The original rule was “I before E, except after C, or when it rhymes with May, like neighbor or weigh.” My mom’s maiden name was an exception to this rule, so she always adds, “and my maiden name.”
BTW, in German, you pronounce the syllable based on the placement of the second letter in the “E-I” combination. If it’s “EI” it rhymes with I, and if it’s “IE,” it rhymes with E.
But people screw it up anyway. By German rules, Epstein should be pronounced Ep-Styne, not Ep-Steen.
It cuts down to something like 300 exceptions if in include the “unless it rhymes with neighbor or way” subclause. That subclause is also violated about 2 dozen times.
“ ‘I’ before ‘e’ except after ‘C’ and when sounding like “A” as in neighbor and weigh, and on weekends and holidays and all throughout May, and YOU’LL ALWAYS BE WRONG NO MATTER WHAT YOU SAY!!!”
big alphabet HATES this one trick: i before e except after c
It’s the best rule, there are only 923 exceptions to it in the scrabble word list.
The original rule was “I before E, except after C, or when it rhymes with May, like neighbor or weigh.” My mom’s maiden name was an exception to this rule, so she always adds, “and my maiden name.”
BTW, in German, you pronounce the syllable based on the placement of the second letter in the “E-I” combination. If it’s “EI” it rhymes with I, and if it’s “IE,” it rhymes with E.
But people screw it up anyway. By German rules, Epstein should be pronounced Ep-Styne, not Ep-Steen.
It cuts down to something like 300 exceptions if in include the “unless it rhymes with neighbor or way” subclause. That subclause is also violated about 2 dozen times.
-Brian Regan
But why do you follow arbitrary rules? Why are you part of the system, maaaan?
My dad’s not a phone!
I threw it on the ceiling
Happy shitday to the ceiling.
DUHH!