RULE IX.-EXAMPLES, ETC.

A full example, a distinct speech, or a direct quotation, should begin with a capital; as, "Remember this maxim: 'Know thyself."""Virgil says, 'Labour conquers all things.""

RULE X.-CHIEF WORDS.

Other words of particular importance, and such as denote the principal subjects of discourse, may be distinguished by capitals. Proper names frequently have capitals throughout.

CHAPTER II.-OF SYLLABLES.

A Syllable is one or more letters pronounced in one sound, and is either a word or a part of a word; as, a, an, ant.

In every word there are as many syllables as there are distinct sounds; as, gram-ma-ri-an.

A word of one syllable is called a monosyllable; a word of two syllables, a dissyllable; a word of three syllables, a trissyllable; and a word of four or more syllables, a polysyllable.

DIPHTHONGS AND TRIPHTHONGS.

A diphthong is two vowels joined in one syllable; as, sa in beat, ou in sound.

A proper diphthong, is a diphthong in which both the vowels are sounded; as, oi in voice.

An improper diphthong, is a diphthong in which only one of the vowels is sounded; as, oa in loaf.

A triphthong is three vowels joined in one syllable; as, eau in beau, iew in view.

A proper triphthong, is a triphthong in which all the vowels are sounded; as, uoy in buoy.

An improper triphthong, is a triphthong in which only one or two of the vowels are sounded; as, eau in beauty, iou in anxious.

SYLLABICATION.

In dividing words into syllables, we are to be directed chiefly by the ear; it may however be proper to ob serve, as far as practicable, the following rules.

RULE I.-CONSONANTS.

Consonants should generally be joined to the vowels or diphthongs which they modify in utterance; as, ap-os-tol-i-cal

RULE II. VOWELS.

Two vowels, coming together, if they make not a diphthong, must be parted in dividing the syllables; as, a-e-ri-al.

RULE III. TERMINATIONS.

Derivative and grammatical terminations should generally be separated from the radical words to which they have been added; as, harm-less, great-ly, con-nect-ed.

RULE IV.-PREFIXES.

Prefixes in general form separate syllables; as, mis-place, out-ride, up-lift: but if their own primitive meaning be disregarded, the case may be otherwise; thus re-create and rec-reate are words of different import.

RULE V.-COMPOUNDS.

Compounds, when divided, should be divided into the simple words which compose them; as, no-where.

RULE VI.-LINES FULL.

At the end of a line, a word may be divided, if necessary; but a syllable must never be broken.

CHAPTER III.-OF WORDS.

A Word is one or more syllables spoken or written as the sign of some idea, or of some manner of thought.

SPECIES AND FIGURE OF WORDS.

Words are distinguished as primitive or derivative, and as simple or compound. The former division is called their species; the latter, their figure.

A primitive word is one that is not formed from any simpler word in the language; as, harm, great, connect.

A derivative word is one that is formed from some simpler word in the language; as, harmless, greatly, connected, disconnect, unconnected.

A simple word is one that is not compounded, not composed of other words; as, watch, man, never, the, less. A compound word is one that is composed of two or more simple words; as, watchman, nevertheless.

Permanent compounds are consolidated; as, bookseller, schoolmaster: others, which may be called tempo. rary compounds, are formed by the hyphen; as, glasshouse, negro-merchant.

RULES FOR THE FIGURE OF WORDS.

RULE I.-COMPOUNDS.

Words regularly or analogically united, and commonly known as forming a compound, should never be needlessly broken apart.

RULE II.SIMPLES.

When the simple words would only form a regular phrase, of the same meaning, the compounding of any of them ought to be avoided.

RULE III.-THE SENSE.

Words otherwise liable to be misunderstood, must be joined together or written separately, as the sense and construction may happen to require.

RULE IV. ELLIPSES.

When two or more compounds are connected in one sentence, none of them should be split to make an ellipsis of half a word.

RULE V. THE HYPHEN.

When the parts of a compound do not fully coalesce, as today, to-night, to-morrow; or when each retains its original accent, so that the compound has more than one, or one that is movable, as first-born, hanger-on, laughter-loving, the hyphen should be inserted between them.

RULE VI.-NO HYPHEN.

When a compound has but one accented syllable in pronunciation, as watchword, statesman, gentleman, and the parts are such as admit of a complete coalescence, no hyphen should be inserted between them.

CHAPTER IV.-OF SPELLING.

Spelling is the art of expressing words by their proper letters.

OBS.-This important art is to be acquired rather by means of the spelling book or dictionary, and by observation in reading, than by the study of written rules. The orthography of our language is attended with much uncertainty and perplexity: many words are variously spelled by the best scholars, and many others are not usually written according to the analogy of similar words. But to be ignorant of the orthography of such words as are uniformly spelled and frequently used, is justly considered disgraceful. The following rules may prevent some embarrassment, and thus be of service to those who wish to be accurate.

RULES FOR SPELLING.

RULE I.-FINAL F, L, OR S.

Monosyllables ending in f, l, or s, preceded by a single vowel, double the final consonant; as, staff, mill, pass: except three in f-clef, if, of; four in l-bul, nul, sal, sol; and eleven in s-as, gas, has, was, yes, is, his, this, us, thus, pus.

RULE II.-OTHER FINALS.

Words ending in any other consonant than ƒ, l, or s, do not double the final letter: except abb, ebb, add, odd, egg, inn, err, burr, purr, yarr, butt, buzz, fuzz, and some proper names.

RULE III.-DOUBLING.

Monosyllables, and words accented on the last syllable, when they end with a single consonant preceded by a single vowel, or by a vowel after qu, double their final consonant before an additional syllable that begins with a vowel: as, rob, robber; permit, permitting; acquit, acquittal, acquitting.

Exc.-X final, being equivalent to ks, is never doubled.

RULE IV.-NO DOUBLING.

A final consonant, when it is not preceded by a single vowel, or when the accent is not on the last syllable, should remain single before an additional syllable: as, toil, toiling; visit, visited; general, generalize.

Exc.-But 7 and s final are usually doubled, (though perhaps improperly,) when the last syllable is not accented: as, travel, traveller; bias, biassed.

RULE V.RETAINING.

Words ending with any double letter, preserve it double

before any additional termination, not beginning with the same. letter; as in the following derivatives: seeing, blissful, oddly, hilly, stiffness, illness, smallness, carelessness, agreement, agree able.

Exc. The irregular words, fled, sold, told, dwelt, spelt, spilt, shalt, wilt, blest, past, and the derivatives from the word pontiff, are exceptions to this rule.

RULE VI.-FINAL E.

The final e mute of a primitive word, is generally omitted before an additional termination beginning with a vowel: as, rate, ratable; force, forcible; rave, raving; eye, eying.

Exc.-Words ending in ce or ge, retain the e before able or ous, to preserve the soft sounds of c and g: as, peace, peaceable; change, changeable; outrage, outrageous.

RULE VII.-FINAL E.

The final e of a primitive word, is generally retained before an additional termination beginning with a consonant: as, pale, paleness; lodge, lodgement.

Exc.-When the e is preceded by a vowel, it is sometimes omitted; as, true, truly; awe, awful: and sometimes retained; as, rue, rueful; shoe, shoeless."

RULE VIII.-FINAL Y.

The final y of a primitive word, when preceded by a consonant, is changed into i before an additional termination: as, merry, merrier, merriest, merrily, merriment; pity, pitied, pities, pitiest, pitiless, pitiful, pitiable.

Exc.-Before ing, y is retained to prevent the doubling of i; as, pity, pitying. Words ending in ie, dropping the e by Rule 6th, change i into y, for the same reason; as, die, dying. OBS.-When a vowel precedes, y should not be changed: as, day, days; valley, valleys; money, moneys; monkey, monkeys.

RULE IX.-COMPOUNDS.

Compounds generally retain the orthography of the simple words which compose them; as, hereof, wherein, horseman, recall, uphill, shellfish.

Exc.-In permanent compounds, the words full and all drop one l; as, handful, careful, always, withal: in others, they retain both; as, full-eyed, all-wise, save-all.

OBS.-Other words ending in 7, sometimes improperly drop one 7, when taken into composition; as, miscal, downhil. This excision is reprehensible, because it is contrary to general analogy, and because both letters are necessary to preserve the sound, and show the derivation of the compound.