"I before E" no longer in Britain

Posted By Brian Fung Wednesday, June 24, 2009 - 2:03 PM Share

In a suspiciously French-like move, Great Britain's vocabulary police have set their sights on an ancient adage: "I Before E, Except After C":

New government guidelines advise primary schools that the old saw is so irrelevant and confusing, it is "not worth teaching."

Why the renewed assault on English spelling? Critics claim the saying is misleading because there are so many exceptions to the rule.

A prominent example, cited by the United States' National Public Radio, includes the following (the exceptions are italicized):

Let neither financier inveigle the sheikh into seizing either species of weird leisure."

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REWQ.TW

6:06 PM ET

June 24, 2009

foreign policy

foreign policy

TWILL

6:46 PM ET

June 24, 2009

i hate the word weird

RMBJSPD

8:00 PM ET

June 24, 2009

what about the next line

we always learned 'or when sounding like 'A' as in 'neighbor' and 'weigh.' that would handle 'inveigle,' 'foreign,' and 'sheik,' at least.

NQUIXOTE

6:45 AM ET

June 25, 2009

"Let neither financier

"Let neither financier inveigle the sheikh into seizing either species of weird leisure."

Yeah, but that's total NONSENSE.

LASVEGASTIMESHARE03

7:35 AM ET

June 25, 2009

Yes, that is true. But I

Yes, that is true. But I think its really high time that they should implement new rules on British language already.

Ryan
Timeshare Relief

KROTHROCK

7:40 AM ET

June 25, 2009

Good riddance.

SUSAN TEN

11:06 AM ET

July 6, 2009

Problem solved

I before E except after C, or when sounded like "A" as in neighbor and weigh. All of the exceptions (at least, all the exceptions you're ever likely to need to know) are in the sentence, "Their weird foreign sheik neither seizes heights nor forfeits leisure."

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