nation, sanction; except that termination be preceded by s, in which case it resumes its primitive sound. T has the sound of sh also, in all terminations in tial; as, martial, partial; but if that termination be preceded by s, it regains its original sound.

The combination of t with h, for which there is no distinct mark in the English alphabet, has a soft and flat, or hard and sharp tone, according to its situation. At the beginning, in the middle, and in the end of words, th has generally a sharp sound, formed by pressing the tip of the tongue against the edge of the upper incisor teeth, and removing it with a smart motion; as, thunder, thirst; think; panther, misanthrope; breath, mouth, south, oath; with the exceptions, that, then, thither, thus, therefore; farthing, brethren; with, beneath. Between two vowels, the combination th has, most frequently, a flat soft sound, produced by applying, not quite the tip of the tongue, but the part next it, to the upper teeth, and throwing it off obliquely; as in the words, father, mother, heathen, together; except in derivatives from the Greek; as, theatre, apathy, sympathy. Sometimes th is pronounced as a meret; for example, Thomas, thyme, asthma.

V.

V has one unvaried sound, made by pressing hard the outside of the under lip against the edge of the upper teeth. It is that off flat.

W.

The sound expressed by this character is formed by first closing and then separating the lips. In the end of a syllable, w is often combined with o, without affecting the sound of that letter; as in crow, to sow, to mow, grow, flow; while in others; as, sow, mow, row, now, it is sounded as ou.

When a vowel, w has exactly the same sound

as u.

X.

This letter has a sharp sound, like ks, and a flat sound like gz. In pronouncing it, the tongue lies close upon the lower jaw; but, together with that, is raised towards the upper jaw. The sharp sound is perceivable in the words, exit, exhibition. The flat sound is heard in example, exalt, exonerate.

Y.

This letter, as a vowel, has the sound of i; as a consonant it is sounded by closing and opening the lips, the tongue remaining quiescent upon the lower jaw; as in youth, yonder.

Z.

Z is comparatively seldom met with in English words at present, its place having been usurped by s. Its sound is produced like that of s, but with a closer pressure of the tongue against the roof of the mouth; as in freeze, sneeze, breeze.

CHAP. II.

Concerning Syllables, and the Method of arranging them.

ANY number of letters, which, being combined, produce a distinct sound, constitute a syllable.

A word, or a combination of sounds expressive of some idea or feeling, may consist of one, or of many syllables.

The properly expressing words by the characters, or letters, which represent the sounds of which they are composed, and separating them into syllables, are the objects of the art called spelling.

Certain general rules have been drawn, from experience and practice, for the most convenient division of words into syllables.

1. In words of two syllables, if a single consonant stand between two vowels, that consonant should be joined to the latter syllable; as, re-vive, a-void, a-right, a-rise, a-mend, a-miss. The letter x, and compound words, form exceptions to this rule; as, ex-ert, ex-ist, exempt, up-on, dis-ease, un-apt.

2. Two vowels, which do not unite into a dipthong, must be allotted to different syllables; as, fu-el, du-el, soci-al, geni-al, vari-ety.

3. Words, compounded of other words, should be divided according to the primitives of which

they are composed; as, dole-ful, hate-ful, witless, use-less, joy-ful, cheer-ful, ale-house, house-wife.

4. If two consonants which give a sound proper for beginning words, come together, those consonants ought not to be separated; as, sta-ble, ri-fle; but when they are such as cannot, with propriety, stand at the beginning of a word, or if they are found placed between two vowels, they should, then, be separated; as in the words, in-most, un-der, thun-der, in-road, out-most, war-rior, lol-ling.

5. If three consonants, capable of beginning a word, are placed together in the middle of a word, and a long vowel precede them, they ought not to be divided; as, de-throne, destruction. But if the vowel preceding them be short, one of the consonants must be adjoined to that syllable in which is the short vowel; as, ex-tract, ex-plain, dis-prove.

6. If three, or more, consonants improper for beginning words come together between two vowels, the first consonant should be attached to the first syllable; as, ab-stain, com-plexion, con-strain.

7. Terminations affected by grammatical rules, and some others, are generally separated; as, lov-est, lov-eth, danc-ing, belov-ed, bet-ter, mi-ser, sweet-est.

D

CHAP. III.

Rules for spelling words.

WORDS are the component parts of every language, being articulate sounds used to represent ideas and affections; and adopted by common consent of those who live in society together, for that purpose.

Words consisting of one, of two, of three, of four, or of more syllables, are called by names derived from the Greek, monosyllables, or dissyllables, or trissyllables, or polysyllables.

Primitive words are those which are natural to the English language; derivative words are those which are derived from some other language, and engrafted into our own: as, man, woman, child; apothecary, philosopher, artificer, circumvent, concave. A word which cannot be decomposed, or resolved into any others, is said to be a simple word; as, play, joy, sorrow, pleasure, good, hope.

A word that can be reduced to other more simple words in our language, may be called a compound word; as, playful, joyful, sorrowful, pleasurable, goodness, hopeful.

RULE 1. Monosyllables terminating in the letters f, l, or s, preceded by a single vowel, double the final consonant; as, stuff, muff, ball,