Yoke and Yolk - Commonly Confused Words

Yoke and Yolk - Commonly Confused Words The words yoke and yolk are homophones (or near-homophones): words that sound alike but have different meanings. Definitions The noun yoke refers to bondage, servitude, or something that binds or connects (people, animals, ideas, or things). As a verb, yoke means to join together. The noun yolk refers to the yellow part of an egg. Examples During the 1960s, many  territories in Africa and Asia emerged as new nations, freed from the  yoke of colonialism.Priam told his sons to yoke the mules to the wagon, while he went to the chamber paneled with fragrant cedar-wood.Joseph watched as bright yellow yolk dripped off the vibrant-pink processed meat product onto Wilsons T-shirt.(Mark Haskell Smith, Delicious. Atlantic Monthly Press, 2005)From the two gritty windows a listless whitish light fell upon the stained green wallpaper with its yolk-colored floral design.(Fred Chappell, Moments of Light. Boson, 1996) Practice (a) [T]he  lead boys ran to _____ the oxen in pairs and bring them in from the veld where they had been grazing. (Wilbur Smith, Blue Horizon. St. Martins Press, 2003) (b) The _____ contains most of the known vitamins, with the exception of vitamin C. (c) Dame Gillian Beer urged women writers to free themselves from the _____ of romantic obsession. Answers to Practice Questions (a) [T]he   lead boys ran to  yoke  the oxen in pairs and bring them in from the veld where they had been grazing. (Wilbur Smith,  Blue Horizon. St. Martins Press, 2003) (b) The  yolk  contains most of the known vitamins, with the exception of vitamin C. (c) Dame Gillian Beer urged women writers to free themselves from the  yoke  of romantic obsession.