ies
has been done, or is being done, or is, or is to be done, then that word
is a verb.
Thus when we say that anything is "an in'sult," that word is a noun, and
is accented all the first syllable; but when we say he did it "to
insult' another person," that word insult' implies acting, and becomes a
verb, and should be accented on the last syllable.
Simple Rules of Pronunciation.
C before a, o and u, and in some other situations, is a close
articulation, like k. Before e, i and y, c is precisely equivalent to s
in same, this; as in cedar, civil, cypress, capacity.
E final indicates that the preceding vowel is long; as in hate, mete,
sire, robe, lyre, abate, recede, invite, remote, intrude.
E final indicates that c preceding has the sound of s; as in lace,
lance, and that g preceding has the sound of j, as in charge, page,
challenge.
E final in proper English words never forms a syllable, and in the most
used words in the terminating unaccented syllables it is silent. Thus,
motive, genuine, examine, granite, are pronounced motiv, genuin, examin,
granit.
E final, in a few words of foreign origin, forms a syllable; as syncope,
simile.
E final is silent after l in the following terminations: ble, cle, dle,
fle, gle, kle, ple, tle, zle; as in able, manacle, cradle, ruffle,
mangle, wrinkle, supple, rattle, puzzle, which are pronounced a'bl,
mana'cl, cra'dl, ruf'fl, man'gl, wrin'kl, sup'pl, puz'zl.
E is usually silent in the termination en; as in taken, broken;
pronounced takn, brokn. OUS, in the termination of adjectives and their
derivatives, is pronounced us; as is gracious, pious, pompously.
CE, CI, TI, before a vowel, have the sound of sh; as in cetaceous,
gracious, motion, partial, ingratiate; pronounced cetashus, grashus,
moshun, parshal, ingrashiate.
SI, after an accented vowel, is pronounced like zh; as in Ephesian,
coufusion; pronounced Ephezhan, confushon.
GH, both in the middle and at the end of words is silent; as in caught,
bought, fright, nigh, sigh; pronounced caut, baut, frite, ni, si. In the
following exceptions, however, gh is pronounced as f: cough, chough,
clough, enough, laugh, rough, slough, tough, trough.
When WH begins a word, the aspirate h precedes w in pronunciation: as in
what, whiff, whale; pronounced hwat, hwiff, hwale, w having precisely
the sound of oo, French ou. In the following words w is silent:---who,
whom, whose, whoop, whole.
H after r has no sound or u
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