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The pronunciation of these words can be learned only from a French scholar.

RULES FOR SPELLING.

The formation of derivative words is subject to a few rules which, notwithstanding the exceptions to them. may be of use.

RULE I.

Monosyllables, and words accented on the last syllable, ending in a single consonant preceded by a single vowel, double the final consonant before an affix beginning with a vowel.

occur

beg forget hot blot occurrence beggar forgetting hottest blotting Exception. When the original accent is thrown back the final consonant is not doubled. Refer', reference; prefer', pre'ference.

Where Rule I. does not apply, the final consonant is not doubled.

bind

appear

binding appearance answerable offering yachting

answer offer yacht

RULE II.

Final 'y', preceded by a consonant, is changed

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busily happier pitiful

spies

merrily business happiness pitied

Exceptions.-1. After 't' the 'y' is changed into

'e'before ous: as, piteous, beauteous.

2. Before ing or ish the 'y' is retained, to avoid the doubling of 'i': as, spying, pitying.

3. In the possessive singular of nouns 'y' is never changed: as, spy's, fly's.

4. 'y' is not changed in derivatives of dry, shy, sky, sly, spry, wry; except drier, driest, which conform to Rule II.

Final 'y', preceded by a vowel, is not changed to 'i' before an affix.

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Words ending in silent 'e' drop 'e' on taking

an affix beginning with a vowel.

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Exceptions.-1. Words ending in 'ce' or 'ge'

retain the 'e' before able or ous, in order to keep the soft sound of the 'c' or 'g': as, outrageous, peaceable.

2. Hoeing, mileage, toeing, shoeing; in dyeing, singeing the 'e' is retained to distinguish the words from dying, singing.

3. Words ending in 'ie' drop 'e' and change 'i' to 'y' on adding ing: as, lying, dying.

The 'e' is retained on taking an affix beginning

with a consonant: as,

ripe polite noise

state

ripeness politely noiseless statement

apprentice

apprenticeship

Except duly, truly, wholly, awful, argument, abridg

ment, acknowledgment, judgment, and a few others.

PLURAL OF NOUNS.

The plural of most nouns is formed by adding 's', or when the noun ends with a sound that does not unite with 's', (ch soft, s, sh, x, z,) 'es' to the singular: as, book, books; box, boxes.

Nouns ending in 'y' after a consonant, change 'y' to 'i' and add 'es': as, lady, ladies.

Nouns ending in 'y' after a vowel are regu

lar: as, toy, toys.

Nouns ending in 'o' preceded by another vowel, form the plural by the addition of 's': as, сатео, саmeos. If final 'o' is preceded by a consonant the plural is usually formed by adding 'es': as, negro, negroes.

Derivatives in 'ful' are regular: as, mouthfuls, cupfuls.

The formation of plurals to which these rules do not apply is to be learned from observation. The following are a few examples of nouns with irregular plurals: tooth, teeth; mouse, mice; loaf, loaves; woman, women; goose, geese; ox, oxen; child, children; sheep, sheep.

POSSESSIVE CASE.

The possessive case of nouns, singular or plural, is formed by adding an apostrophe and 's': the man's work; the men's work.

When, however, the noun, singular or plural, ends in 's', an apostrophe only is added: the boys' heads; John Adams' office.

DICTATION EXERCISES.

The words to be studied especially are printed in italics. These exercises may be used also for parsing The selections from Lowell, Hawthorne and Emersor are printed by the kind permission of Messrs. Houghton Mifflin & Co.

I.

The sun was shining slantwise over the field, and showed all the moist, dark soil just like any other newly planted piece of ground. All at once, Cadmus fancied he saw something glisten very brightly, first at one spot, then at another, and then at a hundred and a thousand spots together. Soon he perceived them to be the steel heads of spears, sprouting up everywhere like so many stalks of grain, and continu ally growing taller and taller. Next appeared a vast number of bright sword-blades, thrusting themselves up in the same way. A moment afterwards the whole surface of the ground was broken up by a multitude of polished brass helmets, coming up like a crop of enormous beans. So rapidly did they grow, that Cadmus now discerned the fierce countenance of a man beneath every one. In short, before he had time to think what a wonderful affair it was, he beheld an abundant harvest of what looked like human beings, armed with helmets and breastplates, shields, swords and spears; and before they were

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