Question

Identify the correct homophones to complete the given sentences:
(1) Her mother will _______ a dress for her.
(2) He will ______ the seeds of a cherry tree in the garden today.
(3) She was late for a show, _____ she left early.

(a)(1) sow, (2) sew, (3) so
(b)(1) sew, (2) sow, (3) so
(c)(1) so, (2) sew, (3) sow
(d)(1) sow, (2) so, (3) sew

Answer 1

Hint: Read the given sentences and try to understand what they are trying to convey. Now go through the options and recall the meaning of the given words. Check which word suits the given sentences and helps to express the desired meaning in the best way possible.

Complete answer: Two words are homophones if they are pronounced the same way but differ in meaning or spelling or both (e.g. bare and bear).

Let us recall the meanings of the homophones ‘so’, ‘sew’, and ‘sow’.
So - in a manner that facilitates. For example - He observed the snakes so he could describe their behaviour.
Sew - create (clothes) with a cloth. For example - Can the seamstress sew me a suit by next week?
Sow - place (seeds) in or on the ground for future growth. For example - She sowed sunflower seeds.
Let us thus analyze the options given to us in this question -
Option (a.), '(1) sow, (2) sew, (3) so', refers to ‘sow’ for the first blank, which mentions clothes (a dress), therefore, option (a.) is incorrect as ‘sow’ is used for seeds.
Option (b.), ‘(1) sew, (2) sow, (3) so', refers to ‘sew’ for the first blank, which mentions clothes (a dress), ‘sow’ for the second blank, which mentions seeds, and ‘so’ for the third, which mentions a facilitated action; therefore, option (b.) is correct.
Option (c.), ‘(1) so, (2) sew, (3) sow', refers to ‘so’ for the first blank, which mentions clothes (a dress), therefore, option (c.) is incorrect as ‘so’ is used to indicate a facilitated action.
Option (d.), ‘(1) sow, (2) so, (3) sew', refers to ‘sow’ for the first blank, which mentions clothes (a dress), therefore, option (d.) is incorrect as ‘sow’ is used for seeds.

Note: In this question, it will be helpful for the student to recall the concept of a verb. A verb is a content word that denotes an action, occurrence, or state of existence. It is the word class that serves as the predicate of a sentence.