So that we may conclude, wherever verbs deviate from the rule, it is seldom by chance, and generally in those words only where a superior law of accent takes place.

All dissyllables ending in y, our, ow, le, ish, c, ter, age, en, et: as, "Cránny, lábour, willow, wállow," (except "allów, avów, endów, belów, bestów) battle, bánish, cámbric, bátter, courage, fásten, quíet;" accent the former syllable.

Dissyllable nouns in er, as, “Cánker, bútter," have the accent on the former syllable.

Dissyllable verbs, terminating in a consonant and e final, as, 66 Compríse, escape;" or having a diphthong in the last syllable, as, "Appéase, revéal;" or ending in two consonants; as, "Attend ;" have the accent on the latter syllable.

Dissyllable nouns, having a diphthong in the latter syllable, have commonly their accent on the latter syllable; as, "Applause;" except some words in ain: as, "Villain, cúrtain, mountain."

Dissyllables that have two vowels, which are separated in the pronunciation, have always the accent on the first syllable: as, " Líon, ríot, quíet, líar, rúin ;" except "creáte."

ACCENT ON TRISYLLABLES.

Trisyllables formed by adding a termination, or prefixing a syllable, retain the accent of the radical word: as, 66 Lóveliness, ténderness, contémner, wágoner, bespátter, cómmenting, comménding, assú

rance."

Trisyllables ending in ous, al, ion : as, " A'rduous, cápital, méntion," accent the first.

Trisyllables ending in ce, ent, and ate, accent the first syllable: as, "Countenance, cóntinence, ármament, ímminent, élegant, própagate;" unless they are derived from words having the accent on the

last, as,

66

Connívance, acquaintance;" and unless the middle syllable has a vowel before two consonants; as, 66 Promulgate."

Trisyllables ending in y, as, "E'ntity, spécify, líberty, víctory, súbsidy," commonly accent the first syllable.

Trisyllables in re or le, accent the first syllable: as, "Légible, théatre;" except "Discíple," and some words which have a preposition, as, " Example, indénture."

Trisyllables ending in ude commonly accent the first syllable: as, "Plénitude, hábitude, réctitude." Trisyllables ending in ator have the accent on the middle syllable: as, "Spectátor, creátor;" except "O'rator, sénator, bárrator, légator."

Trisyllables which have in the middle syllable a diphthong, as, "Endeavour;" or a vowel before two consonants; as, "Doméstic;" accent the middle syllable.

66

Trisyllables that have their accent on the last syllable, are commonly French: as, Acquiésce, repartée, magazíne ;" or they are words formed by prefixing one or two syllables to a long syllable; as, "Immatúre, overcharge."

ACCENT ON POLYSYLLABLES.

Polysyllables, or words of more than three syllables, generally follow the accent of the words from which they are derived: as, A'rrogating, cóntinency, incóntinently, commendable, communicable

ness.'

Words ending in ator have the accent generally on the penultimate, or last syllable but one: as, "Emendátor, gladiátor, equivocátor, prevaricátor."

Words ending in le commonly have the accent on the first syllable: as, "A'micable, déspicable;" un

less the second syllable has a vowel before two consonants, as, "Combustible, condemnable."

Words ending in ion, ous, and ty, have their accent on the last syllable but two: as, "Salvation, victórious, activity."

Words which end in ia, io, and cal, have the accent on the last syllable but one: as, "Cyclopæ'dia, punctílio, despótical."

These rules on accent are not advanced as complete, but proposed as useful.

EMPHASIS.

Rule 6.- In every sentence distinguish the more significant words, by a natural and forcible emphasis.

Emphasis is a peculiar utterance of words that are especially significant, and is effected, either by increasing the quantity of the voice, or by changing its pitch, or by prolonging the time of utterance.

There are in every sentence certain words which have a greater share in conveying the speaker's meaning than the rest; and are on this account distinguished by the forcible manner in which they are uttered. This stress or emphasis serves to unite words and form them into sentences. By giving the several parts of a sentence their proper utterance, it discovers their mutual dependence, and conveys their full import to the mind of the hearer.

Every one who clearly comprehends what he says in private discourse, never fails to lay the emphasis on the right word: when, therefore, he is about to read or repeat the words of others or his own in public, let him only reflect on the place where he would lay the emphasis; supposing those words had proceeded from the immediate sentiment of his own mind in private discourse.

Every one, also, should content himself with the use of those tones only that he is habituated to in speech; and give none other to emphasis but what he would do to the same words in discourse. Thus, whatever he utters, will be done with ease, and appear natural; whereas, if he endeavour at any tones to which he is not accustomed, either from fancy or imitation of others, it will be done with difficulty, and carry with it evident marks of affectation and

art.

The most common faults respecting emphasis, are, that of laying so strong an emphasis upon one word, as to leave no power of giving a particular force to other words which, though not equally, are, in a certain degree, emphatical: and that of placing the greatest stress on conjunctive particles, and other words of secondary importance.

As accent dignifies the syllable on which it is laid, and makes it more distinguished by the ear than the rest; so emphasis ennobles the word to which it belongs, and presents it in a stronger light to the understanding. Were there no accents, words would be resolved into their original syllables; were there no emphasis, sentences would be resolved into their original words: and, in this case, the hearer would be under the painful necessity, first, of making out the words, and afterwards, their meaning.

Emphasis is of two kinds, simple and complex. Simple, when it serves to point out only the plain meaning of any proposition: complex, when, besides the meaning, it marks also some affection or emotion of the mind; or gives a meaning to words, which they would not have in their usual acceptation. In the former case, emphasis is scarcely more than a stronger accent, with little or no change of tone; when it is complex, besides force, there is always superadded a manifest change of tone.

The following sentence contains an example of

simple emphasis: "And Nathan said to David, Thou art the man." The emphasis on thou serves only to point out the meaning of the speaker. But in the following sentence we perceive an emotion of the speaker superadded to the simple meaning: "Why will ye die ?"

As the emphasis often falls on words in different parts of the same sentence, so it is frequently required to be continued, with a little variation, on two, and sometimes three words together. The following sentence exemplifies both the parts of this position: "If you seek to make one rich, study not to increase his stores, but to diminish his desires." Emphasis may be further distinguished, into the weaker and the stronger emphasis. In the sentence, "Exercise and temperance strengthen the constitution ;" we perceive more force on the word strengthen, than on any other; though it is not equal to the stress which we apply to the word indifferent, in the following sentence: "Exercise and temperance strengthen even an indifferent constitution." It is also proper to remark, that the words exercise, temperance, constitution, in the last example but one, are pronounced with greater force, than the particles and and the; and yet those words cannot properly be called emphatical: for the stress that is laid on them, is no more than sufficient to convey distinctly the meaning of each word. - From these observations it appears, that the smaller parts of speech, namely, the articles, conjunctions, prepositions, &c. are, in general, obscurely and feebly expressed; that the substantives, verbs, and more significant words, are firmly and distinctly pronounced; and that the emphatical words, those which mark the meaning of a phrase, are pronounced with peculiar stress and energy, though varied according to the degree of their importance.

Emphasis changes, not only the quantity of words,