The words hall and haul are homophones: they sound the same but have different meanings.

The noun hall refers to an entrance room, an assembly room, a corridor in a building, a place used for public entertainment, or a building owned by a college or university.

The verb haul means to drag, pull, or provide transportation. As a noun, haul refers to the act of pulling or transporting, or to something that is pulled or transported.

Examples:

• My footsteps echoed ominously in the empty hall.
• If any player skips study hall, the entire team has to run sprints for 30 minutes.
• Several students volunteered to haul the bricks from the kiln to the building site.
• The thieves got away with a large haul of brand-new rifles and thousands of rounds of ammunition.

 

Practice:

(a) We rented a flatbed truck to _____ away the old appliances.

(b) The principal stood silently in the _____ as the students moved between classes.

(c) Shyla applied for a double room in the residence _____.

 

Answers to Practice Exercises

Glossary of Usage: Index of Commonly Confused Words

Also see: 200 Homonyms, Homophones, and Homographs