LIVE or LIVE? Tricky Cases

lives vs. lives Β· Long live! Β· live-in vs. live-action β€” Set 2

MiClase HomeGrammar Index

1. Quick review

FIVE /laΙͺv/

live sounds like five
live music, live TV, lively, liven up, alive

GIVE /lΙͺv/

live sounds like give
I live in Chicago, she lives, lived, living

πŸ§ͺ The β€œlived” test: If you can change it to lived, it’s the verb β†’ GIVE. If not, it’s describing β†’ FIVE.

2. Tricky cases ⚠️

β‘  lives (noun) vs. lives (verb)

She lives here. β†’ verb (he/she lives) β†’ GIVE /lΙͺv/

The doctors saved many lives. β†’ noun, the plural of life β†’ FIVE /laΙͺv/

life β†’ lives, like knife β†’ knives, wife β†’ wives. The f changes to v, but the vowel stays long.

β‘‘ β€œLong live…!”

Long live the king! β†’ GIVE /lΙͺv/

This is a wish: β€œMay the king live a long time.” It’s the verb, so it sounds like give.

β‘’ live-in vs. live-action

a live-in nanny β†’ she lives in the house β†’ GIVE /lΙͺv/

a live-action movie β†’ real actors, not cartoons β†’ FIVE /laΙͺv/

β‘£ Three ways to say β€œnot dead”

a live fish FIVE /laΙͺv/  Β·  The fish is alive. FIVE /laΙͺv/  Β·  all living things GIVE /lΙͺv/

β‘€ liven up vs. live it up

liven up FIVE /laΙͺv/ = make more exciting  Β·  live it up GIVE /lΙͺv/ = have lots of fun

3. Activity: Highlight Hunt πŸ–οΈ

Click each underlined word to mark it. Click once = FIVE, twice = GIVE, three times = back to β€œ?”. Then click Check.

Bogdan lives in a small town, but every summer he drives to Chicago for a live music festival. His cousin Yesenia lives in the city, and she lets him sleep in her living room. The festival is very lively, and some of the bands are shown live online. Last year, a storm knocked down a power line, and firefighters warned everyone that the wire was still live. No one was hurt, and people said the quick warning probably saved lives. Bogdan would like to live in Chicago one day. For now, he is happy to visit and live it up for a weekend.

4. Activity: Two in One ✌️

Each sentence has two live words. How do you say them, in order?

5. Activity: Beat the Clock ⏱️

You have 60 seconds. Choose FIVE or GIVE for each phrase as fast as you can. Play again to beat your score!

6. Tongue Twisters & Talk 😜

Listen, then say each one three times. Go slowly first, then faster.

I live where they play live music five nights a week.

Give me a live show, and I'll live it up!

The lively band livened up the living room.

She lives to save lives.

Long live live theater!

Talk with a partner

Next: Sentence Building (both sounds, set 2) β†’

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