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EmilyGL 강사 칼럼

Row or row?

2023년 3월 10일

There are some words that are spelt the same, but have different meanings and pronunciation. You can call these words homographs or homonyms. Here are a few for you.
 
Row can mean a line of things arranged next to each other: she placed the cups in the table in a row.
Row can also mean to move a boat with oars, as in the picture above: we will row the boat along the river tomorrow. It can be a noun too: let's go for a row.
 
Although the meanings are different, the pronunciation for them is like "oh" or capital O, to rhyme with blow.
 
Row can also mean a noisy argument or disturbance: he could hear them having a row in the room next door.
The crowd in the street made a terrible row.
 
With this meaning, the pronunciation changes to oww (/raʊ/), to rhyme with now and wow.
 
So the lady in the photo could row her boat and have a row, with two different meanings and pronunciations.
 
Here is another example: the wind blew the man's hat off.
Wind, the strong movement of air, is pronounced with a short "i" (wɪnd) to rhyme with tinned and grinned.

Wind can also mean to turn or wrap something repeatedly around something else: she winds the wool into a ball; he winds the rope around the pole.
 
With this meaning, the prounciation is /waɪnd/, to rhyme with mind and find.

Wind pronounced like this also means to tighten up and you can wind up an old-fashioned clock or watch, by tightening the metal spring that makes it work.
 
And finally, wind pronounced like this means to travel in a way that bends and twists, just like a river does.
The river winds its way along the bottom of the valley.
 
The past tense is wound (/waʊnd/), to rhyme with ground: they wound up the clock every day.
 
We could say: as the wind grows stronger, they wind their scarves around their necks.
Here we have two different meanings and two different pronunciations.
 

 
 
 

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