Date:  Sat, 2 Dec 1995 12:46:06 CST

From:  "Donald M. Lance" <ENGDL[AT SYMBOL GOES HERE]MIZZOU1.MISSOURI.EDU>

Subject: Re: I before E



As I've read and deleted postings on ei/ie I've been trying to recall the

rhyme that someone else mentioned: "I before e, except after c, or when sounded

 like ay, as in neighbor and weigh." I've also heard a little ditty that

follows the rhyme and lists most of the exceptions, but I was never able

to learn the ditty (nor interested in doing so). The Simon & Schuster Handbook

(1987) lists the exceptions, with the comment "Because there are so few

exceptions, they are worth memorizing":

  ie conscience, financier, science, species

  ei counterfeit, either, foreign, forfeit, height, leisure

    neither, seize, sleight, weird

The list is two chunks of the magic number 7, so one should be able to

memorize them -- sure!      DMLance