A minimal pair or close pair consists of two words with sounds that are very similar but have different meanings.
For example, rot and lot may sound similar, especially to some non-native English speakers.
Below are ten other examples of minimal pairs, in the each sentence choose the correct word. Try saying the words out aloud, do you notice how similar they sound?
The eight parts of speech are:
Play, run, taste, push
Car, flower, bottle, map
I, ours, her, they, it
quickly, never, today, away
American, green, tall, modern
During, in, under, with
And, but, or, yet
We make friends when we become friendly with new people.
She made friends easily at her new school.
We became friends after meeting at a party.
When you hit it off with someone you have a good friendly relationship. It is used to describe meeting someone for the first time.
We hit it off straight away.
I went on a date with Frank's brother last night but we didn't hit it off. I don't think we will go out again.
The Cuban flag was raised at its embassy in Washington for the first time since 1961, at the same time the United States reopened its embassy in Havana.
The developments symbolise a major step toward America's goal of ending longstanding tensions with Cuba.
The U.S. Women's National Soccer Team _1_ winning the Women's World Cup on Sunday in Vancouver. The United States _2_ Japan with a final score of 5-2.
Read this article and decide if the statements which follow it are true or false:
The Oxford English Dictionary has confirmed that 500 words are being added to the Oxford English Dictionary.
The dictionary records the meaning and development of the English language. For a word to qualify, it must have been have been in popular use for at least 10 years in both novels and newspapers.
Some of the terms in Oxford's latest update are much older than you might think.
A phrasal verb is a group of words that function as a verb and is made up of a verb and a preposition, an adverb, or both. Phrasal verbs have a different meaning to the meaning of their separate parts.
The hotel staff need to see our passports before we check in.
I left my phone in the car, I'll have to go back and get it.
I never wake up early on the weekend.
Some people believe the signs of the Zodiac can tell us about our daily lives and the personality characteristics we posses.
People born between May 21 and June 20 are Gemini.
Just for fun (so don't take it too serious), here is a personality lesson based on the traditional description of Gemini people.
Gemini are extremely independent. Geminis have a strong sense of self and freedom is very essential to them.
It'll be a long day in January
Use it to describe something that will never happen. When hell freezes over has the same meaning.
It'll be a long day in January when you beat me at tennis.
Mad as a March hare
Acting crazy. Hares, which look like rabbits, just around and act crazy during their March breeding seson.
I like Jimmy but he acts as mad as March hare sometimes.
Sepp Blatter, who has led FIFA (the world soccer's governing body) for 17 years, has announced he will be stepping _1_.
The Swiss was re-elected President last week, despite seven top Fifa officials being arrested in a huge corruption _2_.
Blatter had remained adamant he could clean _3_ the corrupt organisation, suddenly announced that he would _4_ from a position he has held since 1998.
