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5.2.1.1.1: The Homonyms- Buy, Buy, and Bye

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    122495
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    The Homonyms: By, Buy, and Bye

           The homonyms by, buy, and bye can also be a bit confusing   “By” is a preposition; “buy” is a verb, and “bye” can be an expression for good-bye or it can mean not having to play a game in a competition because of the best record of wins versus losses.

    1.  By is a preposition which tells who or what did something or how someone or something did an action.  It can also mean near or next to something.  For example, I came to school by car.  He passed the exam by studying hard.  The carpet was made by hand in Iran.  The poem was written by John.  I walked by the library on my way to the park.  The young boy took a bath by himself.

    2.  Buy is a verb meaning to purchase something.  I buy tools when I need them.  Women like to buy shoes.  I go shopping and buy the groceries for my family.

    3.  Bye means goodbye.  For example, I said goodbye to my son this morning.  People say bye-bye to children.  The man said bye for now; I’ll see you tomorrow.

    Bye when used as a noun means that the team with the best won/lost record doesn’t have to play an opening game in a championship series.  The best team in the National Football League in each division doesn’t have to play a game in the first round of playoffs; they have a bye.

    By, Buy, and Bye Exercise

    Exercise 9:  Fill in the blanks with the correct form of by, buy, or bye, please.

    1.  I will ----------- a cup of coffee and then say ------------ for now.

    2.  The Seahawks drew a ------------ in the playoffs for the first round.

    3.  The cake was made ------------ my mother, but my sister had to ----------- the ingredients.

    4.  He came to the party ----------- himself ---------- bus and said ------------ at 10:00 PM.

    5.  You will need to ----------- books when you enter college.

    6.  My son wanted to ------------ a car, but he didn’t ----------- one because he was broke.

    7.  ------------ working two jobs, he was able to save enough money to ---------- a car.

    8.  My mother waved ------------ ------------ when my children got into the car to go home.

    9.  It is easy to ------------ things ------------ using a credit card, but if you do it too often you will say ------------ to your hard-earned money.

    10.  ------------ getting a ------------ in the first game, the team was able to rest up.


    This page titled 5.2.1.1.1: The Homonyms- Buy, Buy, and Bye is shared under a CC BY-NC 4.0 license and was authored, remixed, and/or curated by Don Bissonnette.

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