Breaking free from "I before E"

pterodactyl commented on the list breaking-free-from-i-before-e

...and here is an excellent explanation of the whole "I-before-E" problem.

February 7, 2010

ruzuzu commented on the list breaking-free-from-i-before-e

*favorited*

February 7, 2010

WDitot commented on the list breaking-free-from-i-before-e

Perhaps you should put further qualification on the list, as the longer common mnemonic is:

I before E, except after C,

Or when sounded like A, as in neighbor and weigh.

January 16, 2011

pterodactyl commented on the list breaking-free-from-i-before-e

Hi WDitot -- Thanks for your suggestion!

I did think about adding the second line of the mnemonic, but I decided against it. Here's why: I personally see that line as an unsuccessful attempt to patch up a fundamentally flawed rule. Yes, we could adhere to the full mnemonic and exclude the "sounded as A" words from this list, but that would barely make a dent in the list. There would still be hundreds of exceptions to the mnemonic rule, which is really the whole point of this list: I think the "I before E" rule is claptrap. Balderdash. Elegant folderol. I made this list in order to demonstrate how silly the rule is.

For a fun perspective on this issue, take a look at the video I linked to in my comment at the bottom of the page.

January 16, 2011