Anonymous

“ A syllable is a sound uttered with one impulse of the breath. The group of letters representing such a sound should never be separated in dividing words; e.g., re-bel ́ (verb) , reb ́-el (noun) , pres ́-ent (noun) , pre-sent ́-ed. To divide a word into syllables, pronounce it slowly and correctly, and note the natural division into sounds. In writing, it is preferable to put the whole word on one line. When this cannot well be done, that part of the word left at the end of one line should suggest the part beginning the next line; e.g., happiness should be divided—happi-ness, not hap-piness. ”

“ Latin words began to be used in England while yet there was no English language; many came in with the introduction of Christianity. This borrowing has gone on steadily ever since. As has just been said, English borrowed extensively from literary French. Now, as French is only Latin in a corrupt form, it is often impossible to determine whether a particular word was taken directly from Latin or French. It is estimated that one-fourth of the English vocabulary is derived from Latin.
The Latin stem or stems have been indicated, as, acr-, acrid; audīt-, auditor. ”

“ Myths are strange stories. The lynx is a cousin of the tiger. Sing hymns, not comic songs. The parrot mimics my voice. The black-eyed gypsy tells fortunes cleverly. Play the violin gently not violently. ”

“ Bicycle pedals are made of steel. Dredge opposite the pier. Florists deal in floral wreaths. The prophets taught the people to value their immortal souls. Mention a definite sum for freight. The heavens seem infinite. ”

“ The naval conflict was vehement, even terrific. The walrus is aquatic in habits. Our prairies give a prolific yield of wheat, whose intrinsic or inherent worth is great. The United States is a republic. ”

“ A favourite way of building words is by the use of prefixes. Generally speaking, these are of English, French, Greek or Latin origin—it being understood in this connection that French is but a modified form of Latin.
English Prefixes.
Inseparable prefixes have no meaning in themselves and cannot stand alone. The most important are:—
A-, on: away, alive; at: ahead: of: akin. ”

“ Ski-ing is exhilarating. A deacon bore the Archbishop's crosier. Censure arraigns both private motives and public actions. The sky was vested in azure. The price of baize and chintz fluctuates. The vizier concentrated his troops, and the besieged garrison capitulated. The ringleaders were castigated, but the sufferings of the troops were alleviated. Accumulate knowledge rather than wealth. The epicure disdains macaroni. Give an approximate estimate of the cost. Simplicity should not be imposed upon, nor virtue contaminated. ”

“ GREEK ROOT-WORDS AND DERIVATIVES.
To Greek, also, English is indebted for a considerable number of words, especially in the language of science and medicine; for the ancient physicians were commonly Greeks. Since the great revival of Greek studies in England in the 16th Century, Greek literature and art have exerted an enormous influence upon English thought and literature. ”

“ Add —ing to oil, bowl, seal, suit, cloud, aim, cook, boat; as, oil, oiling. Notice the two vowels before the last consonant.
Healing balm will cure the sores in the palm of your hand. We'll bathe in the calm lake. My boat floats. Are we allowed to paddle canoes? We might capsize and be drowned. The air is full of gnats and flies. Beavers gnaw down trees and build storehouses. Trees have boughs with leaves borne on the twigs. Hidden in the earth are the roots, which divide into rootlets. Their main purpose is to obtain food from the soil. ”

“ Papa gives me four cents to buy two pears. He says your eyes are blue. That idle tramp is not crazy. Write the new words often. Soften the crust in your tea. Iron my collar again. It was wrong to cut the table with your jack-knife. Bees are not lazy. How many oranges can one buy for five cents? Some camels are swift. ”

“ Canada has wonderful commercial advantages. The barrister aspires to a judicial appointment from the provincial government. Glacial action is largely responsible for our Great Lakes. The scavenger's duties are beneficial to the whole community. The facial expression of the gamester is especially severe. A bouquet of artificial lilies was recently presented to the chorister by the choir officials. Gossamer has an interesting derivation. Europeans were here later than the Indians; the latter are dying out. His lax behavior proves that he lacks self-control. ”

“ Words in y with a consonant before it usually change the y into i when a suffix not beginning with i is added; as, cry, cries, crying.
5. The apostrophe (') is used to indicate the omission of one or more letters; as, didn't for did not; can't for cannot; let's, let us; I'm, I am; you're, you are; isn't, is not. ”

“ If to the root dar-, dear, the prefix en- be added, we get endear, and the same root with the suffix -ling gives darling. As a rule, English prefixes and suffixes are added only to English roots. But there are many exceptions.
Word-making is often effected by compounding. A compound word is one made by uniting two words together, as sea-lion.
Compound Nouns are formed in various ways:— (a) by uniting a noun with a noun: bridal = bride ale, daisy = day's eye, Gospel = God's spell or story ”

“ To set, skim, spot, hum, sip, snap, plug, add —ing; as, setting. To pat, dip, spin, blot, chop, skip, drum, add —er; as, patter.
Coasting down icy hills alarms me. Icicles hang from the eaves. Spread icing over the cake. Oak is of great value. We wheel on the avenue. We argued for and against it. Trunks of trees never grow higher except through cutting off some lower boughs. New growth is added just beneath the inner bark. Woodcutters observe these annual rings and reckon the tree's age. Timber and lumber are scarce and dear. ”

“ All men appreciate the heritage of a noble lineage. I endeavored to assuage his grief for his niece's death, due to a hemorrhage. Accused of complicity in the plot, the malefactor was served with a subpœna. The elasticity of rubber is familiar to all. The stevedore displayed great audacity in the scrimmage. The initial velocity of a cannon ball is tremendous. The artist's eccentricity of manner is woeful. ”

“ Millions of incandescent lights made the scene almost ethereal. Funereal rites await all that is corporeal in man. All mammals are nourished by lacteal fluid. From the cochineal insect a beautiful dye is obtained. Both the larynx and pharynx are concerned in sound production. A baritone voice is intermediate between bass and tenor. Strychnine may be a nerve tonic. The intricate passages of the ear are called the labyrinth. Soft music is quiescent. During convalescence he was prohibited from severe exertion. I enquired for an antidote for vitriol.
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Review of the Difficult Words. ”

“ Add —y to knot, fat, sun, star, spot, wit; as, knotty. Copy,—Hurrah for Santa Claus and Christmas! The doe's fawn. New Year's Eve.
Eagles are birds of prey. I have an idea that the children have measles. The beaver is a Canadian emblem. Kittens have whiskers. The truant whispers a secret to his guardian. Many merchants prosper. Their total profits increase. ”

“ The principles of democracy rarely find advocacy among members of the aristocracy. Within his realms the king holds supremacy. The ductile nature of platinum permits nice intricacy of design. None ever surpassed Aristotle in versatile genius. ”

“ People so fastidious about appearances are most vexatious. An ingenious physician proved the disease to be contagious. The illustrious tragedian died at the meridian of his glory. Many amphibious animals live in salubrious climates. ”

“ To worthy, hungry, speedy, crusty, cheery, airy, weary, angry, sturdy, dreary, add —er, —est; as, worthier, worthiest.
The prospect of bathing at twilight delights us. Satchel in hand, he inspected our quiet village. Even the sight-seers were affected by the children's greeting. A thatched roof often leaks. ”

“ Add —ish to snap, style; fat, rogue; pet, slave; red, ape; hog, blue; as, snappish, stylish. Copy,—Don't stare at the nun's veil.
The pupils wrestle and jostle each other. Try the lettuce salad. He bustles off to close the shutters. There is gristle in the beefsteak. Will the price of bananas increase or decrease? Monkeys chatter. Their fingers are active and nimble. Heavy wagons rumble along the road. Does thunder shatter window-panes? Release the prisoner. He moans and groans. He loses money by gambling. The honest youth wears stylish clothes. His salary is paid weekly. ”

“ Write words in —ift with g, l, s, sh, sw, dr. Put a letter with —lip, —pit, —ring, —wing, —rock. Copy,—Yes, sir, I saw you.
Some men hunt a wolf. Hear the pig grunt. This axe is very blunt. Will you print our next story? Jack says that apple is hard as flint. Give him a hint to make less noise. I got a gift of candy and plums. Can we cross that swift river in a punt? Yes, but you may drift upon a rock. She says the wolf got over the river. ”

“ Words ending in ce or ge retain the e before the suffixes able and ous, in order to keep the soft sound of c or g; e.g., traceable, outrageous.
(ii) Words ending in ee, oe, or ye retain the final e when ing is added; e.g., freeing, shoeing, eyeing.
3. Monosyllables and words accented on the last syllable, if they end in a single consonant with a single vowel before it, usually double the final consonant before a vowel-suffix, e.g., clap, clapper; clan, clannish; nod, nodded; prefer, preferring. ”

“ Add —able to love, move, tame, blame, value; as, lovable.
A valiant cavalry charge won the fight. Bleak, level plains. The syrup dribbles. The profits dwindle away. Conceal the precious minerals. The brilliant light revealed several new features. Lambs bleat. Sun-bleached linen. The vestibule floor creaks. You resemble our estimable principal. Ice is water congealed. He ridicules the miner's bare pate. ”

“ Add —ing, —es, —ed, to spy, pry, bury, marry, hurry, worry; as, spying, spies, spied. Copy,—Our family's name.
Don't linger any longer. My fingers tingle with cold. Wait for the wee toddler. The maid's proud gait. Men jangle and wrangle over such trifles. Value this bungled piece of work. Two foul creeks mingle. Shingle the roof. The copper kettle. The cobbler sews shoes. He should scorn to beg. Don't scoff, or scowl at beggars. Doesn't he possess great wealth? ”

“ Noun with adjective: barefoot, lily-white, purse-proud, sea-green, sky-blue; (b) noun with participle: heart-rending, sea-faring, sea-girt, way-laid, worm-eaten; (c) adverb with participle: bygone, everlasting, far-reaching, high-strung, ill-pleased, well-bred; (d) noun with noun: iron-side, lion-heart; (e) nouns with nouns, adjectives, and adverbs, + ed: club-footed, gray-headed, tender-hearted, under-handed.
Compound Verbs are few:— (a) Verb with noun: backbite, browbeat, henpeck, hoodwink, kiln-dry; (b) verb with adjectives: dumbfound, fulfil, whitewash ”

“ The creek murmurs under the grassy turf. The boat lurched. Don't disturb the woman wearing the turban. Boys scuffle. Take off your wool muffler. He stutters. Play a game of authors. Shuffle the cards. The bridge totters. "Load the musket," he muttered. A fierce dog wears a muzzle. One-fourth of the land surface of the globe flies the Union Jack.
16
Adam
human
album
capital
several
sentence
enemy
annoy
employ
enjoy
royal
loyal
oysters
destroy
victory
Add —ing, —ed to lock, blot; twist, fit; risk, dip; drift, ship; as, locking, blotting; locked, blotted. Copy,—England, English. ”

“ Words ending in one l double it on adding a vowel suffix.
The comedian is a noted duellist, excelling in the use of the sword. The traveller was apparelled in the native barbarian costume. The councillor advocated artesian wells to give an inexhaustible supply of excellent water. The jeweller chiselled a gentian on the medallist's watch. The licensed victuallers scrutinized the quality of the towelling. A Presbyterian clergyman imperilled his life to extricate the decrepit vagrant. He shovelled the snow away to steer the sleigh easily. ”

“ English Suffixes.
Nouns.—The most important are:—
-ard, -art, denoting habit, or possession of a quality in an excessive degree: braggart, coward, drunkard, laggard, reynard, sluggard, wizard.
-craft, strength, skill, cunning: woodcraft, priestcraft, witchcraft.
-d, -t, -th, suffixed to roots: flood (from the root of flow) , seed (sow) ; drift (drive) , drought (dry) , flight (fly) ; death (die) , birth (bear) , sloth (slow) , health (heal) .
-dom, authority, dominion, quality, condition: earldom, kingdom, christendom, Saxondom, wisdom, freedom, serfdom. ”

“ Add —s to day, play, key, turkey, jay, monkey, boy, joy, alley, toy, way; as, days. Notice the vowel before y.
Two jockeys rode the prize donkeys. Fire two volleys up the valley. I lent four dozen alleys. Chimneys are built of brick and mortar. Turkeys are dear. He sees a turtle caught. The current of the river is rapid. The milk curdles. The crowd hustled the thief along. A freckled face. Nettles scratched his palms. A hostler stayed at our hotel. Don't tattle. Hickory is not brittle wood. Goats graze in the lane. ”

“ The u in the latter form is invariably dropped when the suffix ous is added.
The mien of the humorist when off the stage is dolorous. The corporal's valorous demeanor was highly commended. He was elected honorary president of the federated labor union. The villain's malice and rancor were severely censured. Her beauty and splendor cast a glamor over all. Deeds of valor are accomplished in the joyous fervor of youth. ”

“ A credible witness made affidavit that the plausible professor was an impostor. The laughter was inaudible. The competitor was ineligible, nor was his testimony deemed admissible. Beavers possess forcible incisors. The executor of the plaintiff's estate is incorruptible. God is our creator. The signature is illegible—a contemptible scrawl. Though perplexing, the project is feasible. Is cauliflower fairly digestible? They were admitted to the queen's presence and their beautiful presents accepted. Undue severity towards criminals is rarely permissible. I gain nought by climbing a knoll. ”