Micro-listening
Advice or advise: asking for help and suggesting a next step
Advice or advise: which is correct?
Advice names guidance, while advise describes giving guidance. Use 'I need some advice about the delay' for the guidance, but 'Can you advise me?' for the action. Use 'a piece of advice' for one suggestion, and 'advise someone to do something' for a recommended action. They also have different final sounds.
Key points
- Advice is a noun and advise is a verb.
- Use some advice, not an advice.
- Count one suggestion as a piece of advice.
- Use advise someone to do something.
This lesson has 5 stages. You can stop at any time and continue later.
At a glance
| Form | Use it for | Example |
|---|---|---|
| advice | Names guidance or suggestions. | Her advice was practical. |
| advise | Describes giving guidance. | Could you advise me? |
| a piece of advice | Counts one suggestion. | Here is a piece of advice. |
| advise someone to do something | Recommends a particular action. | They advised us to wait. |
Stage 1 of 5
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What it means, when to use it, and mistakes to avoid.
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Advice or advise: how to use each word correctly
Learn the difference between the noun advice and the verb advise. Practice using both words in everyday conversations with clear examples.
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I advice my advise our .
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The full explanation
Advice names guidance about what someone could or should do. Advise describes the action of giving that guidance. In 'Her advice helped,' advice names the guidance. In 'She advised me,' advised tells us what she did.
I need some advice about my broken lamp.
Why it works: Some comes before the noun advice.
2 more examples
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The volunteer advised me to bring the missing part.
Advised describes a past action and introduces the recommended step.
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I followed her advice and kept the receipt.
Followed means the speaker acted on the guidance.
Read the full guide
Choose between guidance and an action
Imagine taking a broken lamp to a repair café. You want guidance, so you ask for advice. The volunteer gives that guidance, so she advises you. Advice is a noun: it names something. Advise is a verb: it describes an action. Look at the whole sentence before choosing the spelling. After need some, you need advice; after can, you need advise.
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Your advice helped me explain the problem.
Why it works: Advice names what helped.
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Can someone advise me about this lamp?
Why it works: Advise describes the help requested.
Your turn
Which sentence asks someone to give guidance?
Answer: Can you advise me?
Show the answer
Answer: Can you advise me?
Can needs a verb after it. Advise describes giving guidance.
Count pieces when you need a number
Advice does not take a or an directly before it in everyday English. Ask for some advice, even if you expect only one suggestion. When the number matters, count pieces of advice. The word pieces changes, but advice stays the same. You can also count suggestions. Say one suggestion or two suggestions, with the plural ending on suggestions.
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Maya gave me two pieces of advice.
Why it works: Two counts the pieces.
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Her advice was easy to follow.
Why it works: Advice takes was, even with several suggestions.
You can practise this again in Advice that changed meaning and English homework help: Plan, write, and ask.
Your turn
Which phrase correctly names one suggestion?
Answer: A piece of advice
Show the answer
Answer: A piece of advice
Count a piece, rather than putting an directly before advice.
Say whether you ask, receive, or act
The verb beside advice explains your part in the exchange. You ask for advice when you want guidance. Someone gives or offers advice in response. You follow or take advice when you act on it. Receiving advice does not mean accepting it. This distinction helps you explain a decision politely: you can thank someone and still choose another action.
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I asked for advice about fixing the switch.
Why it works: Keep for after asked.
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I received his advice, but I chose to wait.
Why it works: Receiving guidance does not mean following it.
Your turn
Which sentence says the person acted on the guidance?
Answer: She followed the advice.
Show the answer
Answer: She followed the advice.
Followed shows that she did what the guidance suggested.
Put the person before the recommended action
To recommend a particular action, use advise, then the person, then to and the action word. For example, you can advise a customer to keep a receipt. To recommend avoiding an action, use advise against followed by an action ending in ing. To give only the subject of the guidance, use advise someone on a topic.
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They advised me to keep the old handle.
Why it works: Me comes before to keep.
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She advised against buying another lamp immediately.
Why it works: Against is followed by buying.
Your turn
Which sentence correctly recommends an action?
Answer: I advise you to check the label.
Show the answer
Answer: I advise you to check the label.
The pattern is advise someone to do something.
Change advise to fit the sentence
Advise changes when you describe different people or times. Use advises with he or she for a regular action, advised for a past action, and advising after is or was for an action in progress. These forms keep the letter s. After can or will, use advise without an extra ending. Advice remains the noun and cannot show a past action.
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He advises customers every Saturday.
Why it works: He takes advises for a regular action.
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He will advise us after lunch.
Why it works: Will is followed by advise.
Your turn
Complete the sentence: Yesterday, Jo ___ me to bring a photo.
Answer: advised
Show the answer
Answer: advised
Yesterday places the action in the past, so use advised.
Hear the ending and check the surrounding words
Advice ends with an s sound, like the end of ice. Advise ends with a z sound, like the end of eyes. Both have a stronger second syllable. In quick speech, the ending may be hard to catch, so use the nearby words too. Some points toward advice; can points toward advise. During recall, repeat the whole phrase before writing the missing word.
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We need your advice today.
Why it works: Your introduces the noun with the final s sound.
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Could you advise us today?
Why it works: Could introduces the verb with the final z sound.
Your turn
Which word ends with a z sound?
Answer: Advise
Show the answer
Answer: Advise
The s in advise represents a z sound; advice ends with an s sound.
Match your wording to the reader
In a message to a friend, Could you give me some advice? is a natural request. I would advise you to wait sounds more formal than You could wait. Choose wording that suits your relationship and purpose. Also check contractions: in I'd advise, I'd means I would. In you'd better, you'd means you had, and the phrase gives strong advice about a specific situation.
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I'd advise you to ask about the cost first.
Why it works: I'd means I would here.
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You'd better leave now or you'll miss your appointment.
Why it works: You'd means you had before better.
Your turn
What does I'd mean in 'I'd advise you to wait'?
Answer: I would
Show the answer
Answer: I would
Would is followed by advise. Had belongs in the different pattern had better.
Common mistakes
What learners often say, what to say instead, and why.
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Not this:
Can you advice me about the booking?Say: Can you advise me about the booking?
Can is followed by the verb advise, not the noun advice.
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Not this:
She gave me an advice about the route.Say: She gave me some advice about the route.
Advice is uncountable in everyday English; use some advice or a piece of advice.
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Not this:
I advise you checking the label.Say: I advise you to check the label.
The recommended-action pattern is advise someone to do something.
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Not this:
He advice customers every Saturday.Say: He advises customers every Saturday.
The third-person singular verb is advises.
Questions about "Advice or advise: asking for help and suggesting a next step"
Can I say an advice when I mean one suggestion?
Use a piece of advice for one suggestion. In everyday English, advice is not counted directly, so an advice does not fit. If you prefer a countable word, use a suggestion.
May I offer a piece of advice?
I have a suggestion about the schedule.
Should I use is or are after advice?
Use is with advice, even when the guidance includes several suggestions. Use are when the subject is plural pieces of advice. The word you are counting controls this choice.
Your advice is clear.
Those two pieces of advice are useful.
Can I use advise without saying what action to take?
Yes. You can name the subject with advise someone on a topic. When you include a recommended action, use advise someone to do something. The first pattern names the area of help; the second states a next step.
Nora can advise you on course choices.
Nora advised me to choose the morning class.
Does please advise always ask for a recommendation?
No. In formal messages, advise can mean inform. A request such as 'Please advise us of any changes' asks for information. For an everyday message, 'Please tell us about any changes' is often clearer.
Please advise us of your arrival date.
Could you advise me on the best time to visit?
Before you go
Remember this
Check the sentence around the word: some advice, but can advise. Count pieces of advice, and keep advice unchanged. When listening, connect the final s or z sound with the sentence pattern.
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Speak for 20-30 seconds. A friend wants to start taking photographs but has little money. Give one piece of advice, explain your reason, and use advise someone to for a second suggestion.
Use: advice or advise: asking for help and suggesting a next step
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