28 June 2017

"I before E, except..."

"...except in a zeitgeist of feisty counterfeit heifer protein freight heists reining in weird deified beige beings and their veiny and eidetic atheist foreign schlockmeister neighbors, either aweigh with feigned absenteeism, seized by heightened heirloom forfeitures (albeit deigned under a kaleidoscope ceiling weighted by seismic geisha keister sleighs) or leisurely reimbursing sovereign receipt or surveillance of eight veiled and neighing Rottweilers, herein referred to as their caffeinated sheik's Weimaraner poltergeist wieners from the Pleiades."
Further discussion of this only-75%-accurate rule of thumb at the Washington Post.

7 comments:

  1. I found Waldo! Well, his wiener to be precise...

    ReplyDelete
  2. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=duqlZXiIZqA

    The "QI" clip: Stephen Fry gets frustrated with Lee Mack, who doesn't get it.

    ReplyDelete
  3. People always forget the most important part of the rule.... the full thing is "I before E, except after C, or when sounded as A as in Neighbor and Weigh"

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. No it isn't. I've heard that it's taught that way in some American schools, but elsewhere the full version is: "When the sound is /ee/, write i before e except after c". And, in my experience, accompanied by a classroom discussion about exceptions.

      Delete
  4. Oh I think that Lee gets it, he is just baiting Stephen, who completely falls for it.

    ReplyDelete

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