"i" Before "e" Except After "c"

Everyone remembers the "i" before "e" except after "c" rule. Except, is it always true? No, what about words like science or society? What about prescient or conscience? In grade school we are taught concrete rules that stick in our minds without learning the loop holes. Like Robert Klose said in "A Rarity: Grammar Lessons from Dad", blame must be put on someone and he simply places in on the schools. I believe he has a valid point, especially when he states that the younger teachers do not focus on the so called loop holes of grammar because they were not exposed to them either.

Grammar is misused millions or even billions of times each day. Some people consciously say "ain't" even when they know the proper way to put that thought into words is by using "isn't" or "aren't". People say "if I was you..." when the grammatically correct way to put that is "if I were you..."

Some of us were never taught the correct rules of grammar and some of us just never chose to accept them. And of course, some just slip up every now and then and say something incorrectly. Ignoring the correct grammar is the problem. Just like Klose illustrates in his essay, learning simple grammatical rules can be fun and easy if it is taught the right way. In a matter of seconds his son learned a grammatical concept and put it into practice immediately.

Accepting and learning grammar is not only about the intake of the knowledge but also about the output of that knowledge. How is the information presented? Does it seem interesting? It is very easy for someone to shut out something that is completely boring and uninteresting.

Though I have jumped around a lot in this post, my point remains: If grammar is being misused, there is generally a reason behind it. That reason may be one of many but there will be a reason. Whether it is basic ignorance or lack of opportunity to learn, correct grammar can be easily looked over.