9

FAULTY PRONUNCIATION.

[The words contained in the subjoined list are frequently mispronounced. The correction is purposely omitted, in order that it may be made by the pupil himself on consulting a dictionary. It is thought that a little pains in looking out the word, will be more likely to make him remember the correction. A portion of the list may be given with each of the reading lessons, until the whole is thoroughly impressed on the memory.]

Words. Mispronounced. Words. Mispronounced. Again Agane buoy

boy allies alleys burst

bust aisle alley been

ben are air bleat

blaat apprentice printice boil

bile arbitrary arbitary bonnet

bunnet architect ch as in church beard

baird archives do. do. buoyant boyant arctic artic

Camphor Camfire altercation awltercation caterpillar catapiller ague agur

children childern abutment butment cloyed clyde arrearage rearage causeway crossway anatomy notamy chimney chimbly artificer artifisser coiled quirled asylum as-ylum

committee

commit-teé attacked attackted compensate cóm-pensate - axletree exeitree conceit

consate andiron handiron conference confrence another a-nother construe

conster appraise apprize considerable considable arithmetic rethmetic corps

corpse asparagus sparrow-grass cover

kiver alternately awlternately curtsey curchy Baptist Babtist

}

* An affected and very flat pronunciation of this venerable word, never heard until lately.

pith

Words. Mispronounced. Words. Mispronounced. mermaid maremaid seamstress seemstress mountainous mountainious second

secont muskmelon mushmelon sabbath-day sabbaday money-purse money-puss

shut

shet Necessitated Necessiated since

sense northward nothard sit

set nothing nawthing slothful slawthful nowise noways sat

sot Oil Ile shoot

shute oblige obleege slaver or slabber slobber obstreperous obstroperous steadfast steadfast offering offring spoliation spoilation Panther Painter sewed

sued partner pardner soot

sut partridge patridge spoil

spile pincers pinchers

stone

stun plait pleet stamp

stomp portentous portenchous sword

sword
peth
such

sich pompion or pumpkin, pungkin sauce

saas potion portion

sacrifice

sac-ri-fis precedence présedence

isaucer prophecy prophesỹ sausage sassage Quoit Quate Tariff

Tā-rif quash squash tassell

tossel quay quay

tedious tejus Retrograde Retrogade terrestrial terrestial rapine ra-pine towards to-wards raillery

ra-lery trophy troffy really ra-ly

thill

fill rear rare thirsty

thusty reptile reptile

sasser

12

SUGGESTIONS TO TEACHERS.

The introductory lessons should be thoroughly practised upon, until the scholars have perfectly mastered the subject of inflections, and are able readily to distinguish them by the ear, and execute them with the voice.

When a reading lesson is finished, they should be required to give some account of what they have been reading about, and be questioned on each part in detail. Their attention should be directed to any passage or sentiment in the lesson, which is beautiful or striking, and no pains be spared to make them think, and exercise their own taste. Scholars should be required to define every word in the lesson, the meaning of which they would not be likely to know without consulting a dictionary, and to give a definition, which being substituted for the word itself, will preserve the sense of the sentence. This exercise is highly useful and improving.

Orthography may also be best learned from the reading lesson ; and a part of the regular exercise should be, to spell all the more difficult words. In learning orthography and definitions, a reading book is preferable to a dictionary or a spelling book, because the words occur with their inflections ; such as the person of verbs, the number and case of nouns, &c., and because, they are more likely to be words in frequent use, and on that account most important to be known. Moreover, the exact import and force of a term is best learned from its connection with others in a sentence; whereas, in a dictionary, words stand detached, with no relation to each other but that of alphabetic succession

AMERICAN CLASS-READER.

INTRODUCTORY LESSONS.

LESSON I.

Articulation.

I. The first requisite to good reading, is distinctarticulation; or the giving to every letter in a word, itsappropriate sound, so as to make it distinctly perceptible to the ear. This contributes far more to being well heard and distinctly understood, than mere loudness or strength of voice. Much of the wear and tear of lungs might be spared, if public speakers would bestow more attention on the cultivation of their organs, and the acquiring of the power of distinct articulation, and rely less upon vociferation, to make themselves audible.

II. One very common fault of articulation, is that of clipping or suppressing certain letters in a word or syllable; as, consis for consists, mornin for morning, victry for victory, correcly for correctly, blieve for believe, distincly for distinctly, predics for predicts, evry for every, reglar for regular.