The Art of Writing & Speaking the English Language Part 6

afraid aid braid brain complain daily dairy daisy drain dainty explain fail fain?

gain gait gaiter grain hail jail laid maid mail maim nail paid?

pail paint plain prairie praise quail rail rain raise raisin remain sail?

saint snail sprain stain straight strain tail train vain waist wait waive

ai for i or e obscure.

bargain captain certain curtain mountain

oa for o long.

board boat cloak coax coal coast coa.r.s.e?

float foam goat gloam groan hoa.r.s.e load?

loan loaf oak oar oats roast road?

roam shoal soap soar throat toad toast

ie for e long.

believe chief?

fierce grief?

niece priest?

piece thief

ei for e long.

neither receipt receive

In _sieve, ie_ has the sound of _i_ short.

In _eight, skein, neighbor, rein, reign, sleigh, vein, veil, weigh,_ and _weight, ei_ has the sound of _a_ long.

In _height, sleight,_ and a few other words _ei_ has the sound of _i_ long.

In _great, break,_ and _steak ea_ has the sound of _a_ long; in _heart_ and _hearth_ it has the sound of _a_ Italian, and in _tear_ and _bear_ it has the sound of _a_ as in _care_.

Silent Consonants etc.

although answer bouquet bridge calf calm catch castle caught chalk climb ditch dumb edge folks comb daughter debt depot forehead gnaw hatchet hedge hiccough?

hitch honest honor hustle island itch judge judgment knack knead kneel knew knife knit knuckle knock knot know knowledge lamb latch laugh limb listen?

match might muscle naughty night notch numb often palm pitcher pitch pledge ridge right rough scene scratch should sigh sketch s.n.a.t.c.h soften st.i.tch switch?

sword talk though through thought thumb tough twitch thigh walk watch whole witch would write written wrapper wring wrong wrung wrote wrestle yacht

Unusual Spellings.

The following words have irregularities peculiar to themselves.

ache any air ap.r.o.n among again aunt against biscuit build busy business bureau because carriage coffee collar color country couple cousin cover does dose?

done double diamond every especially February flourish flown fourteen forty fruit gauge glue gluey guide goes handkerchief honey heifer impatient iron juice liar lion?

liquor marriage mayor many melon minute money necessary ninety ninth nothing nuisance obey ocean once onion only other owe owner patient people pigeon prayer?

pray prepare rogue scheme scholar screw shoe shoulder soldier stomach sugar succeed precede proceed procedure suspicion they tongue touch trouble wagon were where wholly

C with the sound of s.

In the following words the sound of _s_ is represented by _c_ followed by a vowel that makes this letter soft:

city face ice juice lace necessary nuisance once pencil police policy pace race rice s.p.a.ce trace twice trice thrice nice price slice?

lice spice circus citron circ.u.mstance centre cent cellar certain circle concert concern cell dunce decide December dance disgrace exercise excellent except force?

fleece fierce furnace fence grocer grace icicle instance innocent indecent decent introduce juice justice lettuce medicine mercy niece ounce officer patience peace?

piece place princ.i.p.al principle parcel produce prejudice trace voice receipt recite cite sauce saucer sentence scarcely since silence service crevice novice

Words ending in cal and cle.

Words in _cal_ are nearly all derived from other words ending in _ic,_ as _cla.s.sical, cubical, clerical,_ etc. Words ending in _cle_ are (as far as English is concerned) original words, as _cuticle, miracle, manacle,_ etc. When in doubt, ask the question if, on dropping the _al_ or _le,_ a complete word ending in _ic_ would be left.

If such a word is left, the ending is _al,_ if not, it is probably _le_.

Er and re.

Webster spells _theater, center, meter,_ etc., with the termination _er,_ but most English writers prefer _re. Meter_ is more used to denote a device for measuring (as a "gas meter"), _meter_ as the French unit of length (in the "Metric system"). In words like _acre_ even Webster retains _re_ because _er_ would make the _c_ (or _g_) soft.

Words ending in er, ar, or.

First, let it be said that in most words these three syllables (_er, ar, or_), are p.r.o.nounced very nearly if not exactly alike (except a few legal terms in or, like _mort'gageor_), and we should not try to give an essentially different sound to _ar_ or _or_* from that we give to _er_. The ending _er_ is the regular one, and those words ending in _ar_ or _or_ are very few in number. They const.i.tute the exceptions.

*While making no especial difference in the vocalization of these syllables, careful speakers dwell on them a trifle longer than they do on _er_.

Common words ending in _ar_ with the sound of _er_:

liar collar beggar burglar solar cedar jugular scholar?

calendar secular dollar grammar tabular poplar pillar sugar?

jocular globular mortar lunar vulgar popular insular Templar?

ocular muscular nectar similar tubular altar (for wors.h.i.+p) singular

In some words we have the same syllable with the same sound in the next to the last syllable, as in _solitary, preliminary, ordinary, temporary_ etc. The syllable _ard_ with the sound of _erd_ is also found, as in _standard, wizard, mustard, mallard,_ etc.

Common words ending in _or_ with the sound of _er_:

honor valor mayor sculptor prior ardor clamor labor tutor warrior razor flavor auditor juror favor tumor editor vigor actor author conductor savior visitor elevator parlor ancestor captor creditor victor?

error proprietor arbor chancellor debtor doctor instructor successor rigor senator suitor traitor donor inventor odor conqueror senior tenor tremor bachelor junior oppressor possessor liquor surveyor vapor governor languor professor?

spectator compet.i.tor candor harbor meteor orator rumor splendor elector executor factor generator impostor innovator investor legislator narrator navigator numerator operator originator perpetrator personator predecessor protector prosecutor projector reflector regulator?

sailor senator separator solicitor supervisor survivor tormentor testator transgressor translator divisor director dictator denominator creator counsellor councillor administrator aggressor agitator arbitrator a.s.sessor benefactor collector compositor conspirator constructor contributor tailor

The _o_ and _a_ in such words as the above are retained in the English spelling because they were found in the Latin roots from which the words were derived. Some, though not all, of the above words in or are usually spelled in England with our, as _splendour, saviour,_ etc., and many books printed in this country for circulation in England retain this spelling. See {the end of the a}p{pendix}?.

Words ending in able and ible.

Another cla.s.s of words in which we are often confused is those which end in _able_ or _ible_. The great majority end in _able,_ but a few derived from Latin words in _ibilis_ retain the _i_. A brief list of common words ending in _ible_ is subjoined:

compatible compressible convertible forcible enforcible gullible horrible sensible terrible possible visible?