e as heard in feel, me, sea, neither, key, seize, piece, marine, people, &c. "let, met, tread, said, says, friend, heifer, leopard, guess,

e

many, bury, &c.

"mine, pine, lie, fly, height, guise, aisle, rye, &c.

pit, pin, mountain, forfeit, guilt, been, seive, busy. "old, go, door, roam, toe, soul, hollow, bureau, yeoman, &c. "not, hot, blot, trot, &c.

แ

แ

"what, was, swap, &c.

move, prove, moon, soup, shoe, &c.

muse, blue, juice, hew, view, lieu, feud, beauty, &c. "full, pull, push, bush, &c.

"wool, good, book, could, &c.

but, hut, cull, &c.

dove, son, blood, does, &c.

curl, fur, bird, her, &c.

แ

u

แ

แ

แ

oi

▪ ་ ཌུ

แ

Ou

our, ground, owl, power, &c.

NOTE. After the pupil has been faithfully exercised in the foregoing table, it will be well to require him to explode all the vowel elements in several sentences of each lesson he reads.

CONSONANT SOUNDS.

Ir may, at first view, seem impossible to give the sound of a consonant alone; but a few attempts will show, that although it may be difficult, it is not impossible. It is true, they can not be exploded with the force which vowel sounds admit, yet they can all, except k, t, and p, be pronounced without the aid of vowels, and their sounds prolonged so as to give them great distinctness.

Let the syllable ba be taken for example; and in pronouncing it, let the voice be suddenly suspended, before it passes to the vowel. In this manner, every consonant element should be practiced upon, until the pupil can give the sound forcibly and distinctly. Without such practice, it will be found impossible to utter with distinctness such combinations of consonants as the following, viz.: waftedest, slumber'dst, search'dst, lash'dst, &c. Articulation is more frequently defective from an imperfect utterance of the consonant sounds, than from any other cause. These, therefore, require strict attention.

The following are the consonant elements susceptible of explosive force in a greater or less degree.

When the pupil has acquired some facility in exploding the foregoing consonant elements, it will be found profitable to require him to combine with each of them, one of the vowel elements, giving the utmost prolongation to the consonant sound; thus, ab-b; eb-b; ib-b; ad-d; ed-d; id-d; &c., &c. Then let him go over the same exercise, placing the consonant first; thus, b-be; d—de; g―ga; m—mo, &c.

EXERCISES

ON COMBINATIONS OF CONSONANT ELEMENTS.

Some of these sentences are selected with reference to the correction of the habit of dropping the unaccented vowel.

He is a man of great sensibility and susceptibility.

The swallow twittered at the eaves.

Canst thou not be satisfied?

He begged to be permitted to stay.

They searched the house speedily.
Whelmed amidst the waves.

They dragged the ruffian to prison.

Bursting his bonds, he sprang upon the foe.

He can not tolerate a sophist.

Shot madly from its sphere.

When will the landscape tire the view?

The lightnings flashed.

The thunders roared.

The hail rattled.

His hand in mine was fondly clasped.

Stand your ground, my braves.

He gasped for breath.

I'll grapple with my country's foes.
His limbs were strengthened by exercise.
They cultivated shrubs and plants.
He has marshaled his hosts.

He selected his texts with great care.
The unsearched mine hath not such gems.

His lips grow restless, and his smile is curled half into scorn.
Her ways are ways of pleasantness,

And all her paths are peace.

He has singed his hair.

What further wait'st thou for?

She milked six cows.

Give me a yard and three-eighths.

Ha! laugh'st thou, Lochiel, my vision to scorn?

The chill precincts of the narrow house.

O breeze, that waft'st me on my way!

Thou prob'dst his wounds too freely.
Thou begg'dst in vain for mercy.

Thou wrong' dst thyself and me.
Thou troubl'dst thy father's friends.

Vaunt'st thou thyself of thy strength?

Thou boast'st of what should be thy shame.

Thou pluck' dst a bitter fruit.

Disabl' dst, strangl' dst, burn' dst.

Clasp dst, twinkľ dst, respecť dst.

Lash'dst, haggl' dst, swerv'dst.

From depths unknown, unsearchable, profound.
Forth rushed the wandering comets girt with flames.

When Ajax strives some rock's vast weight to throw,

The line, too, labors and the words move slow.

One blast upon his bugle-horn were worth ten thousand men.

*

Life's fitful fever over, he sleeps well.

This sculptor has executed three busts.

From peak to peak, the rattling crags among,
Leaps the live thunder, not from one lone cloud;
But every mountain now hath found a tongue,
And Jura answers from her misty shroud,
Back to the joyous Alps, who call to her aloud.

When thou dost scare the world with tempests, set on fire
The heavens with falling thunderbolts, or fill'st

* Beware of running words together.

The swift dark whirlwind that uproots the woods,
Where is the mortal that forgets not at the sight
Of these tremendous tokens of thy power,

His pride, and lays his* strifes and follies by?
Canst thou fill his skin with barbed irons?
He was distinguished for his conscientiousness.
From star to star the living lightnings flash,
And falling thunders through all space proclaim
The goings forth of Him whose potent arm
Perpetuates existence or destroys.

*

God journeyeth* in the heavens. Refulgent stars
And glittering crowns of prostrate seraphim
Emboss * his burning path. Around* him fall
Dread powers, dominions, hosts, and kingly thrones.

* at rest,

That morning, thou that slumber' dst not before,
Nor sleep'st, great Ocean, laid'st thy waves
And hush' dst thy mighty minstrelsy.

QUESTIONS.-What should be the first object of the student of eloWhat is said of the advantage of practice upon elementary

cution?

Give examples of each.

What are the advantages
Can the consonants be

sounds? Which are the vowel elements? (Let the pupil explode them as directed.) of thus exploding the elementary sounds? exploded? Which can not, and why? What is said of uttering the consonants distinctly? (Let the pupil explode them as directed.)

II. INFLECTIONS.

INFLECTION is a bending, or sliding of the voice either upward or downward.

The upward or rising inflection is marked by the acute accent, thus, ('); and in this case the voice is to slide upward; as, Did you call'? Is he sick'?

The downward or falling inflection is marked by the grave accent, thus, ('); and indicates that the voice is to slide downward; as, Where is London'? Where have you been'? Who has come'?

* Beware of running words together.

Sometimes both the rising and falling inflections are given to the same sound. Such sounds are designated by the circumflex, thus, (-) or thus (^). The former is called the rising circumflex; the latter the falling circumflex.

When several successive syllables are uttered without either the upward or downward slide, they are said to be uttered in a monotone, which is marked thus, (-).

EXAMPLES.

Does he read correctly or incorrectly?

In reading this sentence, the voice should slide somewhat as represented in the following diagram: