Schools told not to teach ‘i before e except after c’ spelli

[Colonic Immigration]

Bit old, but 'tever


I think it's pretty stupid myself. But what would I know?


http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/life_a ... 538821.ece

[Ifreann]

Its not a useful rule. What's the problem? We don't teach kids how many hoghsheads in a gallon either. Its 63, btw.

[Lunatic Goofballs]

Inconceivable!!!

[Articoa]

Never helped me, the only reason I even remember it is because it rhymes.

[Colonic Immigration]

Its not a useful rule..

I know there are loads of exceptions, but it's good for teaching kids cos it aplies to a fair few simple words.

What's the problem? We don't teach kids how many hoghsheads in a gallon either. Its 63, btw

lolwut?

[Intangelon]

I think that whatever helps you spell words correctly on a consistent basis are the rules you should follow. For example, I deliberately mis-pronounce some words in my head in order to remember the correct spelling. Example: I say "thruff" in my head for "through", and "tho-ruff" in my head for "thorough". Keeps 'em straight.

[Farnhamia]

Inconceivable!!!

You keep using that word. I don't think it means what you think it means.

[Lunatic Goofballs]

Inconceivable!!!

You keep using that word. I don't think it means what you think it means.

Aieee!!!

[Intangelon]

Its not a useful rule. What's the problem? We don't teach kids how many hoghsheads in a gallon either. Its 63, btw.

Besides that, the rhyme assumes that the EI convention is caused by the C, when it's caused by the C in addition to the -VE ending. That excludes words like science, ceiling (C, but no -VE) protein, heinous (neither C nor -VE), and the like. That makes the rule actually work.

The rule might be re-worded: "I before E, save for C plus V-E."

[Ifreann]

Its not a useful rule. What's the problem? We don't teach kids how many hoghsheads in a gallon either. Its 63, btw.

Besides that, the rhyme assumes that the EI convention is caused by the C, when it's caused by the C in addition to the -VE ending. That excludes words like science, ceiling (C, but no -VE) protein, heinous (neither C nor -VE), and the like. That makes the rule actually work.

The rule might be re-worded: "I before E, save for C plus V-E."

This makes more sense.

[UNIverseVERSE]

You're quite late, my uncle blogged about this a week ago. It's here, and is a pretty decent commentary, although I disagree a little with some of the reasons he advances for it.

[Farnhamia]

GB Shaw wanted to make extensive changes to English spelling. On this topic he probably would have recommended using an S for C in places where it's pronounced like an S. Kind of eliminates the whole question.

There's a humorous example of his: How do you pronounce "GHOTI"? You pronounce it with the GH sound in "enouGH", the O sound in "women" and the TI sound in "action": GHOTI = FISH.

[Ferrous Oxide]

GB Shaw wanted to make extensive changes to English spelling. On this topic he probably would have recommended using an S for C in places where it's pronounced like an S. Kind of eliminates the whole question.

There's a humorous example of his: How do you pronounce "GHOTI"? You pronounce it with the GH sound in "enouGH", the O sound in "women" and the TI sound in "action": GHOTI = FISH.

I'm generally pro-English spelling reform, too, but it's pretty hard. You couldn't even get people to agree on a new alphabet or spelling conventions.

Aim jenralï prȣ-Inglix speliŋ reförm tü, bat its pritï had.

That was fun.

[Colonic Immigration]

You're quite late, my uncle blogged about this a week ago. It's here, and is a pretty decent commentary, although I disagree a little with some of the reasons he advances for it.

I said it wasold.

Quite a good a source.

[Valkyriana]

Its not a useful rule. What's the problem? We don't teach kids how many hoghsheads in a gallon either. Its 63, btw.

Besides that, the rhyme assumes that the EI convention is caused by the C, when it's caused by the C in addition to the -VE ending. That excludes words like science, ceiling (C, but no -VE) protein, heinous (neither C nor -VE), and the like. That makes the rule actually work.

The rule might be re-worded: "I before E, save for C plus V-E."

I find it bizarre that I was thinking about this stupid rule before I logged on o.0

Your rewording makes sense, there's just too many exceptions to the usual rule.

[UNIverseVERSE]

I'm generally pro-English spelling reform, too, but it's pretty hard. You couldn't even get people to agree on a new alphabet or spelling conventions.

Aim jenralï prȣ-Inglix speliŋ reförm tü, bat its pritï had.

That was fun.

The problem with spelling reform is it destroys some of the links you can quickly spot otherwise. A photograph, for instance, can be easily seen to be photo+graph, 'light' + 'drawing', hence a picture made with light. If it's spelt as fotograf, that information is lost. I point you at that blog I posted, which has some more (and slightly more obscure) examples.

[Intangelon]

You're quite late, my uncle blogged about this a week ago. It's here, and is a pretty decent commentary, although I disagree a little with some of the reasons he advances for it.

Excellent stuff.

[The Blaatschapen]

I never ever learned that rule when I was taught English. In fact, I hear only about it on Anglosaxon forums like this one.... Good to see it's going down, because when I heard it, it was only confusing me.

[Daistallia 2104]

As Calvin once pointed out, that rule is weird...

[Sarkhaan]

Reading and writing should be taught through phonics.

[The Imperial Navy]

So I hear you leik Mudkipz...

[Smunkeeville]

The problem is that "ie" making the "ee" sound is weird. Kids are told today "when two vowels go walking the first one does the talking", so "ie" should say the long i sound, not the long e sound. Sometimes it's the right way "receive" and "leisure", it's the times when "ie" says "ee" that's the real problem, but those words are so rare you should probably just memorize them also sometimes "ie" says short "e" friend... which btw, I remember as a friend is a friend til the end
(this is all incoherent I'm sure)
Spelling is stupid anyway.

(also, for those of you confused by the "two vowels go walking" rule see: http://www.starfall.com/n/sorting/two-vowels/play.htm?f )

[Greed and Death]

Its not a useful rule. What's the problem? We don't teach kids how many hoghsheads in a gallon either. Its 63, btw.

that is so important. It should always be your upmost drinking limit for ale per night.

[Farnhamia]

Its not a useful rule. What's the problem? We don't teach kids how many hoghsheads in a gallon either. Its 63, btw.

that is so important. It should always be your upmost drinking limit for ale per night.

Uhm ... isn't it "gallons in a hoghead"?

[UNIverseVERSE]

that is so important. It should always be your upmost drinking limit for ale per night.

Either 'ale' means something different in the US, or you have a death wish. Because drinking a hogshead of British ale will put you in the morgue.