I before E

Hey folks, long time no see.

We’re over here trying to remember the complete “I Before E” rhyme. We get as far as

“I before E
Except after C
Or when sounding like A
As in Neighbor or Weigh…”

Anyone remember how the rest go?

Thanks


-An epistle most prosaic, courtesy of Calamity Jon.
Jon can be seen swinging from trees at ape-law.com

I thought that’s all there was to it. You could add something about either and neither, if you wanted. And something about German surnames? Neither Einstein nor Frankenstein would like it if we spelled them wrong; your neighbor is a sensei and he wouldn’t like it either. Weird, huh?

“…but weird people have their own rules.”

… and scientists are a breed apart, after c.

and its not even a rule. I recall reading a list of 300+ english words that don’t follow that rule.

300+, handy?

Well that’s just…

weird.

:wink:

In the movie “A Boy Named Charlie Brown” there is a song about the rule. IIRC, the other exceptions were about words that had to do with chemicals like “caffeine and codeine.”

Some people have no conscience…

One way I’ve heard the rhyme finish is

As douglips fails the reading comprehension test. LOSER!!

glacier

seismic society

The doggerel I heard was:

“I” before “E”
Except after “C”
Or when sounded like “A”
As in neighbor and weigh.
Except for eight exceptions:
Weird, height, and foreign leisure,
Neither, seize nor forfeit, either.

(The eight exceptions miss a number of others, such as–but not limited to–
sleight
heist
feisty
geisha
and heifer.)
I would generally exempt foreign words from the rule, so geisha and all the German “ei” words get a pass. There are quite enough holes in the rules in the English language.

(pluto and beatle, glacier and society follow the “except after c” rule.)

Tom~

(Depending on your dialect, geisha is spoken GAY sha, bringing it back under the rule.)

“I” before “E”
Except afterC

Sure, I’ll bite, Tom.

Huh?

another important exception is the name “Keith” which i myself bear… my god… my entire school career has been confounded with countless yearbook entries to “Kieth”…it’s so annoying!


The only thing a nonconformist hates more than a conformist is another nonconformist who does not conform to the prevailing standards of nonconformity.

Sorry. Distracted by kids moment. Reading skills dropped to nil.

Its on the net as:
Write I before E
Except after C
Or when it sounds like an A
As in “neighbor” and “weigh”

Some exceptions [there are more]:
seize, either, weird, height, foreign, leisure, conscience, counterfeit, forfeit, leisure,
neither, science, species, sufficient

So, if the rule has that many exceptions, can’t we just admit that it was a pretty bad dea in the first place and then abandon it?


“Rigardu. Kaj vi ekvidos…” -Persone

So, if the rule has that many exceptions, can’t we just admit that it was a pretty bad idea in the first place and then abandon it?


“Rigardu. Kaj vi ekvidos…” -Persone