SPEAK with understanding
→ Read or Listen to the passage. Locate all of the meanings of the homonym or heteronym. Studying for a test: limit and time your responses to 30-60 seconds.

HETERONYM: MINUTE

“During math class, my teacher explained that one hour has sixty minutes, and we practiced solving problems with time. When the bell rang, she gave us one more minute to finish. Later that day, while reading a science book, I found a diagram showing a minute particle, so tiny it could only be seen under a microscope. At dinner, my dad said the board meeting included writing down every minute of the discussion so nothing would be forgotten.”

How many meanings did you find?

List of the different ways that this word can be used.

SPEAK w/ P I E

  • Pronunciation

    • Minute (/ˈmɪnɪt/) → sounds like in it.

    • Minute (/maɪˈnjuːt/) → sounds like my newt.

  • Intonation Practice
    “Give me one minute to finish.”
    “The insect was so minute it was hard to see.”
    “They recorded the minutes of the meeting.”

  • Expression Tip
    For time/meeting notes, say it quickly: MIN-it.
    For tiny, stretch it: my-NYOOT.

SEVERAL MEANINGS

  1. Minute (/ˈmɪnɪt/) – a unit of time.

  2. Minute (/maɪˈnjuːt/) – very small, tiny.

  3. Minute (/ˈmɪnɪt/) – a record of a meeting.

IDIOMS/EXPRESSION

  • At the last minute – at the very end.

  • Every minute counts – time is valuable.