Minimal pairs: /ɜː/, /ɪə/ and /eə/

Ex. 1 Look at the following words containing a. /ɜː/, b. /ɪə/ and find their counterparts containing the diphthong /eə/.

a. burr, err, fir/fur, her, purr

b. beer, clear, dear/deer, ear, fear, hear/here, leer, mere, peer, spear, steer, tear (crying), year

Ex. 2 Choose the correct option. 

a. All is fare/fair/fir in love and war.   

b. Please open the window. We need some air/heir.

c. Who was the air/heir/hare to the Spanish throne?   

d. Have you met the mare/mayor/mere of Paris?

e. Some teenagers start smoking because of pare/peer/pear pressure.   

f. Please be careful on the wooden stares/stairs/steers.   

g. It's best to stare/steer/stair well clear of criminals. 

h. Men shouldn't leer/lair at women. 

i. The RSPCA rescued a young deer/dear/dare in the city park yesterday. 

j. The right to bare/bear/beer arms is an often quoted American law.

k. "Nothing to fear/fir/fare but fear/fir/fare itself."  

KEY

1. a. bare/bear, air/heir, fair/fare, hair/hare, pear

    b. bare/bear, Claire, dare, air/ere, fair/fare, hair/hare, lair, mare/mayor, pair, spare, stair/stare, tear (apart), yeah

2. a. fair, b. air, c. heir, d. mayor, e. peer, f. stairs, g. steer, h. leer, i. deer, j. bear, k. fear, fear,