i before e except after c - an English spelling rule

51,569 views ・ 2018-06-15

Simple English Videos


Please double-click on the English subtitles below to play the video.

00:00
Let’s face it.
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English spelling is crazy.
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The way we write words is often nothing like they sound.
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But maybe there are some rules we follow.
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We’ve collaborated on this video with our good friend Clare from English at Home.
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Clare is British like me, and she has a YouTube channel too.
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Make sure you subscribe to her channel so you can see all her great lessons.
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Yeah.
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In this lesson we’re going to take you to a spelling competition.
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Or a spelling bee as we call them in American English.
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While you watch, try to work out what spelling rule we’re following.
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00:52
Good evening ladies and gentlemen and welcome to the Tiddly on Thames spelling competition.
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00:59
Let’s meet our two finalists: Jay and Vicki.
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01:08
OK.
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The first word is for Vicki.
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01:14
Chief.
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01:15
For example, global warming is one of the chief problems we face today.
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01:20
Chief.
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CHIEF.
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Correct.
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01:27
Now Jay, your word is believe.
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01:31
For example: I don’t believe in ghosts.
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01:34
Don’t you?
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01:36
I do.
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01:38
Please spell the word, Jay.
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01:41
BELIEVE.
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01:45
Correct.
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01:47
Vicki, your next word is brief.
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For example, there was a brief pause in the conversation.
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01:56
BRIEF.
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02:00
Excellent.
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02:01
OK, Jay your next word is receive.
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For example: They posted the letter but we didn’t receive it.
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So they mailed it but we didn’t get it?
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02:15
Just spell the word ‘receive’, please Jay.
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02:20
RECEIVE.
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Correct.
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Do you know the spelling rule?
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It’s i before e except after c.
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02:33
So if you’ve got an i and an e together, the i comes first.
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Chief, believe and brief follow this pattern and so do lots more words:
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achieve, niece, diesel, hygiene, piece, thief. But if you have an i and an e after c, the
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e comes first.
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So receive follows this pattern and there are others.
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03:09
Deceive, deceit, receipt, ceiling, conceive.
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So this is the rule, but do we always follow it?
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03:23
Let’s go back to the competition and see.
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03:26
OK, Jay, your next word is leisure.
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For example, when people work shorter hours, they have more leisure time.
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03:39
Oh, you mean leisure.
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03:42
I mean leisure.
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03:44
Please spell the word.
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03:48
LEISURE.
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Correct.
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03:54
Vicki, your next word is foreign: For example: Jay is American.
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04:00
He isn't British.
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04:01
He's foreign.
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Oh yeah, foreign.
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FOREIGN.
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Correct.
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The score is three points to Vicki and three points to Jay.
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04:18
This is the final round.
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04:20
Jay, your word is scientist.
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For example, the British scientist Charles Babbage invented the computer.
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I thought it was invented by American scientists.
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Just spell the word please.
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04:40
SCIENTIST.
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04:46
Correct.
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Vicki, please spell the word efficient.
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04:52
For example, the British National Health Service is very efficient.
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04:58
Is it?
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Yes, it’s excellent.
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05:03
EFFICIENT.
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05:09
Correct.
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05:13
OK, so there we saw some examples where the rule doesn’t work.
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The i didn’t come before the e.
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And there are more words where the rule doesn’t work.
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Some are common words, like their, and the number eight.
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And there are some measurement words - weigh, weight and height.
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And then there’s weird.
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Weird means strange or peculiar.
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Perhaps you can remember how to spell it because the spelling of weird is weird.
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05:52
And we don’t always follow the other part rule – the except after c.
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So after c it should be e then i, but look at the words science and efficient.
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06:07
It's i then e.
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06:11
We also have words like ancient, glacier and conscience.
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So is it worth learning this rule if we break it?
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Before you answer we want to show you something.
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Here are more some words that follow the rule.
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Notice their pronunciation.
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They all have an eee sound.
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Beleeeve, cheeeef, acheeeve, eee.
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And here are some words with a c.
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They all follow the rule too!
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Again there’s an eee sound.
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Receeeive.
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Ceeeiling, deceeeive, So if we change the rule a little, it works.
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07:01
We just have to add a bit that says, ‘if the word has an eee sound.”
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07:08
Lets go back to the competition and see who wins.
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Our competitors are tied, so we will now go to a sudden death round.
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You will both spell the same word.
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But if one person makes a mistake, the other person will win.
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07:29
Vicki, please put your headphones on so you can’t hear Jay’s answer.
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07:36
Jay, the word is neighbour.
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For example, our neighbour complained about the noise from the party.
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07:46
Neighbour.
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NEIGHBOR.
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07:53
Thank you Jay.
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Vicki, please take off your head phones and spell the word neighbour.
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08:01
NEIGHBOUR That is the correct answer.
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08:10
Congratulations Vicki!
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08:12
Jay, I’m afraid you spelt it wrongly.
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08:16
But... but my answer was right.
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08:19
That’s how we spell it in American English.
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08:22
American spelling is weird.
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08:25
Hard luck Jay and well done Vicki.
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08:36
And that’s it for this week.
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08:38
Make sure you subscribe to our channel to see more of our videos.
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08:43
And be sure to subscribe to Clare’s channel, English at Home, too.
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08:49
See you next Friday everyone!
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08:51
Bye-bye.
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