Die and dye

Hi, everyone!
Did you know that there are special words called “homophones”? It has nothing to do with phones, if that’s what you thought. Homophones (омонимы)  are words which have absolutely the same pronunciation but different meanings. For example, if you write that you’re so board, people will misunderstand you, because you’re not a board made of wood from a tree, you’re bored, you’re not interested.

Can you find another example in the picture? I’ll give you a hint  – it also has something to do with trees…

There are also words which have almost the same pronunciation, but still sound a bit different. For example, if you say “I want buy this” – it’s incorrect, because you meant “I won’t buy this”. One sound can make a great difference.

So as not to make fools of ourselves and do everything right, let’s find out a little more about…

Dye and die

Die and dye are also homophones. [daɪ]

“Died” and “dyed” are homophones. We say them like this: [daɪd]

• To die – умирать
• To dye – окрашивать

Died – это past form of “die”. (past simple)
Michael Jackson died several years ago.

Do you know any of his songs? Do you like his art? Why?
What other famous singers died since 2000?
If you could choose not to die and live eternally or live 100 years and die peacefully, which would you choose? Why?

Dyed means colored. To dye – окрашивать, красить.
This girl has dyed hair. У этой девушки покрашены волосы.

Do you like dyed hair? Have you ever dyed your hair?
I have never dyed mine. I think it’s not good for my hair, so I don’t do that. But my friend colors her hair every three months, because she doesn’t like her natural color.

Dye is a coloring material used for dyeing.
The process of coloring is called dyeing, not dying. Dyeing = coloring.
Dying – becoming dead, not existing. The leaves on the trees are dying, because it is autumn.

Dying and dyeing are also homophones. We pronounce them the same way. [’daɪɪŋ]
Here are some phrases with the word ‘dye’:

• Hair-dye – краска для волос
• To dye one’s hair – красить волосы
• Natural dye – натуральный краситель

Tell me, have you ever bought hair-dye? Did you dye anybody’s hair? (not your own)
Also, this is a die. (noun)

To roll a die – кидать кость
When we play board games, we roll a die.
What numbers can you get when you roll a die? Right, from 1 to six.
So don’t confuse dye and die, dyed and died and dying and dyeing. Good luck! =)