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The Poffeffive Pronouns have likewise the final / foft; as, bis, hers, ours, yours, theirs.

S is alfo foft before y at the end of Words; as rofy, poefy: and in bofom, defire, wisdom, prifon, préfent, prefent, damfel, cafement, and fome few other Words.

It is usually foft before filent e; as, wife, rofe, infufe, &c. except verfe, herfe, worse, and fome few others.

S after a Vowel, and before ion, founds like z long and liquid; as, derifion, confufion; but like s after a Confonant and before ion; as, Converfion, difperfion.

Sis quiefcent in Isle, Island, Demesne, Viscount.

Th denotes an Articulation which few Languages have except the English *. The Tip of the Tongue touches the inward Edge of the upper Teeth, while the Breath is pushed fo as to pass by the Sides of the Tongue and make them vibrate. If all or most of the Breath paffes through the Lips, the Sound of th is rough: If Part of it paffes up to the Roof of the Mouth, and thence through the Nofe, the Sound is fmooth. Thus, it is hard in thank, think, throw, thruft, &c. But fmooth in that, thus, thou, thee, thy, they, their, there, this, thefe, thofe, them, though: And in all Words between two Vowels, or between r and a Vowel; as, father, mother, within, farther, farthing, &c.

To foften that the End of Words, the filent e is ufually fubjoined; as from Bath, to bathe; from Breath, to breathe; from Cloth, to clothe, &c.

The

* The Letters tb are placed together in several modern Languages, but are not pronounced as in English.

The following Rules perhaps may be of Ufe to Foreigners, by directing them in those Inftances of the English Pronunciation, in which they ufually find the greatest Difficulty.

1. C before a, o, u, as k exprefs;
But before e or i speak c as s.

2. If in an English Word c-b you fee, Before c-b articulate a t.

3. G before a, o, u, is hard in Sound;
Or at the End of any Word if found;
And before i except that open g
In giant, gibbet, gilly-flower muft be;
And ginger, gingle, gipfy, giblets claim,
And gibe, giles, gill, and likewise gin the fame.
G before e is foft; except in gear,

Geld, geefe, get, gewgaw, and when Words appear
With before the Termination er.
g

And if a fimple Word in hard g ends,

The like on its Derivatives attends.

4. To speak I confonant pronounce a d As followed by a y or open g.

5. On th' Edge of th' upper Teeth the Tongue you

prefs

To speak T-b, and breathe as for an

Of

* But in Harbinger, Warfinger, Ginger, and perhaps in fome few

other Words ending in er, the g is open, or soft.

ΤΗ

Of Punctuation.

HIS may be confidered as introductory to the Knowledge of Language. For it relates to whatsoever is written or printed; and is intended to mark the different Pauses or Refts, as they are observed in a correct Pronunciation of any Series of connected Words.

There are four Marks, or Points, made ufe of for this Purpose. Their Names and Figures are as follows.

The Period or full Stop,

The Colon,

The Semicolon,

The Comma,

thus marked.

The Period or full Stop is placed at the End of a full Sentence +, which is not confidered as connected in Conftruction with the following Sentence.

A Member of a Sentence, which would make a compleat Sentence by itself, requires a Colon.

A Member of a Sentence, which would not amount to a compleat Sentence by itself, takes a Semicolon, if it express so confiderable a Part of the Sense, as requires an especial Attention to it.

Other imperfect Phrafes, which exprefs lefs confiderable Parts of the Senfe, yet fo that these Parts require fome Distinction, are distinguished by a Comma.

The

For the Nature of a full Sentence, see what is faid of the Definitive Verb; and likewise confult Rule VII, of the following Syntax

The following Expreffion may be confidered as an Example of the Ufe of the Points:

No Man can ferve two Mafters: For either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and defpife the other. New Teft.

The exact Diftinction between the Colon and Semicolon feems to be little regarded. Nor is it very material.

Befides the Points above-mentioned, there is the Mark of Interrogation (?) ufed after the Words of a Queftion: That of Exclamation (!) used after many of the Interjections, and other Expreffions of Paffion: And the Parenthefis () which is used to inclose a Sentence, when included in another, without being neceffary to compleat the Senfe or Construction. As,

Who hath believed our Report? and to whom is the Arm of the Lord revealed?

But Job anfwered and faid, Oh that my Grief were throughly weighed, and my Calamity laid in the Ballances together!

Then Fael fmote the Nail into his Temples, and faftened it to the Ground: (for he was fast asleep, and weary) fo he died. Old Teft.

BOOK

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Of Etymology, or the feveral different Sorts of Words.

Tare ufually confidered in Grammar as Eight:

HE Sorts of Words of which Language confifts,

When thus confidered they are called THE PARTS OF SPEECH, and diftinguished by the following Names:

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And to thefe, in English, we may add THE ARTICLE.

Please to obferve that by an Object is meant in this Book, not only a Thing that is vifible; but likewise whatsoever gives Occasion to any Conception, such as that the Mind can attend to that Conception fingly.

And that by a coalefcent Circumftance is meant fuch as unites with an Object, without encreafing the Number of the Object.

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YOUNS are the Names of Objects or coalefcent Circumstances, not confidered as beginning, continuing, ending, being renewed, destroyed, and again repeated, fo as to fuit any Occafion.

For the Object or Circumftance denoted by a Noun not fubject to the Numbers of Repetition once, twice,

thrice,

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