CHAPTER III, 9Z Note, Ey this means there are a few words io the English tongue thatare of one syllable, and haveseven consonants to one vowel ; as strength, streicht. 10 Q. Do the letters never alter or lose their sound ? A. Vowels, consonants, and diphthongs alter their sound very much in different words, and sometimes entirely lose it. 11Q. Howmay you know when any letter loses or changes its sound ? A. Though manyof these things in the following chapters are reduced to rules ; yet these rules are so large, and the exceptions so many, that we may almost as well learn this by practice. Note, The following chapters, as far as the tenth, may be read by children two or three times over; but they should not be put to the task of learning them by heart. Yet if the master thinks proper to mark out a few of the most useful questions in them for his scholars to learn, he must use his owndiscretion in choosing them; and thus proceed to the tenth chapter. CHAP. IIL Of Consonants changing their Sound. I. QUESTION. WHICH are the consonants that alter their sound in dif- ferent words ? Answer. Chiefly these six, c, g, h, le, s and t. 2 Q. When Both e change its proper sound ? A. c properly sounds like k, as can, ery, but before e, i or y, it is pronounced like s, as cease, city, cypress, mercy. 3 Q. How doth g change its pronunciation ? A. Three ways; when it comes before e, i, or y: when it comes before .h, and when it comes before n: 4 Q. How doth g change its sound before e, i, or y ? A. g before e, i, or y, at the end of a syllable, always sounds soft like j consonant, as huge, barge, clergy ; and some- times before e, i, or y, in the beginningof a syllable, as gentle, ginger, gipsy ; but not always, asget, give; for which there are no certain rules. 5 Q. Are g and c always sounded hard before a consonant ? A. Let it be noted, That wheresoever the letters c or g come before an apostrophe, where the vowel e is cut off, or left out,'the e and g must still be sounded soft, as though e were written ; as placed, piac'd ; danced, danc'd ; raged, rag'd; chan- ged, chang'd. 0 Q. How doth g alter its sound before h ? A. gh, at the end of a syllable, only lengthens the sound of it, as high, bright, dough, sigh; which somepronouncesithe; except in these few words, where it is pronounced like f; as cough, trough, chough, laugh, laughter, rough, tough, hough and enough. D2
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