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The following message was posted to: PharmPK
Here's a tidbit of information that has had me puzzled for quite some
time.
Is the correct spelling "modeling" or "modelling"? I was always taught
that
the last consonant was only doubled if the accent was on the final
syllable.
In that event, the "l" would not be doubled. Yet I have seen quite a few
occasions where the "l" was doubled, such as during presentations at the
PAGE conference in Marseille last week.
Today I decided to Google "English spelling rules" to see what I could
learn. According to several web sites:
When words have more than one syllable and end in 'l' British English
always
doubles the 'l', even in the case of unstressed syllables. American
English,
on the other hand, the 'l' is not doubled when the syllable is
unstressed.
British English - travelled, modelling, signalling, propelling,
excelling
American English - traveled, modeling, signaling, propelling, excelling
Interestingly, there are other words where the rules reverse:
British English - enrolment, fulfil, skilful
American English - enrollment, fulfill, skillful
Since there are over 300 million Americans and only about 60 million
British, I suppose that American English is more common than British
English. We do have a knack for improving on things. (I can't wait to
see
the replies to that! By the way, it was intended as humor - or I perhaps
should say, humour.)
Walt Woltosz
Chairman & CEO
Simulations Plus, Inc. (NASDAQ: SLP)
42505 10th Street West
Lancaster, CA 93534-7059
U.S.A.
http://www.simulations-plus.com
E-mail: walt.aaa.simulations-plus.com
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The following message was posted to: PharmPK
Hello Walt,
I would say the US convention whether speaking of arranging atoms or
showing off on a runway is the word "modeling"
This is the form I most often see on resumes and this only form that
goes unnoticed by my MS Word editor in Outlook.
hope this helps,
Mark
Mark M. McPhee, Ph.D.
Director of Pharmaceutical Development
PrincetonOne, LLC
Mark.McPhee.at.PrincetonOne.com
View Dr. Mark McPhee's Bio and Open Positions
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The following message was posted to: PharmPK
Walt is quite correct about British and American English spellings of
modelling and modeling, modelled and modeled. Since I now work for a
Belgian company, I happy to use American spellings, particularly as the
USA pays for all our drug research - you deserve more respect! And I
agree that American English spellings are often more sensible - I prefer
sulfur to sulphur (aluminum is more difficult). Just don't leave it all
up to Bill Gates to decide!
Ted
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The following message was posted to: PharmPK
Hi Walt,
You're certainly correct that it's "modeled" in the US and "modelled"
in the
UK (as Microsoft Word will confirm). It's also true that that the
population
of the US is approx. 300 million. However, there are a few million
English
speakers in India, Indonesia, Australia etc (albeit usually spoken as
second
language) that use British English (Microsoft WORD confirms use of UK
English in these countries); this number, including UK, is likely to
exceed
the 300 million Americans.
I'm only joking, of course; Microsoft is not the sole arbiter of
spelling.
Yours tongue-in-cheek,
Charlie
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Dear Walt,
It is really quite simple, both versions are correct (binomial
distribution). That said, use the spelling appropriate to the
customer. When writing for FDA or US journals use modeling, when
sending things to British journals or agencies, use modelling.
Being British, I am a modeller... but my reports & manuscripts get
"corrected" before they go to FDA or US journals.
I thought the spelling rules also changed just north of the US border?
Best regards, Phil.
Senior fellow; physiologist, biochemist, modeller
Novartis Pharma AG, WSJ-027.1.22, CH-4056 Basel, Switzerland
phil.lowe.-a-.novartis.com
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