English Grammar in Familiar Lectures Part 5

S.--_S_ has a flat sound like _z_; as in _besom, nasal_; and, at the beginning of words, a sharp, hissing sound; as in _saint, sister, sample_. It has the sound of _sh_ when preceded by the accent and another s or a liquid, and followed by a diphthong or long _u_; as in _expulsion, censure_. _S_ sounds like _zh_ when preceded by the accent and a vowel, and followed by a diphthong or long _u_ as in _brasier, usual_. It is mute in _isle, corps, demesne, viscount_.

T.--_T_ is sounded in _take, temper_. _T_ before _u_, when the accent precedes, and generally before _eou_, sounds like _tsh_; as, _nature, virtue, righteous_, are p.r.o.nounced _natshure, virtshue, richeus_. _Ti_ before a vowel, preceded by the accent, has the sound of _sh_; as in _salvation, negotiation_; except in such words as _tierce, tiara_, &c.

and unless an _s_ goes before; as, _question_; and excepting also derivatives from words ending in _ty_; as in _mighty, mightier_.

_Th_, at the beginning, _middle_, and end of words, is sharp; as in _thick, panther, breath_. Exceptions; _then, booth, worthy_, &c.

U.--_U_ has three sounds; a long; as in _mule, cubic_; a short; as in _dull, custard_; and an obtuse sound; as in _full, bushel_. It is p.r.o.nounced like short _e_ in _bury_; and like short _i_ in _busy, business_.

V.--_V_ has uniformly the sound of flat _f_; as in _vanity, love_.

W.--_W_, when a consonant, has its sound, which is heard in _wo, beware_. _W_ is silent before _r_; as in _wry, wrap, wrinkle_; and also in _answer, sword_, &c. Before _h_ it is p.r.o.nounced as if written after the _h_; as in _why, when, what_;--_hwy, hwen, hwat_. When heard as a vowel, it takes the sound of _u_; as in _draw, crew, now_.

X.--_X_ has a sharp sound, like _ks_, when it ends a syllable with the accent on it; as, _exit, exercise_; or when it precedes an accented syllable which begins with any consonant except _h_; as, _excuse, extent_; but when the following accented syllable begins with a vowel or _h_, it has, generally, a flat sound, like _gz_; as in _exert, exhort_.

_X_ has the sound of _Z_ at the beginning of proper names of Greek original; as in _Xanthus, Xenophon, Xerxes_.

Y.--_Y_, when a consonant, has its proper sound; as in _youth, York, yes, new-year_. When _y_ is employed as a vowel, it has exactly the sound that _i_ would have in the same situation; as in _rhyme, system, party, pyramid_.

Z.--_Z_ has the sound of flat _s_; as in _freeze, brazen_.

RULES FOR SPELLING.

SPELLING is the art of expressing a word by its proper letters.

The following rules are deemed important in practice, although they a.s.sist us in spelling only a small portion of the words of our language.

This useful art is to be chiefly acquired by studying the spelling-book and dictionary, and by strict attention in reading.

RULE I. Monosyllables ending in _f, l_, or _s_, double the final or ending consonant when it is preceded by a _single_ vowel; as _staff, mill, pa.s.s_. Exceptions; _of, if, is, as, lids, was, yes, his, this, us_, and _thus_.

_False Orthography for the learner to correct_.--Be thou like the gale that moves the gras, to those who ask thy aid.--The aged hero comes forth on his staf; his gray hair glitters in the beam.--Shal mortal man be more just than G.o.d?--Few know the value of health til they lose it.--Our manners should be neither gros, nor excessively refined.

And that is not the lark, whose notes do beat The vaulty heaven so high above our heads: I have more care to stay, than wil to go.

RULE II. Monosyllables ending in any consonant but _f, l_, or _s_, never double the final consonant when it is preceded by a _single_ vowel; as, _man, hat_. Exceptions; _add, ebb, b.u.t.t, egg, odd, err, inn, bunn, purr_, and _buzz_.

_False Orthography_.--None ever went sadd from Fingal.--He rejoiced over his sonn.--Clonar lies bleeding on the bedd of death.--Many a trapp is set to insnare the feet of youth.

The weary sunn has made a golden sett, And, by the bright track of his golden carr, Gives token of a goodly day to-morrow.

RULE III. Words ending in _y_, form the plural of nouns, the persons of verbs, participial nouns, past participles, comparatives, and superlatives, by changing _y_ into _i_, when the _y_ is preceded by a _consonant_; as, _spy, spies; I carry, thou carriest, he carries; carrier, carried; happy, happier, happiest_.

The present participle in _ing_, retains the _y_ that _i_ may not be doubled; as, _carry, carrying_.

But when _y_ is preceded by a _vowel_, in such instances as the above, it is not changed into _i_; as, _boy, boys; I cloy, he cloys_; except in the words _lay, pay_, and _say I_ from which are formed _laid, paid_, and _said_; and their compounds, _unpaid, unsaid_, &c.

_False Orthography_.--Our fancys should be governed by reason.--Thou wearyest thyself in vain.--He denyed himself all sinful pleasures.

Win straiing souls with modesty and love; Cast none away.

The truly good man is not dismaied by poverty.

Ere fresh morning streak the east, we must be risen to reform yonder allies green.

RULE IV. When words ending in _y_, a.s.sume an additional syllable beginning with a consonant, the _y_, if it is preceded by a consonant, is commonly changed to _i_; as, _happy, happily, happiness_.

But when _y_ is preceded by a vowel, in such instances, it is very rarely changed to _i_; as, _coy, coyless; boy, boyish; boyhood; joy, joyless, joyful_.

_False Orthography_.--His mind is uninfluenced by fancyful humors.--The vessel was heavyly laden.--When we act against conscience, we become the destroiers of our own peace.

Christiana, mayden of heroic mien!

Star of the north! of northern stars the queen!

RULE V. Monosyllables, and words accented on the last syllable, ending with a single consonant that is preceded by a single vowel, double that consonant when they a.s.sume another syllable that begins with a vowel; as, _wit, witty; thin, thinnish; to abet, an abetter_.

But if a diphthong precedes, or the accent is _not_ on the last syllable, the consonant remains single; as, _to toil, toiling; to offer, an offering; maid, maiden_.

_False Orthography_.--The business of to-day, should not be defered till to-morrow.--That law is annuled.--When we have outstriped our errors we have won the race.--By defering our repentance, we acc.u.mulate our sorrows.--The Christian Lawgiver has prohibited many things which the heathen philosophers allowed.

At summer eve, when heaven's aerial bow Spans with bright arch the glitterring hills below.-- Thus mourned the hapless man; a thunderring sound Rolled round the shudderring walls and shook the ground.

RULE VI. Words ending in double _l_, in taking _ness, less, ly_, or _ful_, after them, generally omit one _l_; as, _fulness, skilless, fully skilful_.

But words ending in any double letter but _l_, and taking _ness, less, ly_, or _ful_, after them, preserve the letter double; as, _harmlessness, carelessness, carelessly, stiffly, successful_.

_False Orthography_.--A chillness generally precedes a fever.--He is wed to dullness.

The silent stranger stood amazed to see Contempt of wealth and willful poverty.

Restlesness of mind impairs our peace.--The road to the blisful regions, is as open to the peasant as to the king.--The arrows of calumny fall harmlesly at the feet of virtue.

RULE VII. _Ness, less, ly_, or _ful_, added to words ending in silent _e_, does not cut it off; as, _paleness, guileless, closely, peaceful_; except in a few words; as, _duly, truly, awful_.

_False Orthography_.--Sedatness is becoming.

All these with ceasless praise his works behold.

Stars rush: and final ruin fiercly drives Her ploughshare o'er creation!

------Nature made a pause, An aweful pause! prophetic of her end!

RULE VIII. When words ending in silent _e_, a.s.sume the termination, _ment_, the _e_ should not be cut off; as, _abatement, chastis.e.m.e.nt_.

_Ment_, like other terminations, changes _y_ into _i_ when the _y_ is preceded by a consonant; as, _accompany, accompaniment; merry, merriment_.

_False Orthography_.--A judicious arrangment of studies facilitates improvment.--Encouragment is greatest when we least need it.

To shun allurments is not hard, To minds resolv'd, forwarn'd, and well prepared.

RULE IX. When words ending in silent _e_, a.s.sume the termination, _able_ or _ible_, the _e_ should generally be cut off; as, _blame, blamable; cure, curable; sense, sensible_. But if _c_ or _g_ soft comes before _e_ in the original word, the _e_ is preserved in words compounded with _able_; as, _peace, peaceable; change, changeable_.