THE EARLY BIRD CATCHES THE WORM. 1538. Instead of "Your obedient, *umble servant," say " Your obedient," or, "Your humble servant." 1539. Instead of saying "The effort you are making for meeting the bill," say "The effort you are making to meet the bill." 1540. Instead of saying "It shall be submitted to investigation and inquiry," say "It shall be submitted to investigation," or "to inquiry." 1541. Dispense with the phrase "Conceal from themselves the fact." It suggests a gross anomaly. 1542. Never say "Pure and unadulterated," because the phrase embodies a repetition. 1543. Instead of saying "Adequate for," say "Adequate to.' 1544. Instead of saying, "A surplus over and above," say "A surplus." 1545. Instead of saying "A lasting und permanent pesce,' say "A permanent peace." 1546. Instead of saying "I left you behind at New York," say "I left you behind me at New York." 1547. Instead of saying" Has been followed by immediate dismissal," say 66 "Was followed by immediate dismissal." 1548. Instead of saying "Charlotte was met with Thomas," say "Charlotte was met by Thomas." But if Charlotte and Thomas were walking together, "Charlotte and Thomas were met by," &c. 193 seat and gardens," say "A beautiful seat and its gardens." 1545. Instead of "By this means, say" By these means." 1555. Instead of "All that was want ing," say "All that was wanted." 1556. Instead of saying I had not the pleasure of hearing his sentiments when I wrote that letter," say "I had not the pleasure of having heard," &c. 1557. Instead of "The quality of the apples were good," say "The quality of the apples was good." 1558. Instead of "The want of learning, courage, and energy are more visi ble," say "is more visible." 1559. Instead of "We are convers ant about it," say "We are conversant with it." "We called at William," say "We called on William." 1560. Instead of 1561. Instead of " We die for want," say "We die of want." 1562. Instead of " He died by fever," say "He died of fever." 1563. Instead of "I enjoy bad health," say "My health is not good." 1564. Instead of "Either of the three," say "Any one of the three." 1565. Instead of "Better nor that," say "Better than that." 1566. Instead of "We often think 66 on you," say We often think of you." 1567. Instead of "Though he came, I did not seen him," say " Though he came, yet I did not see him.” 1568. Instead of " Mine is so good as yours,' say "Mine is as good a yours." 1569. Instead of "He was remark able handsome," say "He was remark ably handsome." 1570. Instead of "Smoke ascend up the chimney," say "Smoke ascend the chimney." 1571. Instead of "You will some day be convinced," say "You will one day be convinced." 1572. Instead of saying "Because I don't choose to," say " Because I would rather not." 194 A GOOD WORD IS AS SOON SAID AS AN ILL ONE. 1573. Instead of "Because why?" say "Why?" 1574. Instead of " That there boy," say "That boy.' 1592. Instead of "She said, say she," say" She said." 1593. Avoid such phrases as "I said, says I," "Thinks I to myself 1575. Instead of "Direct your let-thinks I," &c. ter to me,' say "Address your letter to me." 1576. Instead of "The horse is not much worth," say "The horse is not worth much." 1577. Instead of "The subject-matter of debate," say "The subject of de bate." 1594. Instead of "I don't think so," say "I think not." 1595. Instead of "He was in eminent danger," say "He was in imminent danger." 1596. Instead of "The weather is hot," say "The weather is very warm. 1582. Instead of "The mortgager paid him the money," say "The mort- IN VAIN. gagee paid him the money." The martgagee lends; the mortgager bor 1586. Instead of "There's fifty," say" There are fifty." 1587. Instead of "The best of the two," say "The better of the two." 1588. Instead of "My clothes have become too small for me," say "I have grown too stout for my clothes." 1589. Instead of "Is Mr. Smith in?" say "Is Mr. Smith within ?" 1590. Instead of "Two spoonsful of physic," say "Two spoonfuls of physic." 1591. Instead of "He need not do it" say "He needs not do it." 1602. PRONUNCIATION.- Accent is a particular stress or force of the voice upon certain syllables or words. This mark in printing de notes the syllable upon which the stress or force of the voice should be placed. 1603. A WORD may have more than one accent. Take as an instance as pira'tion. In uttering this word we give a marked emphasis of the voice upon the first and third syllables, and therefore those syllables are said to be accented. The first of these accents is less distinguishable than the second, upon which we dwell longer, therefore the second accent is called the primary, or chief accent of the word. 1604. WHEN the full accent falls on a vowel, that vowel should have a long sound, as in vo'cal; but when it falls on a consonant, the preceding vowel has a short sound, as in habit. 1605. To obtain a good knowledge of pronunciation, it is advisable for the reader to listen to the examples given ONE STORY IS GOOD UNTIL ANOTHER IS TOLD. by good speakers, and by educated persons. We learn the pronunciation of words, to a great extent, by imitation, just as birds acquire the notes of other birds which may be near them. 1606. BUT it will be very important to bear in mind that there are many words having a double meaning or application, and that the difference of meaning is indicated by the difference of the accent. Among these words, nouns are distinguished from verbs by this means: Nouns are accented on the first syllable, and verbs on the last. 1607. Noun signifies name; nouns are the names of persons and things; as well as of things not material and palpable, but of which we have a conception and knowledge, such as courage, firmness, goodness, strength; and verbs express actions, movements, &c. If the word used signifies that anything has been done, or is being done, or is, or is to be done,-then that word is a verb. 1608. THUS, when we say that anything is an in'sult," that word is a noun, and is accented on the first syllable; but when we say " he did it to insult' another person," the word insult implies acting, and becomes a verb, and should be accented on the last syllable. The effect is, that, in speaking, you should employ a different pronunciation in the use of the same word, when uttering such sentences as these :--"What an in'sult!" "Do you mean to insult' me?" In the first instance you would lay the stress of voice upon the in', and in the latter case upon the sult'. 1609. WE will now give a list of nearly all the words that are liable to this variation: To absent' Per'fume To perfume To permit To prefix' To premise' To presage' At'tribute To attribute' Pre'sent To present' To produce Bom'bard To bombard' Proj'ect To project' To abject' To object' 195 ONE IS NOT SO SOON HEALED AS HURT. 125 Tra'ject To traject' 1610. CEMENT' is an exception to the above rule, and should always be accented on the last syllable. So also the word consols'. 1611. As a general principle, it may be observed that the syllables of a word are those divisions which are made in a correct pronunciation of it. 1612. THE following are, perhaps, the only definite rules that can be given on this subject. 1613. Two consonants forming but ɔne sound, as ng, ch, th, sh, ph, wh, are never separated. Thus, we write church-es, worthy, feath-er, ring-ing, awhile, ocean, cian, ceous, cious, cial, tian, tion, tious, tial, geon, gion, geous, gious, sion and sier are seldom divided. Thus, we write, na-tion, o-cean, capa-cious, pigeon, cap-tious. 1614. COMPOUND words are commonly separated into the simple words, of which they are composed; as, careless, bee-hive, rail road. 1615. THE termination ed, though not always pronounced separately, is regarded in writing as a distinct syllable; as lov-ed, burn-ed. 1616. DERIVATIVE and grammatical terminations should generally be separated from the radical word; as, greatly, teach-er, rush-est, prov-est. 1617. RULES OF PRONUNCIATION. sire, robe lyre, abute, recede, invite, remote, intrude. 1620. E final indicates that e preced ding has the sound of s. as in lace lance; and that g preceding has the sound of j, as in charge, page, chal lenge. 1621. E final in proper English words, never forms a syllable, and in most used words, in the terminating un accented syllable, it is silent. Thus, mo tive, genuine, examine, juvenile, reptile, granite, are pronounced motiv, genuin, examin, juvenil, reptil, granit. 1622. E final in a few words of foreign origin, forms a syllable, as syncope, simile. 1623. E final is silent after in the following terminations, ble, cle, dle, fle, gle, kle, ple, tle, zle; as in able, manacle, cradle, ruffle, mangle, wrinkle, supple, rattle, puzzle, which are pronounced a'bl, man'acl, cra'dl, ruffl, man'gl. wrinkl, sup'pl, pus'zl. 1624. É is usually silent in the termination en, as in token, broken; pronounced tokn, brokn. 1625. OUS in the termination of adjectives and their derivatives is pronounced us, as in gracious, pious, pompously. 1626. CE, CI, TI, before a vowel have the sound of sh; as in cetaceous, gracious, motion, partial, ingratiate pronounced cetashus, grashus, moshon, parshal, ingrashiate. 1627. TI, after a consonant, have the sound of ch, as in Christian, bastion; pronounced Chrischan, baschan. 1628. SI, after an accented vowel, are pronour.ced like zh, as in Ephesian, con fusion; pronounced Ephezian, confu zhan. 1629. When CI or TI precede simi lar combinations, as in pronunciation, negotiation, they may be pronounced 1618. C before a, o, and u, and in ce, instead of she, to prevent a repetition some other situations, is a close articu- of the latter syllable; as pronuncea. lation, like k. Before e i and y c is pre-hon, instead of pronunsheashon. cisely equivalent to sin same, this, as in cedar, civil, cypress, capacity. 1630. GH, both in the middle and at the end of words are silent; as in 1619 E final indicates that the pre-caught, bought, fright, nigh sigh; caut ceding vowel is long as in hate, mete, baut frite, ni, si. In the following excep NEVER QUIT CERTAINTY FOR HOPE. ti ns, however, GH are pronounced as F-cough, chough, clough, enough, laugh, rough, slough, tough, trough. 1631. When WH begin a word, the aspirate h precedes w in pronunciation; as in what, whiff, whale; pronounced hwat, hwiff, hwale, w having precisely the sound of oo: French ou. In the cllowing words w is silent-who hom, whose, whoop, whole. 1632. H after r has no sound or use; as in rheum rhyme; pronounced reum, ryme. 1633. H should be sounded in the middle of words; as in forehead, abhor, behold, exhaust, inhabit, unhorse. 1634. H should always be sounded except in the following words;-heir, herb, honest, honour, hospital, hostler, hour, humour, and humble, and all their derivatives;-(See 279)-such as humorously, derived from humour. 1635. K and g are silent before n; as know, gnaw; pronounced no, naw. 1636. W before r is silent; as in wring, wreath; pronounced ring, reath. 1637. B after m is silent; as in dumb, numb; pronounced dum, num. 1638. L before k is silent; as in buulk, walk, talk; pronounced bauk, wauk, tauk. (See 1663.) 1639. PH have the sound of f; as in philosophy; pronounced filosophy. 1640. NG has two sounds; one as in singer-the other as in fin-ger. 1641. N after m, and closing a syllable, is silent, as in hymn, condemn. 1642. P before s and t is mute, as in psalm, pseudo, ptarmigan; pronounced sam, sudo, tarmigan. 1643. R has two sounds, one strong and vibrating, as at the beginning of words and syllables, such as robber, reckon, error; the other as at the terminations of words, or when it is succeeded by a consonant, as farmer, morn. 1644. Before the letter R there is a slight sound of e between the vowel and the consonant. Thus, bare, parent, apparent, mere, mire, more, pure, pyre, are pronounced nearly baer, paerent, appaerent, me-er, mier moer, puer, pyer. This pronunciation proceeds from the 197 peculiar articulation of r, and it occa sions a slight change of the sound of a, which can only be learned by the ear. 1645. There are other rules of pro. nunciation affecting the combinations of vowels, &c.; but as they are more difficult to describe, and as they do not relate to errors which are com monly prevalent, we shall content our selves with giving examples of them in the following list of words: 1646. WORDS WITH THEIR PRONUN CIATIONS. Again, a-gen, not as spelled. Arch, artch in compounds of our own Asparagus, not asparagrass. Because, be-cawz not be-cos. Beloved, as a verb, be-luvd, as an ad- By and my, in conversation, b'e, m'e Charlatan, sharlatan. |