Homographs, Homophones & Homonyms
Ancient & Medieval Literature
Modern & Contemporary Literature
Good Movie, Bad Descriptions
Grammar Time
100

These homonyms [same-name] refer to either having the power and ability to do something (v.) or a container often made of metal (n.).

Can & Can

100

This ancient Greek epic poem centers on the events surrounding the war between the Greeks and the Trojans. This war is caused by the Trojan prince Paris' decision to steal Menelaus' wife Helen, which inspires his brother Agamemnon to call all the Greek armies to attach Troy. Other famous heroes featured in the epic include Achilles, Ajax, Hector and Odysseus.

Homer's Iliad 
100

This author, who famously wrote "To Kill a Mockingbird" was friends with fellow author Truman Capote, though her recently published "Go Set a Watchman" caused some controversy over whether the decision to publish was truly her own.

Harper Lee

100

Older sister ruins her younger sister's chance to appear on television as part of a dangerous reality TV show.

Hunger Games

100

Identify the verbs in sentence: "When I went to the store, I decided to buy a coat."

Went, Decided & (to) Buy

200

These homophones [same-sound] refer to either wishing or theoretically wanting (v.) or a something made from a branch or tree (n. or ad.).

Would & Wood

200

This is an epic poem of the Malinke people that tells the story of the hero Sundiata Keita (died 1255), the founder of the Mali Empire. The epic is an instance of oral tradition, going back to the 13th century and narrated by generations of griot poets. There is no single or authoritative version. Material pertaining to the epic first began to be collected during the early 20th century in French Sudan, notably by the French elite school École William Ponty, resulting in the "modern" version of the tale as considered standard today.

Epic of Old Mali (Epic of Sundiata)

200

This English playwright, poet, and actor, widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and one of the world's greatest dramatist. He is often called England's national poet and the "Bard of Avon" having produced at least 37 plays, including "Hamlet", "Othello" and "King Lear."

William Shakespeare

200

Ancient, talking frog convinces son to kill his own father.

Star Wars (E.5)

200

Identify the prepositions in the sentence: "Yesterday, we climb up the hill and went around the trees to the well on the other side."

Up, Around, To & On

300

These homographs [same-writing] refer to either guiding or directing (v.) or a heavy metal with the atomic number 82 (adj. or n.).

Lead & Lead

300

This sacred text (Sanskrit: भगवद्गीता, lit. "The Song of God") is a 701-verse Hindu scripture that is part of the epic Mahabharata (chapters 23–40 of Bhishma Parva), dated to the second century BCE. It is considered to be one of the main holy scriptures for Hinduism, the world's oldest and the third largest religion. The epic is set in a narrative framework of a dialogue between Pandava prince Arjuna and his guide and charioteer Krishna, an avatar of Lord Vishnu. 

Bhagavad Gita

300

This book is an 1813 romantic novel of manners written by Jane Austen. The novel follows the character development of Elizabeth Bennet, the dynamic protagonist of the book who learns about the repercussions of hasty judgments and comes to appreciate the difference between superficial goodness and actual goodness. Its humor lies in its honest depiction of manners, education, marriage, and money during the Regency era in Great Britain.

Pride and Prejudice 

300

Noseless magician has an unhealthy obsession with a teenage boy.

Harry Potter

300

Identify the dependent clause in the sentence: "When I learned of the betrayal, it was already much too late."

When I learned of the betrayal
400

These homophones [same-sound] refer to either a great ape (n.) or a tactical style of warfare that involves heavy use of terrain (adj.).

Guerilla & Gorilla

400

This medieval, Old English heroic poem is named for its protagonist who fights giants (known as the Grendelkin) and a dragon. The poem is famously a major influence for Tolkien's Hobbit, and both contains a thief that steals a cup from a dragon-hoard and incites the monster to torch the countryside.

Beowulf

400

This Romantic author, who write the novel "Frankenstein" is one of the first female British novelists, and she is the daughter of early feminist writer Mary Wollstonecraft and wife of the famous poet, Percy Shelley.

Mary Shelley

400

When strange guests arrive, Americans finally bother to learn a foreign language.

Arrival

400

Identify all the objects in the sentence: "She gave him the ball so that he could throw it back to her."

Him, Ball, It & Her

500

These homographs [same-writing] refer to either a leaving and abandoning (v.) or a hot, arid region (n.).

Desert & Desert

500

The Roman author of the Aeneid, a Latin epic poem that tells the legendary story of Aeneas, a Trojan who goes on an Odyssey of his own, ending in Italy, where he became the ancestor of the Romans. Aeneas is initially stranded in Carthage where he becomes lovers with the Queen there, named Dido, but Mercury pushes him to abandon her and resume his destiny, sailing first to Sicily and eventually to the Italy where he feasts the indigenous Etruscans and founds Rome.

Vergil

500

Although J.R.R. Tolkien is most famous for his novel, "The Hobbit" and his trilogy "The Lord of the Rings", he considered this work his greatest achievement, despite that his publishers refused to print it until after his death.

The Silmarillion

500

Paranoid, nocturnal billionaire is afraid a more naturally competent immigrant will best him.

Batman V. Superman

500

Identify all the definite and indefinite articles in the sentence: "At the end of the year, it will feel like the end of an era due to the impact of the pandemic."

The (definite), The, The, An (indefinite), The, The

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