a fire, afire

A fire or a fire ( two words ) means one ( a ) set of flames or burning objects ( fire )--
There was a fire in the store last night.
We lit a fire in the old wood-burning stove.

Afire or afire ( one word ) is an old-fashioned term meaning in flames or burning--
The old ship was afire, and they feared for their lives.
They could see smoke from a mile away; and they wondered if the town was afire.

Now that you know that, you can say--
"He smelled smoke, and suspected a fire, but he never imagined his own barn afire."

along, a long

Along or along ( one word ) describes movement in a particular direction; of a particular kind; or beside a particular object or place--
If you move along to the right, there will be room for us to get by.
He strolled along, and never noticed how late it was getting.
He walked back and forth along the fence, hoping to see her pass by.

Along or along may also be an informal term meaning with ( I, us, you, him, her,them )--
Take an umbrella along, in case it rains.
We're going shopping; would you like to come along?

A long or a long ( two words ) describes something ( a ) that measures a great distance from one end to the other ( long ) literally or figuratively--
"But we've come such a long way already!"
You'll need a long piece of string, to start.
He made a long speech, and the audience grew restless.
We'll have a long vacation next month.

Now that you know that, you can say--
"You can go along the creek until you get to the road but it's a long walk."

becoming, be coming

Becoming or becoming ( one word ) is a participle ( used with a helper verb ) of "become", meaning to change or grow into; to begin to be--
It was late, and she was becoming anxious.
That habit seemed cute at first, but it's becoming annoying.

Becoming or becoming is also an old-fashioned term for flattering or suitable, as clothing or a hairstyle might be--
Her new hairdo is very becoming.
Bright colors are so becoming when the weather is warm.

Be coming or be coming ( two words ) means [ be ] arriving or approaching--
Will you be coming to the picnic?
Winter will be coming soon; we should have the furnace serviced.

Now that you know that, you can say--
"He's becoming a pest; I hope he won't be coming to the party."

cupola, copula

Cupola or cupola means a small dome on top of a roof, usually set on a cylinder or drum--
He is on top of the gazebo, painting the cupola.
If you look out the upstairs window, you can see the cupola on top of the school.

Copula or copula means a link or tie, meaning a word used to link the subject of a sentence to its complement--
A copula is most commonly a form of the verb "to be".
"He was late."  The copula is "was".

Now that you know that, you can say--
"Find the copula in this sentence: The cupola is charming."

haze, hays

Haze or haze means dust or vapor causing a mist or fog, literally or figuratively--
There's a haze in the lobby, but I don't smell smoke.
He's in a haze; he was out late last night.

Hays or hays ( rhymes with haze ) is the third person singular ( he, she, it ) form of "hay", meaning to cut and store dried grass for animal fodder--
The farmer hays here in the end of July.
He usually hays enough to feed his cows all year.

Now that you know that, you can say--
"When he hays this field, there is a haze from here to the road."

Note-- "hay's" ( rhymes with haze ) may be a contraction ( short, informal form ) of "hay is", meaning the dried cut grass [ is ]--
The hay's almost gone; we'll have to buy some.
"Hay's" may also be the possessive ( belonging to ) form of "hay", meaning dried cut grass--
He enjoys the hay's scent; he doesn't mind mowing.

francolin, franklin

Francolin or francolin means a type of partridge or game bird  native to Africa and part of Asia--
They offered us some roasted francolin, and we enjoyed it.
If you look closely, you will see a francolin in the tall grass.

Franklin or franklin means a freeholder or petty landowner, in 14th or 15th century England--
He traced his family tree back to a franklin from 1452.
He was a franklin, not an aristocrat.

Now that you know that, you can say--
"The franklin sat eating his partridge like a great chief with a roast francolin."

Note--"Franklin" may also be a slang term for a hundred dollar bill--
Don't get a ticket; it will cost you a Franklin.

budget, budge it

Budget or budget ( one word ) means an estimate or plan of expenditures for a certain purpose or period of time--
Our grocery budget is really unrealistic; we can't seem to stick to it.
There's no money left in the budget this month for a night out.

Budget may also mean to estimate or plan expenditures--
Let's budget our money so that we can afford some new furniture.
Make sure to budget your paycheck so that you can pay the bills.

Budget may also describe a low-cost item or service--
They're selling budget housewares; do we need any?
It's that budget home remodeling telemarketer again; he calls every week.

Budge it or budge it ( two words, almost rhymes with budget ) means to move [ it ] the least bit, physically or mentally--
This door is stuck; I can't budge it.
Maybe we can at least budge it if we all pull together.
He's sticking to his decision; pleading won't budge it.

Now that you know that, you can say--
"If we budget our resources, we may be able to budge it, and maybe work it loose."