Homonymns and Homophones

In linguistics, a homonym is, in the strict sense, one of a group of words that share the same spelling and the same pronunciation but have different meanings.

A homophone is a word that is pronounced the same as another word but differs in meaning.

These are words that are spelled differently and have different meanings, but are pronounced the same.

Can you think of any more?  Can you draw a picture that shows the different meanings of the words?

ad (a commercial)  add (a sum)aisle (a walkway), I'll (I will), isle (an island) ant (an insect), aunt (a relative) aye (means yes), eye (what you see with), I (yourself) ball (a round toy), bawl (to cry) band (a musical group), banned (not allowed) be (to exist), bee (an insect) bear (an animal), bare (with nothing) bite (to chomp on), byte (computer term) boar (an animal), bore (give birth or to make bored) brake (to stop), break (to damage) by (next to), bye (saying when you leave), buy ( to  purchase) capital (head od a state or upper case letter), capitol (government  building) cellar (basement), seller (person who sells) cereal (breakfast food), serial (in order) choose (to pick), chews (to grind between your teeth) clause, claws (animal nails) colonel (an army official), kernel (a piece of corn) creak (a noise), creek (a small river) cymbal (an instrument), symbal (a thing that represents another thing) days (one part of the week), daze (daydream) dear (someone that is special to you), deer (an animal) die (to pass away), dye (to change color) doe (a female deer), dough (a flour mixture) fair (light coloring, equal, or a place with rides), fare (payment) flea (an insect), flee (to run away) flour (what bread is made of), flower (part of a plant) for, four (a number), fore (a golf term) gnu (an animal), new (not old), knew (to have known) grate (slice into pieces), great (large or good) groan (a noise when hurt), grown (to have gotten bigger) hair (on your head), hare (a rabbit) hall (a walkway), haul (to pull or carry) hay (what horses eat), hey (a saying) heard (to hear), herd (a group of animals) higher (up further), hire (to employ) hoarse (no voice), horse (an animal) hole (a pit), whole (all of something) hour (time), our (belonging to us) idle (doing nothing), idol (a thing that is worshiped) in (not out), inn (a place to stay) knight (a royal guard), night (not day) knot (tied together), not (excluding) know (to be familiar with), no (not yes) knows (to be familar with), nose (body part) lead (a metal), led (to bring something somewhere) loan (to let someone borrow), lone (by itself) made (created), maid (a person that cleans) mail (letters), male (a boy) meat (a food), meet (to come together)

mind (your brain or to listen to), mined (extracted)moose (an animal), mousse (for hair or a dessert) morning (in the AM), mourning (a time of sadness) muscle (body part), mussel (sea creature) naval (belonging to the navy), navel (belly-button) nay (no), neigh (sound a horse makes) none (nothing), nun (a religious woman) oar (for rowing), or (instead of), ore (a mineral) oh (a saying), owe (to have debt) one (a number), won (to get something for winning) pail (a bucket), pale (light colored) pain (hurts), pane (w indow part) pair (two), pair (a fruit), pare (cooking term) patience (to wait), patients (people seeing a doctor) pause (to stop), paws (animal feet) peace (not fighting), piece (a bit) peak (the top), peek (to look) pedal (on a bike), peddle (to sell) plain (ordinary), plane (what you fly) poor (no money), pore (skin opening), pour (to dump liquid) pray (to speak to a God), prey (a victim) prince (royalty), prints (paintings or finger marks) principal (school), principle (main) rain (weather), reign (to rule) raise (to lift), rays (beams of light) rap (to knock or music), wrap (to enclose) read (words), red (a color) right (correct or not left), write (put words on paper) role (a part in a play), roll (to push or tumble) sail (boat), sale (a discount) sea (a body of water), see (look) sew (to create), so shore (the beach), sure (positive) slay (to kill), sleigh (a snow vehicle) soared (flew), sword (a weapon) stake (a piece of wood), steak (meat) steal (to take), steel (a metal) suite (a luxury room), sweet (sugary) tail (animal part), tale (story) tea (a drink), tee (a golf ball holder) tense (nervous), tents (shelters for camping) their (belonging to them), there (a place), they're (they are) threw (to have thrown), through (finished) to, too (also), two (a number) toad (frog), towed (to have pulled) vain (self-centered), vein (a blood vessel) waist (your middle), waste (to throw away needlessly) wait (stop), weight (measurement) wear (to put on your body), where (place) weak (not strong), week (time) your (belonging to you), you're (you are)

Fun Facts about Ice Cream and You

• It takes about 50 licks to lick away one scoop of ice cream!

• Of all the days of the week, most ice cream is bought on Sunday!

• Kids aged 2-12 and adults over 45 eat the most ice cream!

• More men (13%) admit to licking their ice cream bowl clean than women (8%)!

• Vanilla, chocolate, butter pecan, strawberry, and mint chocolate chip are the most popular ice cream flavors!

• Chocolate syrup is the most popular ice cream topping!

• 5% of ice cream eaters share their ice cream with their pet!

Lilies

Lilies are the most regal of all flowers - true garden aristocrats. Stunning in cut arrangements, potted, naturalized, or in formal gardens, lilies are favorites of florists, landscape designers, and home gardeners alike. Lilies are as easy to grow as any other perennial if you select varieties that are suited to your growing region and follow a few simple rules.


Tips for growing lilies including choosing varieties, soil and climate requirements, planting instructions, and a discussion of growth habits and propagation.


Modern breeding techniques have produced an incredible variety of lilies, tall or short; in distinctive forms, upright or candelabra; and stunning colors ranging from pure white through creams and pastels, pinks, yellows, oranges, golds, and vivid reds. All are equally lovely, so making choices for your garden will be difficult.


Lilies grow from scaly bulbs. The bulbs are planted in autumn, either September, October, or November, depending on your growing region. Ideally, the bulbs are sold with roots attached. Since they are never completely dormant, they should be planted as soon as you bring them home. Lilies are very attractive planted in groups. Loosen the soil to a depth of at least 10 inches, then moisten the ground where the bulbs are to be planted to promote immediate root growth. Plant large bulbs (those 3 inches or more in diameter) at least 10 inches apart covered with 4 or 5 inches of soil. Cover smaller bulbs with about 3 inches of soil. Water the bulbs after planting to settle the soil. In colder growing regions, mulch the ground above the bulbs after freezing weather.


Most lilies grow best in region 8 northward through the warmer areas of region 4. Lilies do poorly in the desert southwest. In the western sections of growing regions 9 and 10, lilies should be planted where they will receive afternoon shade. While they do not require special soil, lilies must not be planted in any location where water will stand on the bulbs. A porous, rapid-draining soil is best. If your soil contains too much clay, add sand, moistened peat moss, or compost to increase porosity. It has been said that lilies, like clematis, "prefer their heads in the sun and their feet in the shade." The best location is one in sun or light shade among ground covers such as vinca or ferns.


Lilies respond well to ample feeding. In spring and early summer, apply a complete fertilizer or a combination of organic nutrients that provide adequate amounts of nitrogen, potassium, and phosphorus. Water thoroughly. Shoots sometime emerge in early spring before the last frost. If a heavy frost or freeze is predicted, cover the lilies so the buds will not be ruined. Do not cultivate deeply around your lilies since there are feeder roots near the surface of the soil that can be easily damaged.


Depending on the variety, blooms begin in May and continue through September. For cut arrangements, the blooms will last longer if the buds are cut when they are fully colored. Be aware that cutting more than one-third of the length of the stem will weaken the bulb for next year. Remember, the more foliage this year, the more blossoms you will have next year. When blooming is over, cut off the developing seed pod but leave the stem and all the leaves.


Lilies can be propagated by using scales from the bulbs or with bulblets produced on the underground stem. Either method requires two to three years for a bulb to reach sufficient size to produce a bloom. Non-hybrid lilies can also be propagated from seed, but that method should be left to the experts.


Some of the best lilies for beginners are the coral lily, madonna lily, regal lily, tiger lily, showy lily, Olympic hybrids, Aurelian hybrids, and mid-century hybrids.


Lilies add rich colors and splendid form to almost any landscape. From the classic to the ornate, they will delight your senses and enhance your gardening experience.

Types of Lilies

But which lilies to choose???

The catalogs, with their pages and pages of breathtaking pictures and tempting descriptions, are a marvelous confusion of exciting possibilities. Some are easier than other…some bloom earlier…or later. Some need full sun…others prefer a bit of shade.  If you are looking for a list of good lily varieties to grow in your garden, be sure to visit the NALS Popularity Poll page.
We can’t tell you about each one, but there is a Horticultural Classification that arranges the various types of lilies into broad groups according to parentage, further classified by flower shape.

Asiatic Hybrids – Horticultural Division 1

The asiatic hybrids are among the earliest to bloom, and also the easiest of lilies to grow! You can plant these lilies almost anywhere…especially in brightest sunshine with lots of gay garden plants for company. They have the broadest color range of any division, including whites, pinks, plums, yellows, oranges, and reds. Their flowers can be upfacing, outfacing, or pendant, and generally are not scented.
Technically speaking, Division 1 lilies are hybrids derived from such species as L. tigrinum, L. cernuum, L. davidii, L. maximowiczii, L.x macultum, L. x hollandicum, L amabile, L. pumilum, L. concolor, and L. bulbiferum.

Martagon Hybrids – Horticultural Division 2

Along with the earliest of the asiatics, blooms another entirely different group called the martagons, or martagons hansonii hybrids.  These are tall lilies with many little down-facing flowers and whorled leaves. Martagons appreciate  some shade, and are quite decorative in the woodland garden. Though it might take them a year to adjust to a new garden, once established, the martagons will thrive for years. Yellow,  white, pink, lavender, light orange, deep dark red are the colors most often seen, often with whimsical freckles and spots.

Division 2 lilies include hybrids derived from such species as L Martagon, L hansonii, L medeoloides, and L tsingtauense.

Candidum Hybrids – Horticultural Division 3

Division 3 includes hybrids derived from such as L candidum, L chalcedonicum, L monadelphum, and other related European species, but excluding L Martagon.This division includes very few entries, and they are not easily found in commerce.

American Hybrids – Horticultural Division 4

There are many native lilies in North America…and the western  species have been used to create some very beautiful and graceful lilies. The bulbs are unique…made up of little jointed scales, and the blooms like bouncy bright balloons on swinging curved pedicels. Division 4 lilies can be challenging outside of the western United States and Canada, but their unique beauty certainly makes them worth trying.  With growing conditions that suit them, which includes a cool light soil and dappled shade, they can rapidly make impressive clumps.
Division 4 includes hybrids derived from North American species, such as L pardalinum, L humboldtii, L kelloggii, and L parryii.

Longiflorum Hybrids – Horticultural Division 5

This division includes hybrids derived from L longiflorum and L formosanum. These hybrids are generally elegant white trumpets, easily raised from seed, but not particularly hardy in the garden.

Trumpet and Aurelian Hybrids – Horticultural Division 6

To some people, no lily is a real lily unless it is a trumpet! Who can deny that a trumpet lily is like no other plant in the garden…tall, stately, serene and magnificent…with huge waxy flowers full of fragrance? And colors…not only pure glistening white, but bright gold, yellow, chartreuse, pink, plum, and apricot are available…some with backs of brown or purple or iridescent green!

Aurelians are hybrids that include Lilium henryi in their ancestry.  L. henryi is a rugged species that has tightly recurved orange or yellow flowers, giving the aurelians a wide range of flower shapes and colors.

Trumpets and aurelians bloom in mid to late season, and their huge flower heads may require staking. They may also require a mulch in cold winter areas, and some protection from late spring frosts… but these little services are amply repaid by the long season of spectacular, fragrant bloom.

Division 6 includes hybrids derived from L luecanthum, L regale, L sargentiae, L sulphureum, and L henryi.

Oriental Hybrids – Horticultural Division 7

Lilies of this exotic group are not among the easiest to grow, particularly in hot summer areas. But you will try them…we know!  Often called “Stargazers “, these lilies have huge flowers with wonderful fragrance… in shades of white, pink,  salmon, and crimson. Give them partial shade, plenty of water,  humus rich soil that is slightly acid, and mulch for a cool root run.

Division 7 includes hybrids derived from L auratum, L speciosum, L nobilissimum, L rubellum, L alexandrae, and L japonicum.

Miscellaneous Hybrids – Horticultural Division 8

Division 8 includes hybrids that are not provided for in any previous division, including crosses between divisions. “Orienpets”, hybrids between Division 7 (oriental) and Division 6 (trumpet & aurelian) lilies are a prominent example, and you will surely want to include them in your garden. They combine the beautiful flower shape and color of the orientals …with the ruggedness and dependability of trumpets and aurelians. They are much better suited to hot summer areas than the orientals, and …more resistant to winter cold.

Species – Horticultural Division 9

Species lilies are wild lilies. Native lilies occur in North America, Europe, and especially Asia…Japan, China, Burma, & India. It is from these wild lilies that breeders have created their magnificent hybrids for our gardens. Species lilies oftentimes possess a delicate charm that appeals to many people, and many of the species make fine garden plants…while others are a real challenge to grow.

A Close-up View of the Wildflower "Sweet Pea"

(Lathyrus latifolia)

Over the last few years, I have systematically searched for wildflowers in the vicinity of my home.  Many species are ubiquitous.  What surprises me is the number that grow in only one location.  I often wonder what strange phenomenon led to their occurrence in a particular spot.  The sweet pea plants studied in this article grow in an area less than one square metre in the dappled shade of a stand of male staghorn sumac trees.  The plants bloom every year in early June, about a metre from the sidewalk shown in the image below.  

Unless you are looking carefully, the flowers may go unnoticed, since the nearby grass and weeds are taller, and surround them.  The blooms are two to three centimetres in diameter, and grow on straggly stalks to a height of no more than twenty five centimetres.

The peas belong to the family Fabaceae.  Many of the members of this family have become important commercial or ornamental crops, for example:  edible peas and beans, clover, and sweet peas. The sweet pea is native to Europe, but has been naturalized over most of North America.  Other common names for the species are the “everlasting pea” or the “perennial pea”.  The image that follows shows the two oval leaves joined by a short stalk to the main stem.  Two additional tiny leaflets are positioned at the joining point, (called the axil).

A group of immature sweet pea buds can be seen below.  Each bud displays a calyx composed of five pointed greensepals (modified leaves).  It is interesting to note that a tiny green filament-like thread grows out from the point of intersection of each bud’s stem to the main stem.

As the buds increase in size, they begin to show pink colouration.

Just before blooming, the buds display their natural bright red colour.

The large outer petal that will form the flower’s “banner” (see later), opens to reveal the inner petals of the flower.

Finally, the brilliantly coloured blooms are revealed. The upper-most petal has a noticeable vertical groove.  This petal forms the “banner” or “standard”of the flower.  Beneath the banner are two lateral petals referred to as “wings”.  It is these wings that cause the flower’s structure to be called papilionaceous, (like a butterfly).  Finally, beneath the wings are two petals joined to form the “keel”.  This keel encloses the reproductive structures of the flower.

A side view gives a different perspective .  Notice how the two wing petals effectively cover the top portion of the keel.

Although the flowers in my location are deep red dappled with white, the colour may range from red through pink to (rarely), white.

While photographing a sweet pea flower, I was struck by the elegant form of this remarkable bloom!

Photographed from the back, the flower shows a lighter colouration, and the five-pointed green calyx at the base of the petals is visible.

If the two petals forming the keel are gently removed by pulling on them, the reproductive structures hidden beneath are revealed.  Ten orange-brown anthers (male pollen producing organs), supported by white filaments, surround the single hairy green pistil formed by the stigma (female pollen accepting organ) supported by a sturdystyle.  The flower structure of the sweet pea allows only one type of insect - the bee, to pollinate it.  The nectar in a flower is stored just over the filaments of the anthers.  As the bee enters the flower, its mass pulls down the keel, and the anthers and stigma move up to touch the underside of the bee’s body.  The bee gets the nectar, and in so doing, becomes coated with pollen.

Under the microscope, an anther can be seen to have many spherical to ellipsoidal pollen grains on its surface.

A photomicrograph of the tip of the pistil shows both the oval green stigma, and the hairy, lighter green style that supports it.  Many pollen cling to both stigma and style.

Pollen grains are irregular in shape.

The cellular structure of the banner petal shows both red and white cells in its makeup.

Pea flowered plants have the ability to obtain, (or “fix”) nitrogen from the atmosphere by using soil bacteria (Rhizobium).  It is this capability that makes such plants useful, both in the environment, and to farmers, by increasing soil fertility.

Beautiful places in SriLanka

all 16 photos

Most beautiful fishes

10. African Cichlids

First off, cichlids is pronounced “Sick-Lids”. African Cichlids are fish found in Three lakes in Africa; Malawi, Tanganyika and Victoria. The Victorian Species are less numerous and usually less colorful than the others. These fish usually grow to about six or seven inches long, with the exception of the Frontosoa Species, which grow to about twelve to fourteen inches in length. Fortunately, these fish are freshwater, and easy to raise in a home aquarium, the only requirement being that they have water with a higher pH level and plenty of hiding spots (they can be quite aggressive!). There are also species of Cichlids that live in the Amazon Basin, but these get much larger and are much more aggressive than their African relatives.

9. Parrot fish



Named Parrot fish because of their calcareous bird-like beaks. Parrot fish use these beaks to crush and eat the small invertebrates that live in coral. Much of the sand and sea floor of coral reefs are actually remains of meals from the parrot fish, they chew the coral, eat the invertebrates and spit out the leftover calcium. Like Cichlids, There are many individual species of Parrot fish, with varying degrees of color and patterns.

8. Regal Tang



Ever since “Finding Nemo” came out, these fish are usually referred to as “Dory Fish” by children. Tangs belong to a family of fish called Surgeon fish, who possess a small, retractable calcareous blade toward their tail fin. This blade is mainly used for defense, they extract it and rub against an attacker, in an effort to fend it off.

7. Coral Beauty 



A small angelfish, usually available at your local pet store, they really are a fish one needs to see in person to have a full appreciation of their color. These fish are usually keepable in any marine aquarium and are very hardy.

6. Flame Angel



A close relative of the Coral Beauty, the Flame Angel has some of the boldest color of any fish I’ve seen. As with the Coral Beauty, these fish are usually easily available and affordable, but from my experience are a bit more fickle than the Coral Beauty.

5. Koi 



Yeah sure, most of the Koi you have seen are probably nothing more than orange or white. However, there are many (probably close to or more than 100) color variations of Koi (Just pick up a Koi trader’s magazine the next time you’re at a bookstore). Koi can comer in many colors, including orange, red, white, gold, and black. Certain patterns are sought after by avid Koi collectors, some of whom will pay thousands of dollars for a single fish.

4. Moorish Idol



One of the most difficult fish to keep in a home aquarium (and very expensive as well), to most aquarists these fish are the pinnacle of the hobby. You may think you’ve seen them before, but you’re probably getting them confused with another species, the Bannerfish (also known as the False Idol). In eight years of the hobby, I’ve only ever seen these fish for sale in shops on three occasions.

3. Lion fish



Probably one of my favorite fish of all time, the Lionfish (or Zebrafish) is a fascinating species, and is easy to become mesmerized by one when watching it swim. The spines you see on its back possess a painful and powerful venom. Thankfully the Lionfish is somewhat docile and not a fast swimmer, but all aquarists who own one must take extra care when cleaning their tank.

2. Discus 



Another freshwater species, Discus are probably the single most beautiful species of Freshwater fish. They are also probably the most expensive Freshwater species, second only to the Koi or the Arowana. A small 3 inch juvenile can be anywhere from $50-$80. There are many color variations of Discus, most of which are simply breathtaking. Although they are Freshwater species, they do require more experience and care than some Saltwater fish.

1. Mandarinfish