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PRACTICAL GRAMMAR

O F THE

ENGLISH LANGUAGE.

Of the General HEADS or DIVISIONS of the Subject of GRAMMAR.

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RAMMAR, when reduced to Practice, refolves itself into Four General Heads, viz. Orthography, Etymology, Syntax, and Profody.

ORTHOGRAPHY treats of the Pronunciation and Spelling of Syllables and Words.

ETYMOLOGY, of the feveral Sorts of Words, and of the Grammatic Variations which fome of them admit of, by Declenfion, Comparison, and Conjugation.

SYNTAX, of uniting Words into connected Series, expreffing the various Conceptions of the Mind of

Man.

PROSODY treats of the Compofition of Verse with due Regard to Harmony.

Some Knowledge of Orthography must be acquired before the other Parts of Grammar can be learned: And therefore it is proper to confider what is said on this Part as introductory to the reft.

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INTRODUCTION.

Concerning ORTHOGRAPHY, or the due Pronunciation and Spelling of Syllables and Words in the English Language.

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HE Sounds ufed in Language are called articulate Sounds.

A SYLLABLE is fuch an articulate Sound as can be uttered with one Impulfe of the Breath.

The Elements of Syllables are Letters.

These are

Twenty-fix in English, according to the following Table, which is called the English Alphabet.

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To thefe Letters may be added the Character &, which is used for and.

A LETTER is a Mark of a certain Position of the Organs of Speech, attended with a certain Manner of directing the Breath. This may be called the Articulation belonging to each Letter.

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Of the Letters in general.

HE general Divifion of the LETTERS is inte
VOWELS and CONSONANTS.

A, e, i, o, u, are Vowels, as likewife y and w in fome Applications of them. The rest of the Letters are Confonants.

The Articulation denoted by a VowEL is fuch, that it leaves a free Paffage to the Breath through the Lips: Therefore every Vowel may constitute a Syllable by itfelf;

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