oi, as in voice; and oy, as in böy. -Boil, coil, coy, toy, coin,
joint, joist, noise, employ, rejoice, avoid, appoint, oyster.
ou, as in söûnd; and ow, as in nöŵ. — Pound, proud, brown,
vow, endow, noun, town, doubt, devout, plough, ground,
vowel, thou.

VOWEL SOUNDS IN UNACCENTED SYLLABLES.
VOWELS marked with a dot underneath, thus (a, e, i, o, u,
y), are found so marked only in syllables which are not ac-
cented, and which are slightly or hastily articulated.

This mark indicates a slight stress of voice in uttering the appropriate sound of the vowel, rather than any particular quality of sound. In a majority of cases this mark may be regarded as indicating an indistinct short sound, as in mental, travel, peril, idol, forum, carry:-friar, speaker, nadir, actor, sulphur.

In many cases, however, it indicates a slight or unaccented long sound; as in sulphate, emerge, obey, duplicity, educate.

The difference between the long and obscure long sound may be readily distinguished. In the word fate, the a is long ; in the word fatality, the first a is obscure long. The case is similar with the o in the words note and notorious. In the word deliberate, when a verb, as, "I will deliberate," the a is long; when an adjective, as "A deliberate act," it is obscure long.

The common errors in the pronunciation of words of this class are, either a complete suppression of the vowel sound, or the substitution of a sound of some other vowel. This sup

pression or perversion of sound is much increased by the hurried manner in which many persons are accustomed to speak or read. So general is this fault, that the ear becomes accustomed to the improper sounds from infancy; hence the difficulty and the importance of remedying the defect. The habit of indistinct utterance is one easily acquired, and it soon becomes very difficult to eradicate.

In pronouncing words containing unaccented syllables, care should be taken to avoid a formal or fastidious prominence of sound. The two extremes which ought to be equally avoided are, carelessness on the one hand, and extreme precision on the other, as if the sounds of the letters were constantly uppermost in the mind.

a, obscure, as in mental. Musical, comical, critical, numerical, fatal, principal, original, criminal, ascendant, defendant, defiance, reliance, variance, countenance, performance, peaceable, agreeable, sociable, amiable, detestable, respectable, tolerable.

a, obscure long, as in sulphate. — Ability, about, abolish, afloat, again, alarm, amaze, apart, arise, away, canal, caress, cathedral, separate.

e, obscure, as in travel. - Travel, chapel, gravel, counsel, moment, confidence, dependent, silence, eminent, goodness, boundless, sameness, plainness, laziness.

e, obscure long, as in emerge. - Believe, benevolent, before, behold, delight, deliver, deny, prepare, precede.

i, obscure, as in ruin. — Invincible, forcible, audible, illegible, possibly.

0, obscure, as in idol. Collect, command, commence, committee, compose, comply, concern, convert, consult.

o, obscure long, as in obey. - Domain, corroborate, history, rhetoric, memorable, memory, composition, advocate, potato, motto, window, meadow, willow, billow, follow, to

morrow.

u, obscure, as in sulphur. — Awful, fearful, playful, dutiful, graceful, beautifully.

u, obscure long, as in educate.

Articulate, accurate, mascu

line, regular, particular, emulate, pleasure, exposure, nature, feature, pressure, leisure.

y, obscure, as in truly. — Envy, lady, safety, marrying, car rying.

EXERCISES ON THE CONSONANT SOUNDS.

IN pronouncing the words in the following exercises, force and clearness of sound should be given to the consonant elements. The letters to which attention is more particularly directed are printed in Italics.

b, as in babe. - Bad, bag, bat, beet, bear, bought, beast, stab, ebb, tube, globe, inhabit, babble, babbler, bound.

ch, as in church. - Chair, chat, charm, check, churn, march, switch, satchel, touching.

d, as in did.

Deed, debt, mad, modest, would, should, deduce, added, wedded, dated.

f, as in fife. — Fame, feud, fanciful, proffer, crafty, enough, rough, laughter, fatal, fireman, ferry.

g, as in gag. - Game, plague, vague, ghost, gone, jug, egg, guilt, guinea, give.

h, as in hold. - Hay, hate, high, huge, human, who, upholder,

childhood, withhold, ink-horn, race-horse, perhaps, unhappy. j, as in joy. Jam, jar, gesture, gibbet, edge, ledge, jury. k, as in kirk.-Car, coil, seek, music, talk, vaccinate, chasm, echo, choir, chorus, epoch, architect.

1,

as in lull. Bell, lurk, isle, pale, lark, loll, lively, lovely, hail, tall, sweetly.

m, as in maim. - Man, morn, mound, moment, blame, hymn,

memory.

n, as in nun.

banner.

ng, as in song. p, as in pipe.

1

creep.

- Nine, linen, nay, can, keen, noun, gnaw, kneel,

King, ring, flinging, singing, anger, nothing. Peer, pool, happy, rapid, tropic, pupil, piper,

r,1 (trilled,) initial, or before a vowel, as in rap. - Ray, rough, raw, rot, rest, ride, rise, rural.

1 The letter r, used as an initial, or before a vowel, is articulated by a forcible trill of the tongue against the upper gum. This sound should never be prolonged.

r, (untrilled,) final, or before a consonant, as in nor. Far, our, eternal, murmur, former, torpor, servant.

s, as in seal. Sin, sign, suit, dose, sinless, science.

sh, as in shine. - Shade, shine, gash, rash, sash, associate, mansion, enunciation, expansion, action, caution.

t, as in tent. Tell, time, tune, matter, critic, debt, receipt, better, chatter, tutor, taught.

th, as in thin.

Thank, thick, theory, theatre, bath, path,

mouth, month, breath, thankful, thinking.

th, as in thine. This, thus, there, those, beneath, tithe, with, brethren, farthing, father, breathe, wreathe.

V, as in valve.

Veer, vine, vivid, weave, seven, revive. w, as in wine.-Waft, wall, wonder, one, once, woo, wane, wormwood, weather, beware, weal, wayward.

wh, as in whit. — Whale, where, when, what, why, whether, white, whiten, whipping, whisper.

X, like ks, as in tax. - Box, six, next, text, except, sexton, execute, complexion.

X, like gz, as in exalt. Exact, example, exempt, exert, exaltation.

y, as in yes.

Year, young, yawn, you, use, utility, yonder,

million, rebellion, spaniel, filial, useful.

Z, as in zeal. As, was, zephyr, maze, prize, flies, daisies, praises, arise, breezes, Xerxes.

z, like zh, as in azure. - Glazier, leisure, seizure, collision, occasion, persuasion, osier, vision.

CONSONANT COMBINATIONS.

Pronounce the following words distinctly and forcibly. The initial and final combinations are printed in Italics, and may also be pronounced separately.

Words without connection of sense afford a better exercise in articulation than sentences.

1. Blue, breath, draw, dwell, fly, free, glen, grain, cleave, crave, crust.

2. Play, proud, queen, shriek, shrink, skill, screen, slate, smite, snow, snag, speak, sphere.

3. Splice, spring, spread, square, stain, straw, thrift, thwart, truce, twine, when.

4. Curb, wolf, triumph, dirge, lunch, marsh, ink, jerk, desk, storm, prism, rhythm, earn, black'n, open, lisp, usurp, carve.

5. Act, sift, felt, learnt, sort, first, apt, canst, lisp'd, work'd, thank'd, rock'd, heap'd, pitch'd, repuls'd.

6. Wants, facts, starts, precepts, roasts dense, once, science, else, necks, silks, inks, proofs, cuffs, truths, depths.

7. Want'st, wilt'st, left'st, attempt'st, help'st, hop'st, laugh'st, ask'st.

8. Ebb'd, comb'd, long'd, oblig'd, breath'd, world, arm'd, whelm'd, end, open'd, heard, liv'd, starv'd.

9. Liv'dst, prov'dst, fill'dst, learn'dst.

VOWEL AND CONSONANT SOUNDS IN SENTENCES.

A sentence is an assemblage of words so joined as to make complete sense.

The following sentences are arranged to aid the learner in acquiring a correct enunciation, both of vowels and consonants. The vowels to which attention is to be especially directed are printed in Italics.

a long, as in fāte. - Stay, lady, stay, for mercy's sake! The breaking waves dashed high. To praise the hand that pays thy pains. Well hast thou framed, old man, thy strains! O, gaoler, haste that fate to tell!

a short, as in făt.

mankind is man.

I am not mad! The proper study of

He bade me stand and hear my doom. As on a jag of a mountain crag.

a Italian, as in fär. Hast thou a charm to stay the morningstar? Here it comes sparkling, and there it lies darkling. Ay, laugh, ye fiends! Not a soldier discharged his farewell shot. To arms! to arms! they come! they come! Charge, Chester, charge!