Ten Minute Grammar
Week 8 Day 5 Homophones II
REVIEW FOR MONDAY’S QUIZ—Make sure you know the difference between the following
homophones:
Effect vs. Affect
Past vs. Passed
Lead vs. Led
Lose vs. Loose
Then vs. Than
Who’s vs. Whose
Weather vs. Whether
Read the explanations and then circle the correct word within each example sentence:
Effect vs. Affect – “Effect” is a noun, while “affect” is a verb. If you can change it to past or
present tense, then you want “affect.” If you’re talking about the result of a specific cause, you want
“effect.”
1. The (effects / affects) of his bad choices ruined John’s life.
2. After surviving a fight with Cancer, my grandma refused to let her lack of hair (effect / affect) her
attitude.
3. The cold (effected / affected) me more than my friend because she’s used to this weather.
Then vs. Than – “Then” means “at that time” or “next in order,” while “than” is used to compare
two things or to show a choice between two alternatives.
4. I’d rather swallow a handful of nails (then / than) go through that again!
5. Dad used to play basketball; he was in better shape back (then / than).
6. I like Call of the Wild better (then / than) White Fang, but they’re both good.
Past vs. Passed – “Past” locates something’s position in time and sometimes in space. So when
you say, “Don’t live in the past” or “It happened at half past five,” you’re referring to something’s
location in time. And when you say, “My house is one mile past the stop sign,” you’re referring to
something’s position in space. The word “passed” is the past tense of the word “pass” (no tonguetwister intended), as in, “She passed me the football.” So if you’re using the word as an action, you
want to use “passed” instead of “past.”
7. The Alaskan Gold Rush is a time-period in the (past / passed) that interests me.
8. Go straight (past / passed) the city park, and then turn left.
9. The tank (past / passed) within ten feet of our foxhole, but the enemy didn’t see us.
Who’s vs. Whose – “Who’s” is a contraction made up of “who” and “is” (or sometimes “who” and
“has”). “Whose” is a possessive pronoun showing that something belongs to “who.” So if it makes
sense to break it into two words, you want “who’s.” Otherwise, it’s probably “whose.”
10. (Who’s / Whose) coat is this in my closet? It’s not mine.
11. I’m looking for a good teacher; and by that I mean a teacher (who’s / whose) going to give me
an A no matter what I do.
12. (Who’s / Whose) that guy you sold your sled dogs to? I think I ripped you off!
Lead vs. Led – “Led” is the past tense of the verb “to lead.” The word “lead” is actually two
words—if it sounds like “LEED,” then it’s a present-tense verb, as in “The leader leads us every day”
But if “lead” sounds like “LED,” then you’re using it to refer to metal, as in “Don’t hit me with that lead
pipe.”
13. Buck was given the chance to (lead / led) the other sled dogs.
14. Our coach (lead / led) us through a series of drills to get us ready for the game.
15. He made a full-body suit out of (lead / led), so he was bulletproof from head to toe.
Weather vs. Whether – “Weather” refers to what’s happening with climate conditions. Use
“whether” with two H’s when you’re introducing two or more alternatives. One way to remember it is
that if you’re considering TWO alternatives, you should use the “whether” with TWO H’s.
16. I can’t remember (weather / whether) I’ve ever been to Alaska or not.
17. (Weather / Whether) you go or I go, it doesn’t really matter to me.
18. If you went hunting gold in the Klondike, you’d be in for some bad (weather / whether).
Lose vs. Loose – “Lose” with one O is the opposite of “win.” “Loose” with two O’s is the opposite
of “tight.” Perhaps you could get an image in your mind of the two O’s in “loose” wobbling around—
they need to be tightened because they’re “loose!”
19. I can’t stand to (lose / loose); I’m very competitive.
20. My brother (loses / looses) everything he owns, and then he always wants my stuff.
21. The exercise regime must be working because my pants are getting (lose / loose).