Gransnet forums

Pedants' corner

Apropos of an earlier comment

(27 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

NotSpaghetti Thu 22-Feb-24 17:32:07

My husband enjoyed this one too! grin

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

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

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

I just love this

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

Love it 👍

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

Very good!

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

Brilliant!

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

Wonderful!

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”.

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

Brilliant!

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

Love this. It's such a complicated language!

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

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

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

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)

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.

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!

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.

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.”

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

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

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!!

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

sodapop

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

😂

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.

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.

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

👍
I haven't heard that word in years!