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Pedants' corner

Apropos of an earlier comment

(28 Posts)
sodapop Thu 22-Feb-24 17:25:46

Just seen this again and thought it would interest pedants
I before E
Except when your foreign neighbour Keith receives eight counterfeit beige sleighs from freshly caffeinated weightlifters. smile

Germanshepherdsmum Fri 23-Feb-24 16:03:21

I must use it more often. Rarely need to now that I’m retired. Somehow telling an awkward person that their irrelevant comment was not germane to the issue was deeply satisfying.

Theexwife Fri 23-Feb-24 16:01:57

Another version is:

i before e,
Except after c,
Or when sounded as "a",
As in neighbor and weigh
But seizure and seize do what they please.

Marydoll Fri 23-Feb-24 15:35:43

👍
I haven't heard that word in years!

Joseann Fri 23-Feb-24 13:15:57

Marydoll

The pedants here, who are linguists, would probably always use à propos.
The English version just doesn't cut it for me. wink

How about, forget the French and say,
Germane to an earlier comment grin.

sodapop Fri 23-Feb-24 13:04:38

BridgetPark

Sodapop, you are so clever, I love this!!

Sadly I can't take the credit for this BridgetPark I found it on FB.
Any errors are of course mine.

Marydoll Fri 23-Feb-24 09:23:32

sodapop

Living in France obviously hasn't rubbed off on me. smile

😂

BridgetPark Fri 23-Feb-24 09:15:33

Sodapop, you are so clever, I love this!!

sodapop Fri 23-Feb-24 09:02:01

Living in France obviously hasn't rubbed off on me. smile

Marydoll Thu 22-Feb-24 22:52:13

The pedants here, who are linguists, would probably always use à propos.
The English version just doesn't cut it for me. wink

TinSoldier Thu 22-Feb-24 22:37:32

Both apropos and unapropos are in the OED.

A borrowing from the French but apropos is not incorrect when writing in English.

And this from the Washington Post:

The iciest glaciers make idiocies out of the conceit of “except after c.”

GrannySomerset Thu 22-Feb-24 22:09:37

I learn ed this as”I before E except after C when the sound is EeE” which works most of the time.

Marydoll Thu 22-Feb-24 22:05:14

RosiesMaw

As it IS Pedants’ Corner you won’t be offended I hope if I point out the term is à propos (Two words)

Touché!

fancythat Thu 22-Feb-24 21:58:53

I have wondered for a while whether the "rule" is actually more often wrong than right?

A challenge maybe for some of you.
I will leave you all to it.
I rarely venture in here.

RosiesMaw Thu 22-Feb-24 21:50:51

As it IS Pedants’ Corner you won’t be offended I hope if I point out the term is à propos (Two words)

welbeck Thu 22-Feb-24 20:29:03

i was taught that it was,

I before E, except after C,
when the sound is EE

Callistemon21 Thu 22-Feb-24 18:45:25

I must save this thread 😂😂😂
And send it to DD who teaches foreign students.

CanadianGran Thu 22-Feb-24 18:40:11

Love this. It's such a complicated language!

Cossy Thu 22-Feb-24 18:25:21

Brilliant!

Greenfinch Thu 22-Feb-24 18:24:55

Pity I am no longer teaching as I would certainly have used it. My advanced foreign students used to love it when English didn’t “work”.

Germanshepherdsmum Thu 22-Feb-24 18:23:55

Wonderful!

Witzend Thu 22-Feb-24 18:20:20

Brilliant!

Grannybags Thu 22-Feb-24 18:17:43

Very good!

crazyH Thu 22-Feb-24 18:15:26

Love it 👍

Nanatoone Thu 22-Feb-24 18:08:26

I just love this

Squiffy Thu 22-Feb-24 18:07:02

Took me a minute, but got it in the end! grin