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NOTE.--This rule has an extensive application, and the main exceptions are found in those words which may be used, either as nouns or verbs. When used as nouns, the accent, in most cases, rests on the first syllable; as, an éx-tract, his cón-duct; but when used as verbs, the accent commonly falls on the second; as, to ex-tract, to con-duct.

1st Rule. All words of one syllable, becoming words of two syllables, by adding the following single suffixes, as seen italicised in the examples, invariably retain the accent on the first syllable; viz:

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2d Rule. All words of one syllable, becoming words of three or four syllables, by the addition of the following combined suffixes, as italicised, always retain the main accent on the first syllable; viz :

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3d Rule. All words of three or more syllables, ending in ability, ibility, ical, ity or ety, have the main accent, invariably, on the antepenult; as sensibility, económical, curiósity.

NOTE. When two vowels come together in words ending in ity, the one under accent is always long, as Deity. If one consonant intervene, all are short except u; as levity. If two consonants intervene, u is short; as curvity,

4th Rule. All that numerous class of words consisting of no more than three syllables, the last letter of which is y, not preceded by a vowel, as in attorney, nor mute e before ly, as in profusely, are very uniformly accented on the first syllable, as félony, ártery.

5th Rule. All words ending in tion, sion, ion, cious, tious, ciate, tiate, cient, tient, tial, tia, cian, cial, cia, ceous, geous, gious, and geon, when pronounced in one syllable, invariably take the main accent on the syllable preceding those terminations; as confederátion. Nothing but ity after al, in words in ion, ever removes the accent; as nátion, national, nationálity.

NOTE. When the above terminations are preceded by a vowel, it is very uniformly long; as loquacious, unless it be i, which is uniformly short; as ambition.

6th Rule. All words of three or more syllables, having the following terminations, viz: cracy, gamy, graphy, logy, machy, metry, nomy, phony, pathy, tomy, thropy, lysis, ferous, gerous, vorous, always take the accent on the antepenult, as:

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NOTE. No change in the above terminations, as astronomy into astronomer, &c.; nor any addition of prefixes or suffixes, except cian, ial, and ic, ever changes the place of accent.

7th Rule. All words ending in ics, (politics excepted,) are accented on the penult; as óptics, mechanics.

8th Rule. Words ending in ic when a suffix, and with few exceptions when otherwise, are accented on the penult; as dramátic, alphabétic.

NOTE. The suffix ic, when added to words of more than one syllable, always changes the place of accent; as méthod, methodic; except in six cases, as chóleric.

9th Rule. All words of two syllables, ending in le, including no other vowel in the same syllable, are always accented on the first, as círcle; but if the word consist of more than two syllables, the accent, with few exceptions, falls on the antepenult; as árticle.

NOTE. The suffixes able and ible never fall under this rule, except the world a-ble. Words of two syllables frequently add r, as cóbbler; but never change the accent.

10th Rule. Words of three or more syllables, ending in ate, with a single consonant between the vowel of the penult syllable and ate, (including cr and tr;) or with no consonant intervening, take the accent on the antepenult; as fáb-ri-cate, re-tál-i-ate, cón-se-crate. But if two conso

nants, other than cr and tr intervene, the accent is on the penult; as in-cár-nate.

NOTE.-The exceptions are, mágistrate, législate, potentate, péregrinate, and a few words always known by the doubling of 1. REMARK.-This is evidence that contemplate, compensate, and such words of disputed accent, should come under the rule of double consonants.. Words in ate often drop e, and take ion, adding a syllable, and changing the accent; as ém-u-late, em-u-lá-tion. Rule 5.

11th Rule. Words in ment of three or more syllables, ending the penult in ize, ish, or a vowel, take the accent on the antepenult, as bánishment; but if the penult end with a consonant, mute e, or a diphthong, the accent rests on the penult, as department, confínement, enjoyment.

NOTE.-The exceptions are but few, and easily distinguished. Al, ary, and ative, always bring the accent to ment, as áliment, alimént, al-ary, árgument, argumentative.

12th Rule. All words of three syllables in able, ible, ably, ibly, and all words of four syllables, in ableness, ibleness, are accented on the first, as móvable, blámable

ness.

13th Rule. All words in tive, preceded by a single consonant, mp or nc, and all words in ive, preceded by s or c, (except substantive and adjective,) are accented on the penult; as illúsive, reténtive, comprehensive.

14th Rule. All words of three syllables in ary and ory, (except canáry and vagáry,) are accented on the first, as sálary, mémory.

NOTE.-Canary and vagary ought not to be exceptions.

15th Rule. All words in ary and ory, preceded by s, or in which tary and tory, are preceded by p or c, are accented on the antepenult; as persuásory, peremptory. The only exceptions are adversary, with five others, doubling s; as prómissory. But all other words of four syllables only, in this class, are accented on the first, as mónitory.

II. General Rule. Two methods for finding the accented syllable in all words of more than three syllables, in ive or able, and of more than four in ary and ory. 1st. The accent, very uniformly, rests on the first syllable of the root, as con-fórmable. If a single letter of the root unites with a prefix, or that letter is doubled for euphony, it usu

ally carries the accent; as prédicable. 2d. When the words of these terminations are accurately divided into their proper syllables, according to the established rules of syllibication, the accent, with very few exceptions, falls on the first syllable ending with a consonant, and preceding those terminations, as cótemporary.

NOTE. Nearly all exceptions to this second method are words in which the antepenult syllable ends in on, or, it, er, or ment; as párdonable, hábitable, conféderative, &c.

16th Rule. All words of more than two syllables in fy, invariably take the accent on the antepenult; as glórify, persónify.

17th Rule. Words of three or more syllables in ous, having a single consonant between the vowel of the penult syllable and ous, or with no consonant intervening, are accented on the antepenult; as parsimonious. But if two consonants intervene, the accent is on the penult; as treméndous.

NOTE. The exceptions do not exceed twelve words, two of which, canórous and sónorous, ought not to be included.

18th Rule. As, es, is or os, preceding ent or ence, as the last syllable, are always under accent; as convalescent.

19th Rule. Words of three or more syllables in ant, ent, ance and ence, when a single consonant comes between the vowel of the penult syllable and the vowel of the final syllable, or when no consonant intervenes, are accented on the antepenult, as equivalent; but if two consonants intervene, or the final syllable or penult contains a diphthong, the accent falls on the penult; as refúlgent, achiévance, convénient.

NOTE.-The exceptions in this numerous class of words are but few. Under the first clause of the rule, they may commonly be known by u, v, r, or i, before ant or ent; and in the second clause by s, st, or ll, before ant or ent. Al and ial always bring the accent to ent; as párent, paréntal, cónsequent, consequéntial.

REMARK.-Most words in cy are derived from those ending in ant, ent, ance, ence, or ate, by dropping t and e final, and adding y or cy; as urgent, úrgency, délicate, délicacy. Cy always adds a syllable, but never changes the accent.

III. General Rule. Words of more than two syllables, the last two letters of which are al, an, ar, or um, having but one consonant (and oftentimes none) between the vowel

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of the penult syllable and those terminations, are very generally accented on the antepenult, as ma-té-rial; but if two consonants intervene, the accent commonly falls on the penult; as diúrnal.

NOTE. The terminations orial and lar uniformly accent the antepenult. The main exceptions to the rule are, when v, s, or e precede those terminations, when it usually falls on the penult; as idéal.

20th Rule. Words of three syllables in ize, ist, ism, are uniformly accented on the first; as légalize. But if the word consist of four or more syllables, the accent, with very few exceptions, is one on the pre-antepenult; as partícularize, presbytérianism.

NOTE. The exceptions are among such words as have prefixes; as extémporize, monópolize, marking the root by accent.

21st Rule. Words of more than two syllables in ude, are accented on the antepenult; as látitude, decrépitude.

22d Rule. Words of three syllables, the first two of which are prefixes, and words ending in ade, are very uniformly accented on the last; as intercéde, lemonáde.

23d Rule. Words ending in ure, with few exceptions, take the accent on the first syllable of the root; as figure, literature; pro-cúre, en-clósure.

OBSERVATION.-After the place of accent has been found in the several classes of words, according to the above Rules, thousands of other words are, by prefixes and suffixes, afterwards formed from them. The accent, however, as first found, is seldom changed by any suffixes subsequently added, except by such as come under Special Rules. For a single example of this, take a word in ate, coming under Rule 10, as:

Commúnicate, ed, ing, ble, bleness, ive, ively, iveness, ory, ion, bility. Here the accent remains unchanged, till ion and bility are added, when it is removed, as per Rules 5th and 3d.

In a few instances, the adding of a prefix or suffix, throws back the first letter of the root to the prefix, and with it the accent; as pró-bate, rép-ro-bate, pre-fer, préf-er-ence. No suffixes move the accent after fixed by ic or ous; as drá-ma, dra-màt-ic, al, ally, mél-o-dy, me-ló-di-ous, ously, ousness. Many of the suf fixes go in families, as faith-ful, fully, full-ness, less, lessly, lessness, co-hére, ent, ence, ently, ency, &c.

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