Question e-mailed by Isabel H. (December 13, 2011):
Hi, Joe: In your note about the Forum’s Students Sounding Board feature last week, you wrote, “Make yourself more grammar-savvy and practice, practice.”
Here I’ve been telling my students that there’s a difference between spelling “practice” with a “c” and with an “s” (as you’ve spelled it). Am I right or wrong?
Cheers!
Isabel H.
My reply to Isabel:
The longstanding spelling for “practice” whether as a verb or a noun is with a “c” in the second syllable, but using “s” has always been an acceptable alternative. At least this is the usage I've observed in the Philippines, which as you know uses the American English standard; I’m not very familiar with current spelling preferences for that word in British English. At any rate, now that you’ve called my attention to this matter, I notice a growing tendency among writers in Philippine media to use “c” for “practice” as a noun, and to use “s” for “practise” as a verb. Since there’s no hard-and-fast rule on this, though, I think the choice between “c” and “s” is largely a matter of style. In my case, I’m more comfortable using “c” whether “practice” is used as a noun or a verb. Every now and then, however, I’d catch myself using “s” unconsciously. When this happens, I’d change it to "c" particularly if I use the word two or more times in the same exposition. I think what’s really important is to be consistent in spelling that word—that’s all.
