1070/Education]

T. Ahemd Ameen Almdhaji & T.AbdulKalk Obad
Sana'a Community College
There are words in English which are homogaphous with some proximity in their meaning. That means these words have some similarity in their spelling, pronunciation as well as in their meaning .For instance , the following pairs of words are broadly synonymous. Some of these are also interchangeable.

1- award = reward

award: a prize that someone gets for something that they have achieved. Ex.: Ali received an award.

reward: something that is given to someone to thank them for doing something. Ex.: She offered a GBP20 reward to anyone who could find her cat.

2- bash = smash

bash: to hit something or someone hard. Ex.: He bashed his head on the back of the seat.

smash: to hit an object or surface violently. Ex.: Murray smashed his fist against the wall.

3- amend = emend

amend: to make small changes or improvements, especially to something that has been written. Ex.: The law has been amended several times.

emend: to make small changes. Ex.: After correcting the examination papers, the teacher emended them.

4- accumulate = cumulate

accumulate: to gradually get more and more money, possessions, knowledge etc over a period of time. Ex.: It is unjust that a privileged few should continue to accumulate.

cumulate: to increase gradually as more of something is added or happens: Ex.: Good students cumulate their learning by their good study.

5- adjudge=judge

adjudge: (formal) to make a judgment about something or someone. Ex.: The reforms of 1979 were generally adjudged to have failed.

judge: to form or give an opinion about someone or something after thinking carefully about all the information you know about them. Ex.: You should never judge a person by their looks. Judge us on the improvements we make in the economy.

6- admit=permit

admit: to allow someone to enter a public place to watch a game, performance etc. Ex.: Only ticket- holders will be admitted into the stadium.

permit: to allow something to happen, especially by an official decision, rule, or law. Ex.: Smoking is only permitted in the public lounge.

7- handle =tackle

tackle : to try to deal with a difficult problem. Ex.: There is more than one way to tackle the problem.

handle : to deal with a situation or problem by behaving in a particular way and making particular decisions. Ex.: The headmaster handled the situation very well.

8- hang=dangle

hang : put something somewhere so that its top part is fixed but its bottom part is free to move, or to be in this position: Ex.: He hung his coat on the back of the door.

dangle : to hang or swing loosely, or to make something do this. Ex.: The keys were dangling from his belt.

9- Indict = convict

indict: to officially charge someone with a criminal offence. Ex.: He was indicted for vehicular homicide in 1987.

convict: to officially decide in a court of law that someone is guilty of a crime. Ex.: She was convicted of shoplifting.

10- assure=ensure= reassure

assure: to make something certain to happen or be successful. Ex.: There is enough money to assure the success of the project.

ensure: to make certain that something happens or is done. Ex.: Ensure that the fire doors are kept clear.

reassure: to make someone feel less worried about something. Ex.: Police have reassured the public that the area is now perfectly safe.

11- Interlace = interlock = interwist = intertwine = interweave = intermingle

interlaced: things that are interlaced are joined together, with parts of the one thing going over or around parts of the other. Ex.: Patterns of interlaced squares.

interlocked: if two or more things interlock, or if they are interlocked, they fit firmly together. Ex.: Puzzle with 500 interlocking pieces.

intertwined: if two things intertwine, or if they are intertwined, they are twisted together. Ex.: The problems of Crime and unemployment are closely intertwined.

intertwisted : if two things intertwist , or if they are intertwisted, they are twisted together. Ex.: A necklace of rubies intertwisted with pearls.

interweaven : if two things are interwoven, they are closely related or combined in a complicated way. Ex.: The two themes are inextricably interwoven in the book.

12- moan=groan

moan : to make a long low sound expressing pain, unhappiness, or sexual pleasure. Ex.: She moaned and cried out in pain.

groan: to make a long deep sound because you are in pain, upset, or disappointed, or because something is very enjoyable. Ex.: The kids all groaned when I switched off the TV.
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