Believer  +  210341 Tue, 28 Mar 06 01:12 PM I have a partial dictionary definition of the "rifle range" and want to ask you whether or not can change the article indicated to the "the" instead the one originally placed, the article "a."  A rifle range is a place where you can practise shooting ... A rifle range is the place where you can practise shooting ... I feel the second sentence give an air of definiteness and feel that it is more appropriate as a definition eventhough the two sentences have one minor difference between them.    Also, can I replace the underlined word "practise" with the "practice"?  Believer Joined on Mon, Jan 2 2006 Contributing Member 1,969 Articles, Difference Between

	Mister Micawber  +  210347 Tue, 28 Mar 06 01:31 PM I much prefer the first, though the second may be acceptable. A dictionary is a book full of definitions. The dictionary is the book that everyone should own. Practice/practise:  both spellings are acceptable. Mister Micawber Joined on Wed, Aug 4 2004 Yokohama Veteran Member 30,833 'The question is,' said Humpty Dumpty, 'which is to be master-- that's all.'

	Mister Micawber  +  210604 Wed, 29 Mar 06 07:46 AM You had better check your dictionary again, jdkapoor-- both spellings are possible for both the noun and the verb, according to my Webster's Collegiate. Mister Micawber Nouns, Verbs

	Believer  +  210998 Thu, 30 Mar 06 10:45 AM In  your partial sentence, "You had better check your dictionary," why do we always have the auxilary verb "had" when it would not make sense of it being there, at least for me. You had better check your dictionary. You'd better be right.       Normally, when we think of the meaning of the word "had," we think of it as having had something in possession of it and using in the context as above gives me a rather uncomfortable feeling. Help me to relieve this discomfort if you can. Believer Verbs

	Mister Micawber  +  211037 Thu, 30 Mar 06 02:05 PM Most grammars (at least the ones I have) list had better as a modal idiom, and offer no etymology.  Fowler's Modern English Usage says: "The word had in this phrase is not the mere auxiliary of mood or tense, but a true verb meaning find:  You had better do it = You would find to-do-it better." Mister Micawber Verbs, Tenses, Modals, Auxiliaries, Idioms