Post by Fenris on Aug 7, 2007 12:28:55 GMT -5
Something you should remember from school:
I before E except after C:
Works for the majority of words, such as:
# achieve, believe, bier, brief, hygiene, grief, thief, friend, grieve, chief, fiend, patience, pierce, priest
# ceiling, conceive, deceive, perceive, receipt, receive, deceit, conceit
But then things get complicated: it doesn't work with words pronounced "ay" as in neighbour, freight, beige, sleigh, weight, vein, and weigh
and there are many exceptions to the rule: either, neither, feint, foreign, forfeit, height, leisure, weird, seize, and seizure.
Still, the rule is relatively simple and worth remembering.
When adding an ending to a word that ends with a silent e, drop the final e if the ending begins with a vowel:
* advancing
* surprising
However, if the ending begins with a consonant, keep the final e:
* advancement
* likeness
When adding an ending to a word that ends with Y, change the Y to I when it is preceded by a consonant.
* supply becomes supplies
* worry becomes worried
* merry becomes merrier
This does not apply to the ending -ing, however.
* crying
* studying
Nor does it apply when the final Y is preceded by a vowel.
* obeyed
* saying
Your/You're
Use "Your" if you are talking about possessive, something belonging to that person, such as 'your bag' 'your hair'.
Use "You're" if the words 'you are' fit into what you are trying to say and make sense. Such as 'you're crazy (you are crazy)', you're late (you are late)'
I before E except after C:
Works for the majority of words, such as:
# achieve, believe, bier, brief, hygiene, grief, thief, friend, grieve, chief, fiend, patience, pierce, priest
# ceiling, conceive, deceive, perceive, receipt, receive, deceit, conceit
But then things get complicated: it doesn't work with words pronounced "ay" as in neighbour, freight, beige, sleigh, weight, vein, and weigh
and there are many exceptions to the rule: either, neither, feint, foreign, forfeit, height, leisure, weird, seize, and seizure.
Still, the rule is relatively simple and worth remembering.
When adding an ending to a word that ends with a silent e, drop the final e if the ending begins with a vowel:
* advancing
* surprising
However, if the ending begins with a consonant, keep the final e:
* advancement
* likeness
When adding an ending to a word that ends with Y, change the Y to I when it is preceded by a consonant.
* supply becomes supplies
* worry becomes worried
* merry becomes merrier
This does not apply to the ending -ing, however.
* crying
* studying
Nor does it apply when the final Y is preceded by a vowel.
* obeyed
* saying
Your/You're
Use "Your" if you are talking about possessive, something belonging to that person, such as 'your bag' 'your hair'.
Use "You're" if the words 'you are' fit into what you are trying to say and make sense. Such as 'you're crazy (you are crazy)', you're late (you are late)'