October 12, 2020
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Which Means:
Total, complete.
As In:
The kids screamed in sheer delight on the rollercoaster ride.
Heads Up!
Sheer can also mean a vertical (straight up and down) drop: a sheer cliff.
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Which Means:
To remove (fleece or hair) by cutting or clipping.
As In:
Every spring the farmer works hard to shear his sheep.
Heads Up!
Be careful not to shear the EAR of the animal!
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Which Means:
A vessel or tube that carries blood to the heart.
As In:
Can you see a vein beneath your skin?
Heads Up!
You can remember this one by associating 'vein' with 'vessel'. Both have VE at the beginning.
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Which Means:
A device attached to the top of a building that turns easily to show the direction of the wind.
As In:
My uncle liked collecting a vane from every old farm auction he could.
Heads Up!
Vane' is short for 'weathervane'.
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Which Means:
Overly concerned with and proud of how you look, the things you own, and what you have done.
As In:
The vain man combed his hair for hours, thinking of how handsome he was.
Heads Up!
The doctor looked at my arm for a vein in vain, so we looked outside at the vane.
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Which Means:
A military officer in some US military branches who ranks above a lieutenant.
As In:
The colonel was wounded in war and wore a patch over one eye.
Heads Up!
Remember that a colonel (a person) has a colon (a large intestine).
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Which Means:
A grain or seed, either the inner soft part, or the whole seed.
As In:
The boy ate one kernel at a time.
Heads Up!
How can you remember these two homonyms? The colonel ate a kernel of corn!
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Which Means:
What we breathe every day; the colorless, odorless, tasteless mixture of gases and oxygen.
As In:
The pool raft was filled with air, and floated on top of the water.
Heads Up!
The A in 'air' is long, and the I is silent.
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Which Means:
Someone who receives the belongings of another person when that person dies.
As In:
Will the king's son be heir to the throne after the king dies?
Heads Up!
The H in 'heir' is silent. It is pronounced the same as 'air'.
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Which Means:
To make a mistake or error.
As In:
The cook did not like to err in competitions.
Heads Up!
This word is pronounced just like 'air' or 'ur' if you want to distinguish it from the others.
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