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Carpal Tunnel
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Carpal Tunnel
Joined: Apr 2000
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In reply to:
A very useful rule - as in "Thier wiers were ieght feet in hieght." And this is not just slieght of hand, iether!
Because the rule is not complete; it should be I before E except after C when the sound is ee. Still doesn't work all the time, but it's much more useful that way.
Bingley
Bingley
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Carpal Tunnel
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Carpal Tunnel
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I'd never heard that variant; the one we learned was:
i before e, except after c
or when sounded as a,
as in neighbor or weigh
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Joined: Sep 2000
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Carpal Tunnel
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Carpal Tunnel
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Who said rules weren`t made to be broken. What we have to date...
i before e except after C when it sounds as ee (ceiling)
i before e except after C and when it sounds like a (neighbor,weigh)
i before e except after C and in Jewish names (Leiba Stein - pronounced LeeBaa and Stein as in skein)
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Joined: Oct 2000
Posts: 1,346
veteran
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Please tell me this is a joke!
I couldn't agree more!
I was obviously misinformed when I was told that if you make any name ending in "s" a possessive you can skip the second "s".
Using this approach James has what is James's, but this can instanteously change to James'.
And the same applies to Chris (Chris's/Chris'), Jess (Jess's/Jess'), Santos, etc.
I very much prefer that approach. And, to be honest, I'll probably stick with it in the hope it becomes accepted usage.
I'm pedantic enough about the correct use of its and it's !
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did not have...the history of England drilled into us as strongly in school as did/do those who live thereI suspect there's a difference between the "did" and the "do", Jackie. I certainly never had to learn every single English monarch ever. What possible value would there be to that? Perhaps in the days when any learning was considered A Good Thing, the attitude may have been different. The only remnant left in my schooldays was the occasional requirement to remember exact years and dates of battles and treaties and so on. I'm sure all of us have had to endure some such pointless learning by rote. 
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Pooh-Bah
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Pooh-Bah
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>the history of England
The problem is that we weren't taught any history (one year of Egyptians, Greeks, Romans; one year of life in Tudor times). I had to find it out all for myself when trying to piece together Shakespeare. I was never sure if Richard III came before or after Henry IV part 2 and why did Falstaff keep cropping up? Now I know it was all a plot and Richard III was a jolly nice chap, so I can rest in piece! I find that the rhyme is quite handy when trying to date old churches or buildings.
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Joined: Oct 2000
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veteran
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I find that the rhyme is quite handy
You mean you know it by heart, Jo? I'm impressed!
Did you teach it to yourself, though, or was it impressed upon you?
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Carpal Tunnel
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Carpal Tunnel
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Aside from the links that kept me busy popping across the globe,[EDIT - INSERT MISSING THOUGHT HERE] I did a search to see if this has come up before... for often do I spell what (I guess) is correctly spelled "their" as "thier". Searching for the incorrect version, I find that I do it often (now how's I'm gonna learn if y'alls ain't say'in nothin') and I have a partner in crime - WOW. Since I have the voice of experience on my side, I hereby refuse to ever change again (unless by mistake  ).
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Carpal Tunnel
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Carpal Tunnel
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Oh, thanks to the links posted by you all I found a nautical reference and also an answer to my question as to which direction one should pass the port at dinner :
Sides of a ship:
Port and Left both have 4 letters
Port is always passed round the table to the left
Port Wine is Red (the colour of the port side light) (Roy W Muwaw)
Now Musick noted re thier/their
I find that I do it often and I have a partner in crime - WOW.
to that I say : guilty guilty guilty Moi.
It's a problem I have struggled with forever! Ah, well, one must have one small imperfection to prove one's humanity!
(running for her life ...)
wow
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Carpal Tunnel
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Carpal Tunnel
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Just try remembering the Saxon kings and what they were "king" of. You'll find the post-Conquest kings and queens a doddle with or without memory aids after that! I gave up in the end and simply looked them up. Wasn't good for exams of course, but, hey, there are limits! "William the First, William the Second, Henry the First, STEPHEN!" (Courtesy of "The Fourth Form at St Michaels", a very old British radio show). 
The idiot also known as Capfka ...
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