this is weird !!!!!

[funkymoped]

we were all told at school.

i before e except after c....

just about everyone follows that rule, but the rule is flawed.... WEIRD dont ya think ?!?!?

[Buenchico]

The rule isn't SCIENTIFIC.

Chris

[saintjohnny]

Take it from an English lecturer - English is indeed WEIRD! This is a language that has emerged after thousands of years of mish-mashing French, Norwegian, Danish, German, Celtic and Latin. There are bound to be inconsistencies and anomalies along the way. Don't forget, language is a living, organic thing that will always defy the "rules" we humans try to force on it.

[shaneystar2]

There are many exceptions to the rule and despite having learned this mnemonic back in the dark ages when we used dip pens and ink I still have to look words up in the dictionary !
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/I_before_e_except _after_c

[robbo82]

The full rule is actually 'i before i except after c, when the sound is e'. In other words, in a word like relieve, the 'ie' produces an 'e' sound, whereas in weird, the 'ei' produces a slightly different, two-syllable, sound. I hope that makes sense.

[unruliejulie]

woah robbo, my brain hurts reading that!!!!!

funkymoped, don't try and work out the English language, its all weird!
Oh, and welll done you for remembering something you were told at school, it was a long while ago after all! ;-)

[Kate77]

they never told me that at school!
I still chant that rule and the E rule too!
You drop the E when its ING but keep it by if its only LY.
I am also terrible at remembering how many days there are in the month and say the little rhyme in my head!

[Pippa68]

I was taught the same rule as Robbo!

[Hellion]

My son is taught about the Magic E (!!!!) that makes the vowel 'say it's name' as in 'make' you the 'a' is prounounced 'ay' not 'ah' as then it would sound like mack. Does that make sense ... lol?