National Adult Literacy Database

Patricia Grimshaw-Byrne, a retired special education teacher and literacy tutor from central Ontario, has published a unique dictionary designed to be useful to both educators and students.

The Grimshaw Dictionary of Homophones is a 165-page resource compiled specifically to identify and describe over 1,000 pairs or groups of what the author calls “the often tricky homophones” in the English language.

What is a homophone, you might ask. Homophones are one, two or more words that are pronounced alike but differ in derivation, spelling or meaning. An example: to, too and two.

Patricia says the dictionary was a project she had intended to carry out for several years but she only found the time to do it when she retired.

“During the time I worked as a teacher and a tutor I amassed quite a large bundle of notes and lists of teaching materials, many of which I had compiled myself. It was so difficult to find a text to help demystify homophones for my students that I decided the best solution was to produce one myself.”

The book was printed in October 2009. Patricia says it has been favourably received by educators in adult education and literacy centres, elementary and secondary school teachers and members of the public at local events in Ontario and British Columbia.

For more information or to purchase the book, contact Patricia at 705-738-6679 or patriciabrn6@gmail.com. You may also write to her at Bravo Learning Publishing, 405 Country Club Circle, Bobcaygeon, Ontario, K0M 1A0.

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