- 1). Write a definition of homonyms on the board or on a handout. Explain the difference between homophones and homographs, as well as the potential embarrassment which can result from inadvertently using the wrong word.
- 2). Distribute a handout containing a list of homonym words. Ensure that the homonyms which are the cause of the most common errors -- "they're/there/their," "weather/whether," "who's/whose" and "you're/your" - are at the top of the list. Use the board to explain the differences in meaning between each word. Ensure that these definitions stay on the board throughout the lesson as students will have to refer back to them.
- 3). Distribute a handout with 10 to 20 sentences, each containing one or two misuses of the above words. One example could be, "Ryan and Sally rode there bikes despite the cold whether." Students should underline the grammatical errors and replace the incorrect homonyms with the correct words.
- 4). Read to the class a passage containing a number of misused homonyms. Read slowly and clearly, pausing briefly after each sentence. Students should raise their hands when they hear you use a homonym which could potentially be the subject of a grammatical error.
- 5). Give students five minutes to write a paragraph with as many homonym words as possible. The paragraph can be about anything, but if they get stuck you can suggest topics such as a trip to the theme park or a birthday party. Tell them to repeat the previous exercise with the student next to them, reading their paragraph aloud so that their partners can point out the homonym words which could be the subject of a possible error.
- 6). Use the final minutes of the lesson to quickly recap the definition of a homonym and repeat the most common examples. One final exercise as the students are lining up to leave is to make them leave in single-file and only allow each one to leave once they've named a homonym. Needless to say, this is only suitable for well-ordered classes.
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