Word compounded of the faid Syllables.

I have ventur'd to go so far out of the common Road, and old Track, as to omit the ufual Tables of Words of feveral Syllables, which make up the greatest Part of Spelling-Books; becaufe they do not feem to depend on, or have Connexion with any Rule; and I confin'd my self to Rules, and their Examples. Befides their Abfence is tolerably "Supply'd by the Words, which occur in my Remarks on the Letters in the firft Part; by the Tables of Syllables, and the Rules laid down for the Division of a Word into Syllables, in the Se

cond

cond Part; and by the neceffary Tables which are found in the Third Part.

I have nothing more to add, but to beg a favourable Accep tance of the following Sheets, in which I have taken more Pains, than will be easily believ'd by any who is not acquainted with the Difficulties of fuch an Under taking.

A

PART I.

of LETTERS.

Letter is the firft principle, that a word is made of.

Letters make fyllables; fyllables words; and words make fentences. The English Alphabet contains twenty-fix

Letters.

Letters join'd

¿t, fl, fi, ff, sh, si, îl, fl, ft, ffi, ffl, ffi, x, œ, x.

Letters are divided into vowels and confo

nants.

A vowel is a letter that makes a full and perfect found of it felf; without which there can be no fyllable.

There are fix vowels, viz.

a e io u y

2 is a vowel, when it follows a confonant, or a, e, o, in the fame fyllable, as by, day, key, boy.

A diphthong is the meeting of two vowels in one fyllable,

The English diphthongs are,

ai, ay, au, ei, ey, eu, oi, oy, ou, ea, ee, eo, ie, oa, oo, ui.

Note, that aw, ew, ow are not diphthongs, becaufe w is not a vowel; for if w were a vowel, it wou'd make a fyllable, either before or after a confonant, as all vowels do, which w cannot do, as you fee wb, or bw Spells nothing.

The Vowels that make no diphthongs are, ae, ao, ia, io, iu, oe, and ua, ue, uo, when they do not follow g or q..

Oe

Oe and we may be taken for diphthongs in the end of a word, as toe, true.

A triphthong is the meeting of three vowels in one fyllable, as eau in beauty; ieu in adieu; uai in quail.

A confonant is a letter that makes no found or fyllable, without the help of a vowel, either before or after it.

There are 21 confonants, viz. b, c,'d, f, g, b, j, k, l, m, n, p, q, r, s, t, v, w, x, y, z.

Note, that y is a confonant, when it comes before a vowel, in the beginning of a word or Syllable, as yarn, yet, be-yond, Conyers, law-yer.

;

His manifeftly a confonant; tho' excluded the number of letters by Prifcian, and fome others, on his Authority. It has as much force before a vowel, as any other confonant as appears by hat and bat, hen and pen, hit and bit, hot and pot, buff and cuff, &c. It is often mute; and fo are many other confonants in particular pofitions.

Confonants are divided into mutes, liquids,' neuters, and double confonants.

There are eleven mutes, viz. b, c, d, f, g, j, k, p, q, t, v.

Thefe are call'd mutes, because a liquid cannot be pronounc'd in the fame fyllable before a mute, when a vowel follows the mute, as iba, rpo. There are four liquids, viz. l, m, n,.r. B 2

They