Posted by Robert Hill on December 01, 2002 at 01:20:08 from 195.92.168.166 user eclrh.
In Reply to: Re: Semaphore - needs practice posted by Dave Thewlis on November 30, 2002 at 00:08:20:
At primary school in the UK, circa 1959-60, I was taught that the noun
is "practice" and the verb is "practise". My teacher suggested a way
to remember this rule: think of the analogy with "advice" and "advise".
Because the latter two words have different sound as well as different
spelling, they're not likely to be confused.
The dictionaries I have consulted say that "practise", the verb, was at
one time spelt "practize". It seems a plausible guess that in those
days it was pronounced pract-EYES, rhyming with "advise".
My copy of Chambers, like Robert Dilley's, says that in the USA
"practice" can be used for both noun and verb; my copy of the COD,
dating from the 1970s, doesn't mention this. But my recollection of
reading American books is that I've usually seen "-ise" for both noun
and verb; unless I'm getting mixed up with some other wored that can
occur in -ice and -ise versions. (Are there other such words?)