When in doubt I consult the Oxford Spelling Dictionary (it has British and American spelling) , which lists the following:
lace laces laced lacing lacemaker /s lacemaking (but the spell checker on this computer wants to spell it lace making or lovemaking!) lace-pillow /s Similarly, needle follows the same pattern, although neither needlelace nor needle lace are listed. Bobbin /s but bobbin lace. Confusingly, my very large dictionary (not Oxford) uses hyphens in lace-maker and lace-pillow. It seems that "You pays your money and takes your pick". I taught Improve Your English to adults for 15 years, with emphasis on grammar, spelling and handwriting. When there was choice my advice always was, "Be consistent" and don't change from one form to the other in the same piece of writing. I suppose you could give the same piece of advice to beginner lace makers. With regard to lace or laces, context can help decide which to use. A box of laces could mean shoelaces or even shoe-laces. Liz Pass In Poole, Dorset where it's dry, overcast and relatively warm - To unsubscribe send email to majord...@arachne.com containing the line: unsubscribe lace y...@address.here. For help, write to arachne.modera...@gmail.com. Photo site: http://www.flickr.com/photos/lacemaker/sets/
