12. Oo, as in Oo-ze, and in L-oo-k. [Common Error: The omission of the difference between oo, before a 'pure subtonic,' or liquid, and oo, before an abrupt atonic,' or mute proper.] Ooze moon cool room boon poor move proof NOTE. Oo, before d are usually long, as in Mood, food, &c. The exceptions are Good, wood, stood. The word Wool is the only exception to the rule of oc being long before a liquid. 2. Compound Elements. 1. A, as in a-le. [Common Error. Ay-eel, for a-le; - the vanish, or last audible part of the sound of a, being so very slight, when properly enunciated, as to be barely perceptible, on very close attention.] [Common Errors. Aee-ce; the letter I being sounded as if beginning with a, in ârm; and ĕee-ce the sound beginning with e, in end. The former error is one of obsolete and rustic use; the latter is one of mistake or affectation. The true sound of I, commences with the sound of a, in ăn. [Common Errors: H-ŏ-m, for H-ō-me; S-ô-rce, -for S-ou-rce.] - as if s-aw-rce; [Common Errors: Aw-r, and ew-r; for Ou-r: the dipthong ou commencing properly with the sound of o, in done, or of u, in up. down now thou count sound 5. Oi, as in Oi-l. [Common Error: Day-l, for di-l;—commencing, properly, with o, as in on, and ending with i, as in in. II. COMBINATIONS OF CONSONANTS. The common faults in the enunciation of combinations of consonants, consist in a slack, obscure articulation of the single elements of which they are composed, and, in addition, the fault of negligently allowing a vowel sound to intervene between the consonants, thus, bălā' for blā. True taste will never allow a slovenly style of articulation, but will always maintain a neat, clear, and exact sound of every element, in every combination. Br, cr, dr, fr, gr, pr, spr, tr, str, shr. [The following words need attention to a clear, distinct, enuncia tion of the hard r,-free, however, from prolongation. Brave bread broke Crave creep Drain dry drag croak Frame fruit froth Those tables of words are meant, like the preceding, to be read across the columns Rb, rd, rk, rm, rn, rse, rs, rt, rve, rb'd, rk'd, rm'd, rn'd, rs't, rv'd. Sm, s'n, sp, st, ss'd, ks, ct, k'd, ft, f'd, pt, p'd, p'n, k’'n, ďn, v'n, t'n. [Common Errors: The dropping, slighting, or obscuring of let ters; thus, B'lieve, d'light, p'lite, &c. for Believe, delight, polite, &c. benevolent delicious deliver delineate deliberate denounce calamity Belief Denominate denial Colossal opinion obey promote pronounce propose Command commit compare conduce consume converge 2. Middle Syllables. [Common Errors: As above; thus, Sev'ral for Several, &c.] Every severing tottering murderer traveller 3. Final Syllables. [Common Errors: As before; thus, Vess'l for Vessel, &c.] turning waking Awning morning dawning moving IV. WORDS. unmoor demure The enunciation of words may be practised to best advantage by repeating them singly from the reading exercises, before commencing the reading in the usual form. As many words as the teacher thinks fit, may be selected, analyzed, and discussed, and common errors, occurring in them, pointed out. EXERCISES IN PRONUNCIATION. Some of the errors to which young readers are liable, are neither owing to faulty articulation, nor to a want of due distinctness in enunciation, but a mistake as regards the character or quality of vowel sounds, the proper place of accent in syllables, or the circumstance of a letter being silent, or retaining its sound. Errors of this description are properly classed as mispronunciations. The following are some of the rules of pronunciation which are most frequently neglected. Rule on the letter A. A, final, or unaccented, before a consonant, has uniformly the short sound, as in An. |