The words in these pairs sound alike. Study these quick definitions, and use
these words in your writing and speech.

board: piece of wood
Hillary hammered the pine board.
bored: tired of; not interested
Were you bored at the movies?

brake: the stopping device
Push hard on the brake to stop the bike.
break: a rest; to smash or shatter
The tired workers deserved a break.
Did the player break her leg in the collision?

capital: money; most important
The company’s owners put up the capital to start the project.
Annapolis is the capital city of Maryland.
capitol: building
Each state has its own capitol where officials convene.

choose: to select
Choose your dessert and take it to that table.
chose: past tense of the verb choose
The couple chose their wedding song.

desert: to abandon (di = zert); the dry region ( de = zert)
Did the foe desert his army and go to the enemy’s side?
The Sahara Desert is huge.
dessert: cake, pie, ice cream, pudding, fruit, and such served as the
meal’s final coursev
We had ice cream for dessert.

Fact
The saluki is the oldest known breed of domesticated dog. Carvings of animals resembling the saluki have been found in excavations of the Sumerian Empire. They are believed to have originated from between 6,000 and 7,000 B.C.      .. More >>