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Do not confuse "practice" with "practise". They sound the same and even look similar (except that one is spelled with a “c” and the other with a “s”) but their meanings are different. The word "practice" is a noun, it refers to an act itself, not who is doing it. On the other hand, practise is a verb meaning 'do something repeatedly to improve one skill'. It is a systematic training by multiple repetitions (rehearsing a behavior or engaging in an activity several times repeatedly) in order to improve or mastering that skill. To put this much simply, practise is a verb (doing word) and practice a noun (thing).

It should be noted that in American English, both the noun and the verb are spelled "practice". Both forms are however used in the British English whereas the distinction is almost obsolete in the U.S. As a matter of fact, in other English speaking countries (Australia, Canada, UK, Ireland, and South Africa), "practice" is the noun and "practise" the verb. It is therefore important to make sure that use the right version for the right audience.

Here are some examples below using the word "practice" (a noun) and "practise" (a verb):

Examples using the word “practice” (noun)
If you want to speak French well, you need to practice.
I'm afraid I'm rather out of practice.
It is their practice to give annual raises.
A hard theory to put into practice.
I can't see how your plan is going to work in practice.
The practice of the law.
It is not the local practice to wear shorts to dinner.
Practice makes perfect.
It seemed like a good idea before we started, but in practice it was a disaster.
Officially, Mary’s in charge, but in practice Susan runs the office.
This is a cruel practice which should be banned immediately.
I need to get some more practice before I take my driving test.
Are you coming to football practice this evening?
My singing practice has been a little lax, lately.
It is the usual practice of employees there to wear neckties only when meeting with customers.
It is good practice to check each door and window before leaving.
She refused to play the piano, because she was out of practice.
She ran a thriving medical practice.
He will need lots of practice with those lines before he performs them.
The doctor wanted his daughter to take over his practice when he retired.
She plans to set up practice in her hometown.

Examples using the word “practise” (verb)
The new government has promised all citizens the right to practise their religion.
Why don't you practise what you preach?
I'm quite good at tennis but I need to practise my serve.
She practises the violin every day.
She practised medicine for twenty years before she became a writer.
I practise the piano.
I need to practise my English.
You should practise more.
I need to start practising my singing every day.
They are practising for the Olympic games.
John is practising golf.
A practising doctor.
She is a confident and practised speaker who always impresses her audience.

If you are having difficulty of remembering the difference between "practise" and "practice" then you can try using anyone one of the three methods given below. You should be able to use one as an easy way of remembering the difference between them:

i. Practice with a C is a noun, and practise with an S is a verb.

ii. Practice is a noun. It is thing because it has the word ice in it which is a cold, wet and slippery thing and practise is a verb - a doing word. It is not a noun because ise is not a thing.

iii. Practice is a noun. It as the word ice in it, which is a noun. Practise is a verb. It has the word is in it, which is a verb.

So remember in the United Kingdom, as well as, in other English speaking countries “practice” is the noun and “practise” the verb; but in the U.S. the spelling “practice” is mostly used for both the noun and the verb.

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Labels: English

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Where there is no light then there is darkness. This means that a surrounding without light would be black in color. Our experience here on Earth (one common example, night and day) tells us that the color black (or darkness) indicates the absence of light. However, space (or outer space) contains countless of bright shining stars including our Sun. Our Sun is not even the largest or brightest star in the universe, very far from it. Space as we can see, including our solar system, is surrounded with light. In spite of this however, space still remains (looks) pitch black.

On Earth however, we have what is called daylight. Daylight is the time after sunrise and before sunset and is the condition of brightness created by the rays of the sun. This brightness is a combination of all direct and indirect sunlight. Daylight produces a visual sensation that allows us to see our entire surrounding (environment) in its form and colors, such as, the beautiful blue sky, puffy white clouds, flowers of all variety and colors, as well as, all the other beautiful objects surrounding us in our day to day life in our environment.

The earth is surrounded by a gaseous envelope called the atmosphere. Apart from the layer of gases , the atmosphere also contains moisture (water droplets) and dust particles. The light from the sun hitting these "obstacles" in the atmosphere (air) causes light to reflect and refract. The reflected (bouncing off) and the refracted (deflected when the light go through a substance) rays illuminates our surroundings allowing one the power to perceive by sight (see) the world in its splendid colors.

Space on the other hand, is black in spite of the numerous star presence. Space contains comic dust and elements like hydrogen and helium atoms for every cubic meter (or per cubic centimeter). This however means that its gas molecules density is so low that it is practically nonexistent - a vacuum. This means that all the light in space will travel in a straight line without any dispersion (refraction and reflection). This is similar to a laser pointer where you see the spot but not the beam. This is due to the fact that the light does not go to where your eye is, it is not dispersed. The light goes directly to the spot where the pointer is pointing. Therefore, you can only see spots of lights in space from its source but not the illumination of its surroundings. Light makes its way to our eyes because you are looking at something bright but the light itself is not scattered. Space has no atmosphere (almost a perfect vacuum) which means there is nothing for the light to become "scattered" on. As such, there are no colors for you to see and therefore outer space always looks black.

Related Articles:
Is there sound in space?
Why is the sky blue in the day and black at night?
Can you hear sound in space?
Is outer space a perfect vacuum?
Why do stars twinkle?

How does sound travel?
What is Sound?
What is the Kinetic Molecular Theory of Matter?
What are the Three States of Matter?

Labels: Astronomy, Science

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Miranda warnings (also known as Miranda rights) was a landmark U.S. Supreme Court case in 1966 of Miranda v. Arizona. Based on this court case, the Supreme Court made Miranda warning constitutionally required and to be read to the individual who is being arrested. It was developed to protect criminal suspects Fifth Amendment right against self-incrimination when being questioned by law enforcement officers. Therefore, it is the right of a person that is being arrested or in a custodial situation to remain silent in order to avoid self-incrimination and to have an attorney present during his/her questioning. This is important since it may be difficult for your attorney to suppress your confession or statement when your case goes to court.

Miranda warnings do not have to precisely match the exact wording as long as they adequately and fully convey the individuals right of silence. The typical Miranda warning is as follows:

You have the right to remain silent. Anything you say can and will be used against you in a court of law. You have the right to have an attorney present before any questioning. If you cannot afford an attorney, one will be appointed to represent you before any questioning. Do you understand these rights?

Miranda warning, which is read to you by an arresting police officer, doesn’t protect you from being arrested. However, failure by the arresting officer to read you your legal rights (that is, Miranda rights or warning) may cause any subsequent confessions or statements that is being used against you in court to be thrown out. In spite of this however, the arrest may still be legal and well-grounded.

Hence, Miranda rights or Miranda warning simply informs the persons in custody to realize that they do not have to talk or answer questions asked by law enforcement officers (has it is best to remain silent) and they have the right to the presence of an attorney. It is however not a violation of your legal rights when asked for identity information such as your name, address, date of birth and social security number since this is needed to establish your identity.

Labels: Law

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