Hopefully Alot,

I've a rather ' silly Word ' that seems to have three different Speech Parts. ( Which you'll have to use ! ) You know such as Adverb & Noun. This can be a Noun, a preposition or an Adverb ( I think ? ). And it begins with a B. Anyone know it - huh ? ( Hint: 2 spellings. This spelling seldom used & now few know it as do few teachers. Of that I am sure. A shame ( I think ).

Most likely not too many will answer this as there are too many not knowing the answer I had to do the checking in my American Heritage College dic-tion-ar-y.

But " Give It Ago ! "

William,
     I think I know the word and can use it as a preposition, an adverb, an adjective and a noun. I also know two ways to spell it. I won't tell the answer yet because that would spoil the fun. Is that alright by you?
Seán

Sir Sean -

By knowing the word, you will be perfected by few ( really none ). What happens now, only though most likely, will - or seldom - complete whatever is completeable. Do you or will you - huh ? Is there - or will there be - another ?

But can we bear the suspense of waiting for the answer?

William,
     The mystery word is by, sometimes spelled bye.

• I'm paid by the week. (preposition)
  
• The school is close by. (adverb)
  
• They came down a by passage. (adjective)
  
• By the by. (noun)

     Anyone: By has homophones (words that sound alike but have different meanings).
How many can you list?
Seán

Sean Sir,

A - U R 100 persent.

Now a homophone ? ( an offhand ? )

Would that be "buy"?

Buy is one. Bi (slang) is another. I know a third one that no one ever thinks of although, despite its yellow color, it is a noun in good standing.
Seán

Sir Sean,

How about - Moon ?

Moon is a good word but to qualify as a homophone for by it has to sound like by.
Seán

quote:

Originally posted by Sean:
William,
     The mystery word is by, sometimes spelled bye.

• I'm paid by the week. (preposition)
  
• The school is close by. (a[/dverb)
  
• They came down a by passage. (adjective)
  
• By the by. (noun)

     Anyone: By has homophones (words that sound alike but have different meanings).
How many can you list?
Seán

Sean,

I didn't even look at this topic until after you presented everyone with the punch line, so I can console myself with the idea that I "would have" guessed it. Even though I know I probably wouldn't have, I can always fake it, right? You are absolutely disgusting, ya know that?

Off the top of my head, I can think of exactly ONE homophone (although I'd call it a homonym-sp?) for by. And that's buy. I'm still running way behind you, though.

--Linda

P.S. Can't even spell the freakin' word "homonym"! Is it homonym or homonymn with an "N" at the end of it? Can't even find the freakin' spellchecker on the draft window (if there is one) because I never use it. I don't use it because I usually don't need it...well, that's SOMETHING anyway!

My ego may never recover from this.

Linda,
     My costive grammar has it that homonyms are a special sort of homophone because they not only sound alike but are spelled the same. Thus boil (cook) and boil (furuncle) are homonyms while threw (hurled) and through (by means of) are humble homophones.
     Here is another hint about the missing homophone of by: It isn't spelled the way it sounds.
Seán

     Linguistics has a term for every word-relationship observable, but those terms are sometimes hard to find. What, for example, is descriptive of words that only sound alike in certain dialects? Harmony (amity) and hominy (food?) is an example; bird and bud is yet another.
Seán

     Language plays strange tricks: The verb to cow means to intimidate. To bully is a synonym.
Seán

Sir Sear,

I really recall - COW ! It was used way back in the early 30s. " Don't you dare cow me ! "