ChatterBank0 min ago
spell checker...
3 Answers
very good ed but why is it defaulting to American spelling? e.g. synchronize is ok but synchronise is not!
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'Ize' endings are not just American, John. The old rule - and one still followed by The Oxford English Dictionary (OED), the English word-‘bible', as well as American usage - was that words derived from classical Greek with the letter zeta in their suffix were rendered ‘ize' in English...ie retained the ‘z'. So, synchronize is fine, even in British English. The OED simply adds, after synchronize, "also -ise."
However, most modern publishers now prefer the Latinate and more modern ‘ise' for most such words. Thus, normal British usage has ‘organise', ‘apologise' and so on.
Certain words - eg ‘capsize' - are never modified to have an ‘ise' ending. In the same way, there are others - such as ‘disguise', ‘analyse', ‘circumcise', ‘televise', ‘exercise' and ‘chastise' - which are never given an ‘ize' ending.
Apart from the exceptions mentioned above, you are basically free to use whichever form - ise/ize - you prefer!
However, most modern publishers now prefer the Latinate and more modern ‘ise' for most such words. Thus, normal British usage has ‘organise', ‘apologise' and so on.
Certain words - eg ‘capsize' - are never modified to have an ‘ise' ending. In the same way, there are others - such as ‘disguise', ‘analyse', ‘circumcise', ‘televise', ‘exercise' and ‘chastise' - which are never given an ‘ize' ending.
Apart from the exceptions mentioned above, you are basically free to use whichever form - ise/ize - you prefer!
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