I Before E, Except After C

Rule Your Vowel Movements

President Andrew Jackson stated, “It’s a dam pur mind that can only think of one way to spell a word.”

Well, he sure had no trouble, eh? What’s with this pur stuff? In this chapter, I’ll share some spelling rules that can help you learn how to spell the words you need only one way—the correct way.

For instance, in chapter 4 you learned:

I before e
Except after c
Or when sounded as a
As in neighbor and weigh

A good rule, that, but you also learned that a handful of words don’t follow the rule. Since this is English spelling we’re talking about, each rule does have some exceptions. And more exceptions. Nonetheless, having a starting place—a rule—does help you deal with a whole heap o’ tricky spelling words.

Rule #1: Every Word Contains at Least One Vowel

Recall that the vowels are a, e, i, o, and u. The letter y is a pinch hitter, serving as both a vowel and a consonant. For example, it’s a consonant in the word yesterday and a vowel in the word shy. Some languages form words without vowels—but English isn’t one of them. Use this rule to help you remember how English words are constructed as you spell them.

And don’t send me e-mail about abbreviations such as km. That’s an abbreviation, not a word. And the word psst—now you’re really reaching.

Rule #2: Every Syllable Contains One Vowel or Vowel Sound

As you learned earlier, a syllable is the smallest unit of a word. We have one-syllable words such as at, are, and smack and multisyllable words such as pogrom (two syllables: po/grom), parallel (three syllables: par/a/lel), peninsula (four syllables: pen/in/su/la), and so on. Use this rule to help you as you sound out words that are difficult to spell.

Rule #3: q Is Always Followed by a u

Nice rule because it has almost no exceptions. Here are some words that follow this rule:

iniquity
quaff
quality
quart
quantum physics
qualms
quantity
quake

quadrille
qualified
quarry
question
quibble
quickly
quadrant
quark
queen
quetzal
quiescence
quote
quaint
quartz
query
quell
quietude
quotable
quarantine
quail
queue
quench
quick
quota

Here are two exceptions: Qiana and qwerty.

Rule #4: If the Root Is a Complete Word, Add -able, and If the Root Isn’t a Complete Word, Add -ible

Acceptable or acceptible?

Incredable or incredible?

Desirable or desirible?

You learned the rule, so read the examples.

However, there are many exceptions. Here’s a bunch:

accessible
contemptible
discernible
collapsible
convertible
forcible
reversible
combustible
defensible
reducible
sensible
comprehensible
digestible
responsible

As you noticed, if the root is a complete word ending in -e, drop the final -e and add the suffix.

Complete each word with -able or -ible. (Naturally, try to get the one that’s correct.)

6. laugh________________

10. inexhaust

12. incorrig

13. irrepress

Answers: 1. acceptable; 2. incorruptible; 3. comfortable; 4. visible; 5. desirable; 6. laughable; 7. possible; 8. fashionable; 9. excusable; 10. inexhaustible; 11. invincible; 12. incorrigible; 13. irrepressible; 14. valuable; 15. ostensible; 16. plausible; 17. compatible; 18. dependable; 19. gullible; 20. flexible.

Rule #5: -cede Is More Common Than -ceed

It’s easy to remember how to spell the seed sound when the word refers to plant seeds. In that case, it’s always spelled s-e-e-d as in birdseed, cottonseed, flaxseed, linseed, poppy-seed, pumpkinseed, and so on. But what about the other seed sounds: ceed, cede, and sede?

When in doubt, choose cede. That’s because only three English words end in ceed: succeed, proceed, and exceed. All the rest are spelled with cede. For instance:

accede
intercede
cede
precede
concede
recede
antecede
secede

And don’t worry about sede: there’s only one English verb that ends in sede: supersede.

Rule #6: The Ending -cian Always Refers to a Person, but -tion and -sion Are Never Used for People

The syllable at the end of musician and condition sound identical, but not so fast—cian always means a person, but -tion or -sion are never used for people. For instance:

Words That End in -cian	Words That End in -tion	Words That End in -sion
beautician	attention	compassion
electrician	attraction	concussion
magician	concentration	depression
mathematician	cooperation	discussion
obstetrician	corporation	expression
optician	detection	obsession
pediatrician	detention	oppression
physician	intention	possession
statistician	integration	recession
technician	seduction	succession

In general, if the root word ends in /t/, use -tion, as in complete, completion. If the root word ends in /s/ or /d/, use -sion as in extend, extension. Naturally, there are exceptions, such as permit/permission, submit/submission, omit/omission, and commit/commission.

Suspicion and ocean don’t fit any part of this rule. You’re surprised there are exceptions?

Is it -el or -le? There’s no rule, but -le is more common than -el. On the -le side we get axle, battle, bottle, tackle, tickle, single, double, and triple. On the -el side we get angel, bushel, and parcel. Words that end in -il are rare. Civil comes to mind.

Humorous Headlines

Circle the correct word in each set of parentheses in these ten actual advertisements:

1. For Sale by Owner: Complete set of Encyclopedia Britannica. 45 volumes. Excellent condition. $1,000.00 or best offer. Very (valuable, valuible) but no longer needed. Got married last weekend. Wife knows everything.

2. Exercise (equipment, eqipment): queen-size mattress and box spring—$175.

3. Tired of working for only $9.75 per hour? We offer profit sharing and (flexible, flexable) hours. Starting pay: $7–$9 per hour.

4. Nice parachute. Never opened. High (quality, qality). Used once. Slightly stained.

5. (Attention, Attension): to person or persons who took the large pumpkin on Highway 87 near Harvey’s Halloween (Attraction, Attracian). Please return the pumpkin and be checked. Pumpkin may be radioactive. All other plants in vicinity are dead.

6. (Incredible, Incredable) offer: Tickle Me Elmo, still in box, comes with its own 1988 Mustang, 51, auto, excellent condition $6,800.

7. (Desirable, Desirible) German shepherd. 85 lbs. Neutered. Speaks German. Free.

8. (Fashionable, Fashionible) ’83 Toyota hunchback—$2,000.

9. Star Wars’s Job of the Hut—$15. (Quick, Qick) sale.

10. For sale by (statistician, statisticion). American flag. Sixty stars. Pole included. $100.

C says /s/ before an e, i, or y, as in celebrate, celestial, cemetery, city, and cycle. It says /k/ before everything else, as in calendar, calisthenics, and callous.

Answers: 1. valuable; 2. equipment; 3. flexible; 4. quality; 5. Attention, Attraction; 6. Incredible; 7. Desirable; 8. Fashionable; 9. Quick; 10. statistician.

Always capitalize proper nouns, words that name a specific person, place, thing, or idea.

Rule #7: Use -ist to Show “Someone Who Does Something” and Use -est for Superlative Adjectives

Words that end in -ist and -est sound alike, but don’t be fooled. Here are some examples:

Words That End in -ist	Words That End in -est
dentist	finest
artist	sweetest
machinist	shortest

Rule #8: Words That End in -ary Are More Common Than Words That End in -ery

There’s no rule here, but only six common words end in -ery rather than -ary. They are as follows:

cemetery
millinery
confectionery
monastery
distillery
stationery

Complete the following crossword puzzle to practice spelling the words in this chapter. This puzzle uses ten words. Choose from the following twelve words:

iniquity
sensible
physician
monastery
mathematician
concussion
queue
laughable
corporation
legible
concede
cemetery

ACROSS		DOWN
5	line	1	burial ground
8	company or a business	2	humorous
9	logical	3	easily read
10	wickedness, sin	4	medical doctor
		6	head injury
		7	give in

Cut to the Chase

Every word contains at least one vowel. Every syllable contains one vowel or vowel sound. Q is always followed by a u. If the root is a complete word, add -able. If the root isn’t a complete word, add -ible. Words with cede are more common than words with ceed. The ending -cian always refers to a person; -tion and -sion are never used for people. Use -ist to show “someone who does something.” Use -est for superlative adjectives. Always floss.