A NEW SPELLING BOOK, ADAPTED TO THE DIFFERENT CLASSES OF PUPILS: COMPILED WITH A VIEW TO RENDER THE ARTS OF SPELLING AND READING BASY AND PLEASANT TO CHILDREN, BY JOHN COMLY, FOURTH EDITION. PHILADELPHIA: PRINTED AND SOLD BY KIMBER AND CONRAD, District of Pennsylvania, to wit: BE IT REMEMBERED, that on the twenty-second day of January, in the thirtieth year of the Independence of the United States of America, A. D. 1806, Kimber, Conrad & Co. of the said District, have deposited in this office, the title of a book, the right whereof they claim as proprietors, in the words following, to wit: "A New Spelling Book, adapted to the different classes of Pupils: Compiled with a view to render the arts of Spelling and Reading easy and pleasant to children. By John Comly." In conformity to the act of the Congress of the United States, entitled" An act for the encouragement of learning, by securing the copies of maps, charts, and books, to the authors and proprietors of such copies during the times therein mentioned. And also to the act, entitled, 'An act supplementary to an act, entitled "An act for the encouragement of learning, by securing the copies of maps, charts, and books, to the authors and proprietors of such copies during the time therein mentioned,' and extending the benefits thereof to the arts of designing, engraving, and etching historical and other prints." D. CALDWELL, PREFACE. THE publication of a new Spelling Book, in addition to the number already in print, may at first view appear unnecessary: It must, however, be admitted on reflection, that there is ample room for improvement in accommodating the first lessons of instruction to infant minds. A careful attention to the progressive powers of children, in acquiring a knowledge of the combination of letters, so as to form appropriate sounds, and an experience of the embar rassments which attend beginners, owing to the injudicious arrangement and general plan of the first books put into their hands, have induced this attempt to smooth the path of correct orthography and pronunciation of the English language. With this view the author has endeavoured, in the first part of the work to avoid examples in spelling, which tend to confuse the ideas of the pupil; such as different sounds of the same vowels in monosyllables, and complex combinations of letters; reserving these until the pupil can connect three or four syllables, when they are encountered with less difficulty. In the division of syllables, the absurdity of always joining a consonant that occurs between two vowels to the latter syllable, in such words as gra vel, li nen, se ve ral, &c. has been avoided, and the most natural division, according with right pronunciation attended to, as grav el, lin en, &c. and to exercise the pupil in the division of words, a few columns are occasionally given undivided, which may be passed over, or not, at the discretion of the teacher. In the second part are words of more difficult orthography, and the monosyllables are interspersed among words of two or more syllables; by this plan of arrangement, variety in the pupils lessons is introduced, so as to prevent disgusting monotony. In most of the lessons of polysyllables, the leading vowel of the accented syllable is placed over each column, and marked with the figure denoting its sound according to the annexed scheme. The orthoepy of Jones and Walker, has been generally consulted; and although the vowel sounds of the former have been mostly preferred, yet in some of the lessons, particularly such as contain the sound of u, it appeared necessary to depart from the beaten track; accordingly a number of words are marked ů which lexicographers have generally classed with those of ù. The third part contains a selection of proper names, beginning with capitals. A vocabulary of a large number of words, divid ed, accented and explained, compose the fourth part. The fifth part is an abstract of the author's English Grammar, designed as an introduction to that work. In the selection of the reading lessons, the principal object has been to observe an easy gradation, and to adapt instruction and information to the capacities and understandings of children. JOHN COMLY. COMLY'S SPELLING-BOOK. PART I. THE ALPHABET. a b c d e f go hijklmn o p q r s t u v w x y z. nrd psmo wet bcx q fika u zgvhfyj. A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z. DFNT OZJ MRHEBX PI KLUCA G Q S Y V W. A Italics. f g h i j k l m n o a b c d e f g p q r s t u v w x y z. A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P2RST U V W X Y Z A |