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Practising vs. practicing


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Profiles etc #16 (permalink) Fri Feb 24, 2006 10:32 am   Profiles etc
 

Hi Jamie (K),

Thanks for your interesting and detailed profile but as Andreana said, registering with the forum has its advantages. You seem pretty peeved about these cracks people make regarding British English and in the instances you quote, it must have been very galling. But you are not alone! There are also times when non-native English speakers tell me that what I've said/written is not correct English and it has happened on more than one occasion on this illustrious forum and then they say English people do not say that and when I assure them I am English and have spoken it now for the best part of 70 years, they still claim they are right. I find it mildly amusing when this happens. There is a famous example of a highly regarded British journalist (and I must admit his name has momentarily deserted me) who worked as a foreign correspondent in a country which diplomatically I can't name but was a long, long way from home and he wanted to send a telegram to his family about a visit they were making to see him. At the post office the clerk told him his English was incorrect (which of course it wasn't) and he refused to send it. Our journalist pleaded with him to send the telegram because it was urgent but the clerk was adamant and in the end the poor man agreed to send the telegram with the corrections made by the clerk because he was desperate to get in touch with his family.

Alan

PS: The journalist's name is James Cameron and his material is well worth reading.
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Heated exchange #17 (permalink) Wed Dec 05, 2007 23:07 pm   Heated exchange
 

Jamie (K) wrote:
Conchita wrote:
And while we’re at it, when are men in Western culture going to wear less boring clothes – or at least have a more varied choice, like women have?


They tried that in the late 1960s, but it was accompanied by too many social pathologies that we are still suffering from today. Smile

Besides, men don't want to waste time fussing over clothes. Have you ever compared men and women shopping?

I recently went into town to buy new shoes. I walked into a shoe store in the city centre, went (upstairs) into the men's section and stood in front of a shelf. I must have looked helpless because a shop assistant came over to me asking "Are you alright?" which is unusual since I live in Germany. I said "Thanks, I need new shoes." The woman said "So what kind of shoes are you looking for?" And I said "Something to replace these here" while pointing at the shoes I was wearing. She looked at me all stunned, and I could see the other (female) shop assistants turning their heads into my direction. My amicus curiae looked a bit lost for a moment and said "So is it rather casual you're going for?" to which I replied "I suppose so." I tried on a a few models and eventually left the shop all puzzled because I couldn't decide for a model.

The next day, I came back with my girlfriend. A big mistake. She let me try on all kinds of shoes, but nothing really convinced her. I got so annoyed after half an hour that I assured her that looking at just one more shoe would kill first her and then me. Acting under protest, we went for a coffee in the end.

I still have no new shoes, and I wish I had taken the first pair the shop assistant suggested. But now I'm in no mood for going back to what I call a field of abasement; the shopping centre. I'm sure that my missus would call it a field of perpetual joy.
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Practising vs. practicing #18 (permalink) Thu Dec 06, 2007 16:20 pm   Practising vs. practicing
 

I like going shopping with metrosexuals. They give really positive and constructive comments and they don't mind even if I drag them to the make-up department.

You should try bringing them, Ralf.
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Practising vs. practicing #19 (permalink) Thu Dec 06, 2007 18:02 pm   Practising vs. practicing
 

NinaZara wrote:
You should try bringing them, Ralf.

I'm afraid I don't have any. You can count yourself lucky if they're shaved Confused
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Practising vs. practicing #20 (permalink) Fri Dec 07, 2007 21:37 pm   Practising vs. practicing
 

Torsten wrote:
Yesterday I read in a book by Joy Fielding the word «practising».
Now, Joy Fielding is American and «practising» is supposed British spelling. The Americans normally stick to « practicing».
No big deal — it just underscores the freedom you have when it comes to spelling in English. I for example I have developed my own system that combines the best of American and British spelling. In a few years the spelling question will be solved anyway, won't it?
What do you think of this issue?
To answer your question from 2006, Torsten, people from the US do stick to "practicing". However, a Canadian is likely to use the British spelling and Joy Fielding is Canadian. As far as I know, Canadian spelling actually has a mix of British and American spellings, but I've heard that British spelling is predominant in Canada.
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Practising vs. practicing #21 (permalink) Fri Dec 07, 2007 21:48 pm   Practising vs. practicing
 

Hi Amy,

Many thanks for answering my question -- I was not aware of the fact Joy Fielding is Canadian. This explains everything. It's interesting but I didn't notice the Canadian spelling in her book, as you said, Canadian spelling is a combination of both American and British.
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Practising vs. practicing #22 (permalink) Mon Mar 31, 2008 2:17 am   Practising vs. practicing
 

Here is something from what I learnt:
In British english, the word is spelt with a 'c' when used as a noun and 's' when used as a verb. Hence:
We go to the court for tennis practice and once we reach there, we start practising.

I believe in American English, both forms of the word are spelt with an 's'.

Another example (British english again) would be 'advice' and 'advising'.
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Practising vs. practicing #23 (permalink) Mon Mar 31, 2008 12:39 pm   Practising vs. practicing
 

The word 'English' is always capitalized in any variant of English. The word practice in American English can be the noun as well as the verb, while in British English it's the noun. Advice is the noun and advise is the verb in any variant of English.
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Practising vs. practicing #24 (permalink) Wed Apr 30, 2008 2:14 am   Practising vs. practicing
 

Ha ha. I knew 'English' should be capitalized - just being careless Embarassed

Yes, like I said earlier, in British English, usually the noun form uses a 'c' while the verb uses 's' - hence advice/advise and practice/practise and others.

Seems like American English is not as consistent. There seems to be no such word as 'practise'. It is 'practice' for both forms (noun and verb). I just checked
Merriam Webster. But then 'advice' and 'advise' are distinguished.
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Practising vs. practicing #25 (permalink) Wed Apr 30, 2008 2:35 am   Practising vs. practicing
 

.
Perhaps one reason that the spelling of the words advice and advise has not merged into just one spelling in AmE is that we also pronounce those two words differently.

On the other hand, practice and practise are pronounced identically in BE, aren't they? Wink
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Practising vs. practicing #26 (permalink) Wed Apr 30, 2008 7:21 am   Practising vs. practicing
 

Hi,

Absobloominglutely.

Alan
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