Written by Jennie Cole

Flo: Jennie / Elsie: Hilary / Party Host: Ahmed

With special thanks to Azmera, Pricila, Nelson, Marinela and Gheorghina

PART 1:

(a car can be heard driving; there is the sound of a horn) 

Flo: Come on Elsie, hurry up!

(a car door opens then closes and the car sets off)

Elsie (breathless): I’m sorry I’m late, Flo!

Flo: Why are you so late? What have you been doing?

Elsie: I’ve been reading about homophones all afternoon.

Flo: Homo what? Is that a word that is spelt the same, but has a different meaning?

Elsie: No, Flo, that’s a homonym. I’ve been reading about homophones.

Flo: Tell me more, Elsie!

Elsie: Well, the word ‘homo’ comes from the Greek word ‘homos’ meaning ‘same.’ The word ‘phone’ means sound.

Flo: So that must mean homophones are words which have the same sound?

Elsie: Yes, that’s right, Flo.

Flo: Like the word stairs and stares?

Elsie: Yes! The word stairs can be spelt s-t-a-i-r-s, meaning a flight of steps, like the ones you would walk up to get to the top of a house. It can also be spelt s-t-a-r-e-s, meaning gazing very openly, which is what some of the people did to me that day I dyed my hair pink! I certainly got a lot of stares that day!

Flo: Ahh, the day you dyed your hair. So the word ‘dyed’ is also a homophone then, isn’t it? It can be spelt d-y-e-d, meaning ‘to colour something,’ or d-i-e-d, meaning to stop living. But why are these homo whatsits…

Elsie: Homophones, Flo.

Flo: Those are the ones. Thanks, Elsie. Why are they so important?

Elsie: It’s important to know the difference in homophones words. Though the sound is the same, the meaning is very different.

Flo: Very interesting! So let me see if I’ve understood this. Homophones are pronounced in the same way, but are spelt differently?

Elsie: That’s right.

Flo: Before I ask you anymore, I’ll just stop here for some petrol, Elsie…

(car indicator can be heard)