I laughed at this mug when I saw it at Rummuser’s, but the fellow clearly hadn’t heard the complete rule:
i before e,
Except after c,
Or when sounded as “a,”
As in neighbour and weigh.
Yes, it’s not perfect, and the first two lines only applies if the combination sounds like ee, but I’ve used it many a time in my life and it has helped. (Notice the word caffeine is just one of the exceptions but hey, nothing is perfect.)
So, looking at the words on the mug,
foreign
neighbor
Keith
received
eight
counterfeit
beige
sleighs
feisty
caffeinated
weightlifter
weird
Only foreign, Keith, counterfeit, feisty, caffeinated, and weird don’t fit the rule.
I don’t have trouble with Keith, the k is close enough to c for me, and the ei in foreign, counterfeit, caffeinated, and weird all sound about the same, so there could be another subrule there. Feisty is the only one that really stands out for me.
Not that I worry much about rules now when I check my spelling. If I don’t remember how to spell a word, I just Google my version and Google tells me the correct spelling. Once again, hurray for the internet!
November 25, 2018
I think it won’t be long before English changes completely.
rather that short cuts already being used by those who text will become accepted norm. it might be refreshing. time will tell! like you… I don’t question.
I simply take the proper spelling from Google!
I agree, Google is our new authority. It sure beats the old days when we had to check our spelling with the dictionary!
Mom says she knew that rule, but she admits that the English language can be very confusing.
Woos – Lightning, Misty, and Timber
Yes, Spanish and other phonetic languages are a lot easier!
I agee, hurray for all things that correct our spelling – If I could just find a grammar app, I’d be all set! 🙂
I think there are websites that will check your grammar, but I don’t know how good they are. I do sometimes ask questions in Google about my use of words, like whether to use further or farther, whether to say compared to or compared with, etc. The answer is usually there. I love it!
yes I would like a great grammar app – although I might well end up questioning it’s rules – and then just go on as before – somehow it doesn’t seem to worry me…
(just lately, I’ve noticed I’m forever apologising to my grammar police person in messages…that’s when I re-read before “send” or when I’ve time up my sleeve to mention…)
As long as people understand you keep on doing what you’re doing!
I’m pretty sure that some don’t – and they just don’t reply – the trash can is right there in their machinery 🙂
Spelling is even weirder than pronunciation. Why is forrin spelt foreign? Why is naiba spelt neighbour? (etc etc) English is a completely crazy language.
The problem is English has too many words from different languages. I imagine simplifying the spelling would cause a lot of problems too.
I love that there’s spellcheck on my phone that automatically corrects the misspelled word but the problem is, if you’ve misspelled something so badly it changes the whole word and can make for embarrassing comments! Lol!
There are several sites to correct grammar, you don’t even need an app, just copy and paste to check it.
Most the time I could really care less but I have used it a few times.
Mostly for writing stories.
😉
I find that automatic spell checkers are a nuisance, but highlighting if they think a word is wrong can be a big help.
Lovely! Absolutely lovely! Made my day.
I thought it was a fun topic too. 🙂