bed, stub'bed, scrub'bed, shag'ged, rag'ged, dog'ged, rug'ged, scrag'ged, jag'ged, hawk'ed; and the nouns Wick'edness, na'kedness, rug'gedness, &c. But the e is suppressed in Fullaged, sheath winged.-The termination ied is pronounced id, as in Mar-ried, tar-ried, &c. The termination el is never contracted, ex (signifying uncommonness) are the only exceptions. The same rule holds with respect to words in ify (pronounced è-fi); as De'ify, pac'ify, spec'ify, ed'ify, stu'pify, &c.; except Glo'rify and no'tify. 5th, Words ending in alous, ulous, inous, arous, erous, orous, erate, have the antepenultimate accent; as Anom'alous, miraculous, volū'minous, ovip'arous, som-cept in Shekel, weasel, ousel, nousel, nāvel, ravnif'erous, graniv'orous, mete'orous, degen'erate, el, snivel, rivel, drivel, shrivel, shovel, grovel, &c.; except Decō'rous, pylō'rous, canō'rous, hazel, drazel, nozel; pronounced She'kl, &c. sonō'rous, impō'rous. But words ending in ise. ixe, ator, ative, ary, ery, ory, have generally the accent on the root of the word, or on that syllable which is accented in the word from which they are derived; as, Crit'icise, mer'chandise; sig'nalize, spir'itualize; im'itator, cul'tivator; commu'nicative, es'timative; pen'sionary, stā'tionary; fōr'gery, mil'linery; ded'icatory, commendatory, &c. The termination en is always contracted, except in Sudden, mynchen, kitchen, hyphen, chicken, ticken, jerken, aspen, platen, paten, marten, latten, patten, leaven, sloven, mittens. The terminations es and ies are pronounced iz; as in Graces, āges, praises, stōries, carries, &c.; pronounced Gras'iz, &c. The terminations ble, cle, dle, &c. are always contracted into bl, cl, dl, &c. as in Able, The terminations sten, stle, are pronounced sn, sl, as in Hästen, bustle, &c. The termination ed, in the preterite and par-sōcle, idle; pronounced a'bl, &c. ticiple of verbs, after l, r, m, n, ng, or a flat consonant, is contracted into d; as in Filled, cured, blamed, planned, hanged, drubbed, saved, dragged, buzzed, bathed, lodged; pronounced Filld, &c. But after a sharp consonant, it is contracted into t; as in Hōped, stuffed, baked, blessed, wished; pronounced Hōpt, &c. THERE is a tendency in our language to change the long vowel in primitive words into a short one in derivatives: thus, from Break, clēan, know, please, zēal, &c. come Breakfast, The participial adjectives Blessed, cursed, cleanly, knowledge, pleasant, zealous; probeloved, learned, winged, aged, preserve the e;nounced Brek fast, klen'le, nolej, plez'ant, zelalso the adverbs Confess'edly, profess'edly, fōrc'-us. In uniting simple words into a compound, edly, unveil'edly, deform'edly, feign'edly, refīn'- there is also a tendency to simplify the comedly, resign'edly, restrain'edly, concern'edly, pound as much as possible, by throwing the acprepar'edly, assur'edly, advis'edly, dispers'edly, cent on that syllable where the two simple diffus'edly, confus'edly, unperceiv'edly, resolv'- words unite; as in Theol'ogy, geog'raphy, soedly, deservedly, reserv'edly, avow'edly, per- lil'oquy, catas'trophe, barom'eter, polyg'onal, plex'edly, fix'edly, amaz'edly. To which may carniv'orous, somnif'erous, super'fluous, inellif'be added, the adjectives, Na'ked, wick'ed, luent, ovip'arous, theoc'racy, theog'ony, capick'ed (pointed), hook'ed, crook'ed, fork'ed, coph'ony, logom'achy, astronomy, anatomy, tusk'ed, wretch'ed, scab'bed, crab'bed, chub'- "antip'athy, orthō'epy, &c. THE ELEMENTS OF READING. NOTE. The following observations are chiefly extracted from Mr WALKER's Rhetorical Grammar; a work which, while it displays consummate ingenuity, is, at the same time, simple and perspicuous. ~ THE ART OF READING-is that system of rules, which teaches us to pronounce written composition with justness, energy, variety, and ease. Agreeably to that definition, reading may be considered as that species of delivery, which not only expresses the sense of an author, so as barely to be understood, but which, at the same time, gives it all that force, beauty, and variety, of which it is susceptible. THE sense of an author being the first object of reading, it will be necessary to inquire into those divisions and subdivisions of a sentence which are employed to fix and ascertain its meaning: this leads us to a consideration of the doctrine of punctuation. every real embellishment promotes and perfects the principal design. In order, therefore, to have as clear an idea of punctuation as possible, it will be necessary to consider it as related to grammar and rhetoric distinctly. A system of punctuation may be sufficient for the purposes of grammar, or, in other words, it may be sufficient to clear and preserve the sense of an author, and, at the same time, be but a very imperfect guide to the pronunciation of it. The art of speaking, though || founded in grammar, has principles of its own; principles that arise from the nature of the living voice, from the perception of harmony in the ear, and from a certain superaddition to the sense of language, of which grammar takes no account, These principles necessarily influence our pronunciation, and direct us to pauses which are entirely unknown to every system of punctuation in use. Punctuation may be considered in two different lights; 1st, As it clears and preserves the sense of a sentence, by combining those words together that are united in sense, and separating those which are distinct; and, 2dly, As it directs to such pauses, elevations, and depressions of the voice, as not only mark the sense of the sentence, but give it a variety and beauty which recommend it to the ear; for in speaking, as in other arts, the useful and the agree able are almost always found to coincide; and || in distinguishing the simple pauses into GENERAL IDEA OF THE COMMON DOCTRINE GRAMMARIANS are pretty generally agreed A simple sentence, that is, a sentence having but one subject or nominative, and one finite verb, admits of no pause. Thus, in the following sentence," The passion for praise produces excellent effects in women of sense;" The passion for praise is the subject or nominative case to the verb produces, and excellent effects in women of sense is the object or accusative case, with its concomitant circumstances or adjuncts of specification; and this sentence admits of no pause between any of its parts. But in the following sentence, "The passion for praise, which is so very vehement in the fair sex, produces excellent effects in women of sense;" a new verb is introduced, accompanied with adjuncts of its own, and the subject is repeated by the relative pronoun which: it now becomes a compound sentence, made up of two simple sentences, one of which is inserted in the middle of the other; it must, therefore, be distinguished into its component parts by a comma, placed on each side of the additional sentence. to the commonwealth:" or when several adverbs, or adverbial circumstances, affect the verb; as, "He behaved himself modestly, prudently, virtuously." For as many such adjuncts as there are, so many several members does the sentence contain; and these are to be distinguished from each other as much as several subjects or finite verbs. The exception to this rule is, where these subjects or adjuncts are united by a conjunction; as, "The imagination and the judgment do not always agree;" and, "A man never becomes learned without studying constantly and methodically." In these cases the comma be tween the subjects and adjuncts is omitted. There are some other kinds of sentences, which, though seemingly simple, are, nevertheless, of the compound kind, and really contain several subjects, verbs, or adjuncts. Such are the sentences containing what is called the case absolute; as, " Physicians, the disease once discovered, think the cure half wrought." Also those sentences where nouns are added by apposition; as, "The Scots, a hardy people, endured it all." So also those where vocative cases occur; as, This, my friend, you must allow me." The Use of the Semicolon, Colon, and Period. I. WHEN a sentence can be divided into two or more members, which members are again divisible into members more simple, the former are to be separated by a semicolon. II. When a sentence can be divided into two In every sentence, therefore, as many sub-parts, either of which parts is again divisible jects, or as many finite verbs as there are, either by a semicolon, the former are to be separated expressed or implied, so many distinctions there by a colon. may be; as, "My hopes, fears, joys, pains, all centre in you." The case is the same when several adjuncts affect the subject of the verb; as, A good, wise, learned man is an ornament EXAMPLES. "As we cannot discover the shadow moving along the dial-plate, so the advances we make in knowledge are only perceived by the distance gone over." Here the two members, being both simple, are only separated by a comma. "As we perceive the shadow to have moved, but did not perceive it moving; so our advances in learning, as they consist of such minute steps, are only perceivable by the distance." Here the sentence being divided into two equal parts, and those compounded, since they include others, we separate the former by a semicolon, and the latter by commas. "As we perceive the shadow to have moved along the dial, but did not perceive it moving; and it appears that the grass has grown, though nobody ever saw it grow: so the advances we make in knowledge, as they consist of such minute steps, are only perceivable by the dis tance." Here the advancement in knowledge is compared to the motion of a shadow, and the growth of grass; which comparison divides the sentence into two principal parts: but since what is said of the movement of the shadow, and of the growth of grass, likewise contains two simple members, they are to be separated by a semicolon; consequently a higher pointing is required, to separate them from the other part of the sentence to which they are opposed: and this is a colon. When a member of a sentence forms complete sense, and does not excite expectation of what. follows, (though it consist but of a simple member), it may be marked with a colon; as, The discourse consisted of two parts: in the first was shown the necessity of fighting; in the second, the advantages that would arise from it." "The Augustan age was so eminent for good poets, that they have served as models to all others: yet it did not produce any good tragic poets." I. The note of interrogation is used to show that a question is asked; as, "What day of the month is this?" It likewise distinguishes a question from a sentence in the imperative mode; as, "Do you return?" It requires a pause equal either to a semicolon or period, as the sense demands. II. An exclamation denotes an emotion of the mind; and the pause is regulated like that of the interrogation; as, "These are thy glorious works, Parent of good! "Almighty! Thine this universal frame, "Thus wond'rous fair! Thyself how wond'rous then!" III. A parenthesis is a sentence inserted into the body of another sentence, to illustrate its meaning, but is neither necessary to the sense, nor at all affects the construction. It may have a pause equal to a semicolon; as, "When they were both turned of forty (an age in which, according to Mr Cowley, there is no dallying with life), they determined to retire, and pass the remainder of their days in the country." OF RHETORICAL PUNCTUATION. THE Common Rules of Punctuation, though sufficient to prevent confusion in writing, are very inadequate to the purposes of a just and accurate pronunciation. To afford, therefore, such farther aids as are actually made use of by the best readers and speakers, and such as must be used in reading and speaking, if we would wish to pronounce with justness, energy, and ease, is the design of the following Rules: exemplifying which, a dash serves to supply the defects of the common punctuation. of the relative pronoun, and will therefore admit of a pause before them; such as, When, why, wherefore, how, where, whether, whither, whence, while, till, or until: for when is equivalent to the time at which; why or wherefore is equivalent to the reason for which; and so of the rest, III. When the adjective follows the substantive, and is succeeded either by another adjecintive or words equivalent to it, which form what may be called a descriptive phrase, it must be separated from the substantive by a short I. The subject of a verb, especially if it consists of more than one word, admits of a pause after it; as, "Truth-is the basis of excellence." "Piety is the only proper and adequate relief of decaying man.' "The first step to virtue is to love it in others." pause; as, "He was a man-learned and polite." "It is a book-exquisite in its kind." "It was a calculation-accurate to the last degree." That no pause is to be admitted between the substantive and the adjective in the inverted order, when the adjective is single, or unaccompanied by adjuncts, is evident by the following example from Pope : II. Who and which, when relative pronouns, Of these the chief the care of nations own, and that, whether a relative pronoun or a cau-And guard with arms divine the British throne. sal conjunction, generally admit of a pause before them; as, 66 The man who feels himself ignorant, should at least be modest." "A man-cannot be agreeable to others who is not easy within himself.” "Hypocrisy is the tribute-which vice pays to virtue." "He-that is pleased with himself, easily imagines he shall please others." "I must therefore desire the reader to remember-that, by the pleasures of the imagination, I mean only such pleasures-as arise originally from sight." To exemplify still farther the rules which have been laid down, we shall insert a passage from the Spectator, pointed as we imagine it ought to be, in order to read it with propriety. This passage will furnish us with a rule of great extent and use; and that is, when one object is, successively contrasted with another, though these objects consist but of a single word, it is necessary to pause after each, in order to shew the contrast more distinctly. "At the same time-that I think discretion the most useful talent-a man can be master of, I look upon cunning-to be the accomplishThis rule is of greater extent than at first ap-||ment-of little, mean, ungenerous minds. Dispears, for there are several words usually call-cretion-points out the noblest ends to us, and ed adverbs, which include in them the power pursues the most proper-and laudable me G |