Jane Straus - Spelling "ce"/"se"
Spelling: --ce vs. –se
Jane Straus is the author of The Blue Book of Grammar and Punctuation and Enough is Enough! and developer of GrammarBook.com
It is easy to get confused between nouns and verbs that are spelled almost identically. However, here is a simple rule that will help you with two sound-alike pairs of words.
Rule: Generally, the verb form will be spelled with the "s" and
the noun with the "c."
Examples: advise vs. advice
devise vs. device
Example: She gave us good advice.
Noun meaning recommendation.
Example: Please advise us of our options.
Verb meaning the act of giving a recommendation
To learn more about confusing words and homonyms, click here.
Pop Quiz
1. They have to device/devise a foolproof plan to make sure she is
surprised on her birthday.
2. The dentist has a new device/devise for cleaning teeth.
3. Whoever devised/deviced this dental instrument must not have had very
sensitive teeth.
4. I would advice/advise you to allow the hygienist to try it on a few teeth
before committing to it.
5. No amount of advice/advise can substitute for experience.
Pop Quiz Answers
1. They have to devise a foolproof plan to make sure she is surprised on
her birthday.
2. The dentist has a new device for cleaning teeth.
3. Whoever devised this dental instrument must not have had very sensitive
teeth.
4. I would advise you to allow the hygienist to try it on a few teeth before
committing to it.
5. No amount of advice can substitute for experience.
