Scumbag English Rules...

BigTireFlipper
BigTireFlipper Posts: 116 Member
in Chit-Chat
"I" before "E" except after "C".

Oh yeah?

Protein

Replies

  • BraveNewdGirl
    BraveNewdGirl Posts: 937 Member
    Weird.
  • bheathfit
    bheathfit Posts: 451 Member
    Thanks for pointing that one out, neighbor...
  • Madame_Goldbricker
    Madame_Goldbricker Posts: 1,625 Member
    ".... Or when sounding like A, as in neighbour or weigh."
  • pyrowill
    pyrowill Posts: 1,163 Member
    Well there are exceptions to every rule.
    ".... Or when sounding like A, as in neighbour or weigh."
    Well this is phonetics, not rules, I'm sure if you looked you'd find many others. Would you rather pronounce weigh as it's spelt? Or would you rather spell it WA? Or WAY? Sure that won't get more confusing....
  • elliej
    elliej Posts: 466 Member
    tumblr_mypfr89mSn1r8c7xxo1_500.jpg
  • IronSmasher
    IronSmasher Posts: 3,908 Member
    Actually this 'rule' is found incorrect more often than correct...

    ETA - Beaten by a minute.
  • Trukngrl
    Trukngrl Posts: 106 Member
    We'll begin with a box and the plural is boxes.
    But the plural of ox should be oxen, not oxes.

    The one fowl is a goose but two are called geese,
    Yet the plural of moose should never be meese.

    You may found a lone mouse or a whole set of mice,
    Yet the plural of house is houses not hice.

    If the plural of man is always called men,
    Why shouldn't the plural of pan be called pen?

    If I speak of a foot and you show me your feet,
    And I give you a boot, would a pair be called beet?

    If one is a tooth and a whole set are teeth,
    Why should not the plural of booth be called beeth?

    Then one may be that and three would be those,
    Yet hat in the plural wouldn't be hose.
    And the plural of cat is cats and not cose.

    We speak of a brother and also of brethren,
    But though we say Mother, we never say Methren,
    Then the masculine pronouns are he, his and him,
    But imagine the feminine she, shis and shim,
    So English, I fancy you will all agree,
    Is the funniest language you ever did see
  • snowflake954
    snowflake954 Posts: 8,399 Member
    We'll begin with a box and the plural is boxes.
    But the plural of ox should be oxen, not oxes.

    The one fowl is a goose but two are called geese,
    Yet the plural of moose should never be meese.

    You may found a lone mouse or a whole set of mice,
    Yet the plural of house is houses not hice.

    If the plural of man is always called men,

    Why shouldn't the plural of pan be called pen?

    If I speak of a foot and you show me your feet,
    And I give you a boot, would a pair be called beet?

    If one is a tooth and a whole set are teeth,
    Why should not the plural of booth be called beeth?

    Then one may be that and three would be those,
    Yet hat in the plural wouldn't be hose.
    And the plural of cat is cats and not cose.

    We speak of a brother and also of brethren,
    But though we say Mother, we never say Methren,
    Then the masculine pronouns are he, his and him,
    But imagine the feminine she, shis and shim,
    So English, I fancy you will all agree,
    Is the funniest language you ever did see

    Loved this!
  • lexbubbles
    lexbubbles Posts: 465 Member
    "I" before "E" except after "C".

    Oh yeah?

    Protein

    I before E, except after C, but only when it rhymes with 'key'

    Everyone always forgets the second part of that rule (alt: the 'long-a' version as someone already mentioned). WAY less exceptions when you use the whole thing (of course, protein is still one of them *side-eyes protein*)
  • Lisa1971
    Lisa1971 Posts: 3,069 Member
    We'll begin with a box and the plural is boxes.
    But the plural of ox should be oxen, not oxes.

    The one fowl is a goose but two are called geese,
    Yet the plural of moose should never be meese.

    You may found a lone mouse or a whole set of mice,
    Yet the plural of house is houses not hice.

    If the plural of man is always called men,
    Why shouldn't the plural of pan be called pen?

    If I speak of a foot and you show me your feet,
    And I give you a boot, would a pair be called beet?

    If one is a tooth and a whole set are teeth,
    Why should not the plural of booth be called beeth?

    Then one may be that and three would be those,
    Yet hat in the plural wouldn't be hose.
    And the plural of cat is cats and not cose.

    We speak of a brother and also of brethren,
    But though we say Mother, we never say Methren,
    Then the masculine pronouns are he, his and him,
    But imagine the feminine she, shis and shim,
    So English, I fancy you will all agree,
    Is the funniest language you ever did see

    My head just exploded!:laugh:
  • BigTireFlipper
    BigTireFlipper Posts: 116 Member
    We'll begin with a box and the plural is boxes.
    But the plural of ox should be oxen, not oxes.

    -snipped-

    Well done. :drinker:
  • digitalbill
    digitalbill Posts: 1,410 Member
    ".... Or when sounding like A, as in neighbour or weigh."
    And you are wrong no matter WHAT you say.
  • Unknown
    Unknown
    This content has been removed.
  • wolverine66
    wolverine66 Posts: 3,779 Member
    "If Einstein followed that rule, he couldn't write his name. He's got it wrong twice." --Gallagher
  • ehensarling17
    ehensarling17 Posts: 95 Member
    ".... Or when sounding like A, as in neighbour or weigh."
    And you are wrong no matter WHAT you say.

    Haha! Yes! "That's a hard rule. That's a— that's a rough rule"
  • RllyGudTweetr
    RllyGudTweetr Posts: 2,019 Member
    I had a tough cough last night; I thought I'd be up throughout the night, or bent over a trough at the very least. I ploughed through it, though.
  • Fiery_Vixen
    Fiery_Vixen Posts: 795 Member

    I before E, except after C, but only when it rhymes with 'key'

    This is the first time I've heard the 2nd part...this makes much more sense...
  • acogg
    acogg Posts: 1,870 Member
    I have one. Why is the shortened version of vegetables spelled veggies? Where does the extra g come from and if it is spelled with two g's shouldn't the pronunciation be a hard g sound rather the a soft j sound?
  • burns429
    burns429 Posts: 104 Member
    to come at from a different way: SCIENCE should be SCEINCE since it's after C.
  • neandermagnon
    neandermagnon Posts: 7,436 Member
    This rule only works for words where ie or ei has the sound /ee/ (and there are still a few exceptions, like protein)

    other sounds it doesn't work for

    the rule is taught wrong... it should be "to sound /ee/, i before e except after c"
  • 19TaraLynn84
    19TaraLynn84 Posts: 739 Member

    I before E, except after C, but only when it rhymes with 'key'

    This is the first time I've heard the 2nd part...this makes much more sense...

    First time for me, too!
  • neandermagnon
    neandermagnon Posts: 7,436 Member
    I have one. Why is the shortened version of vegetables spelled veggies? Where does the extra g come from and if it is spelled with two g's shouldn't the pronunciation be a hard g sound rather the a soft j sound?

    c and g have a soft sound if they are followed by i, e or y. (there are not many exceptions to this rule)

    so words like veggie where there are two g's followed by an i, the first should have a /g/ sound and the second a /j/ sound.

    so it should be pronounced veg-jie.... or spelled vedgie...
  • mank32
    mank32 Posts: 1,323 Member
    "I" before "E" except after "C".

    Oh yeah?

    Protein

    bad example. scientific terms are typically patterned after greek or latin, not english. and in einstein's case, it's german, and follows the german rule of pronouncing the 2nd vowel. :yawn:
  • richardheath
    richardheath Posts: 1,276 Member
    protein (n.)

    1844, from French protéine, coined 1838 by Dutch chemist Gerhard Johan Mulder (1802-1880), perhaps on suggestion of Berzelius, from Greek proteios "the first quality," from protos "first" (see proto-) + -ine (2).

    Originally a theoretical substance thought to be essential to life, further studies of the substances he was working with overthrew this, but the words protein and proteid continued to be used in international work on the matter and also for other organic compounds; the modern use as a general name for a class of bodies arose in German. The confusion became so great a committee was set up in 1907 to sort out the nomenclature, which it did, giving protein its modern meaning and banishing proteid.

    http://www.etymonline.com/index.php?term=protein

    We like to steal words from other languages, so it makes consistency hard!
  • richardheath
    richardheath Posts: 1,276 Member
    "I" before "E" except after "C".

    Oh yeah?

    Protein

    I before E, except after C, but only when it rhymes with 'key'

    Everyone always forgets the second part of that rule (alt: the 'long-a' version as someone already mentioned). WAY less exceptions when you use the whole thing (of course, protein is still one of them *side-eyes protein*)

    We were taught that in England, but my American kids seem to have not been told it. It helped a whole lot for them when I pointed it out (protein not withstanding).

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