RULE.

Each syllable on which the accent falls must be uttered with its proper and distinctive stress of voice.

EXAMPLES.

1. Farm'er, pa'per, at'las, grap'ple, fam'ish, sad'ness, vin'dicate, mag'ni-tude, reg'is-ter, plen'i-tude, fal'la-cy.

2. A-dorn', ex-cite', in-vite', re-strain', con-tain', re-cito', in-ten'tion, im-mer'sion, con-version, vo-ca'tion, re-demption. 3. Co-in-cide', coun-ter-act', dis-em-bark', in-dis-creet', prema-ture', ad-u-la'tion, dim-i-nu'tion, mal-e-fac'tor.

NOTE. Besides the Primary Accent which has been illustrated in the preceding examples, there is another that usually occurs in words of more than two syllables, called the Secondary Accent. It is less forcible than the primary, and is marked thus ("); as in as"pi-ra'tion, contradic'tion.

EXAMPLES.

Inter-vene', con"tra-dict', in"ter-rupt', ad"o-ra'tion, tem'po-ra"ry, e''man'ci-pate, in"'ap'pli-ca-ble, in'ter-est"'ing, im"per-cep'ti-ble, ges''tic-u-la'tion, im-pen"e-tra-bil'i-ty.

EXERCISE.

TEMPTATION RESISTED.

[The teacher may require the class to point out the accented syllable or syllables in all the words of this piece having two or more syllables.]

1. A poor boy was once employed to sweep a chimney that was connected with the bed-chamber of a princess. When he came out into the room, he found no person there; and he stopped a few minutes to look about him, and see the beautiful things.

2. What pleased him most was a gold watch and some jewels which lay upon the toilet table. He could not restrain himself from taking the watch into his hand

and holding it up to his ear; and the wicked thought came into his mind, "O, if I could only have such a watch!"

3. The next thought was, "Suppose I should take it away?" and the next thought was, " O, that would be stealing!"

4. "But no one would know it," he said to himself

"Shall I?" and his whole body trembled as he looked around. "Shall I?"

5. "Then I shall be a wicked man all my life long.

I shall never be able to sleep in peace.

I shall never

be able to look any body in the face again; and if I should be found out!

6. "But I can't be found out; for nobody sees me. Nobody? Yes, God sees me; for he is in every place, and sees all things. How can I ever pray to him again when I have turned thief? And when I come

to die!"

7. This thought made him shudder. "No!" he said aloud, as he laid the watch down on the table; "better be poor, and have a good conscience, than rich and wicked." So he crept up the chimney again, and went away.

8. Now it so happened that the princess was all this time in an adjoining room, and saw all he did, and heard his last words.

9. The next day she sent for him. "Boy," said she, "when you were in the chamber yesterday, why did you not take the watch and the jewels?"

10. The boy trembled all over, and did not know what to say; for he felt as if he had done

in touching the things.

wrong even

11. The princess went on. "I saw and heard you. Thank God, my boy, that he helped you to resist temptation.

12. "From this time you shall stay with me. I will feed and clothe you, and pay for your education, and put you in a way that, when you have grown up, you may have money enough to buy such things for yourself."

13. The warm tears burst forth from the boy's eyes; and he would have thanked her; but he could not speak.

14. The princess kept her word. The boy was well

brought up; and his benefactress had the pleasure of seeing him become a good, upright, and happy man.

QUESTIONS. What is accent? How is it marked? How may you ascertain the accented syllable of a word when there is doubt? What is the rule for accent? Pro nounce the first class of examples under it. Which syllable is accented? Pronounce the second class of examples. Which syllable is accented? Pronounce the third class of examples. Which syllable is accented? What is this kind of accent called? What is secondary accent? How is it marked? Pronounce the examples. Which syllable has the primary accent in each word? Which has the secondary accent? Which syllable in the word employed, in the first paragraph of the reading lesson, has the primary accent? Point out other words accented on the second syllable. Which syllable in the word chimney, in the first paragraph, has the primary accent? Point out other words accented on the first syllable. Which syllable in the word education, in the twelfth paragraph, has the primary accent? Can you point out any others in the piece accented on the third syllable? Which syllable in the word temptation, in the eleventh paragraph, has the primary accent? Which the secondary? Point out the primary and secondary accents in other, words. What is the moral of this lesson?

CHAPTER IV.

EMPHASIS.

EMPHASIS is a forcible stress of voice on some word or words in a sentence, to distinguish them from others, on account of their relative import

ance.

Emphatic words are sometimes printed in italics; when more emphatic, in small CAPITALS; and when very emphatic, in large CAPITALS.

NOTE. — A change of emphasis in the same sentence often varies its meaning.

EXAMPLE.

Will you go to New York to-day? No; I shall go to

morrow.

Will you go to New York to-day? No; I shall go to Boston.

Will you go to New York to-day?
Will you go to New York to-day?

No; I shall send.
No; my son will go.

SECTION I.

RULE 1. Words that are very important, or peculiarly significant in their meaning, are emphatic.

EXAMPLES.

1. Speak the truth at all times.

2. When you have done wrong, do not seek to hide it. 3. Let not any thing tempt you to say what is not true. 4. If a boy will steal, we know that he is a thief.

5. A good child will not steal nor tell a lie.

6. Let not mercy and truth forsake thee; bind them about thy neck; write them upon the table of thine heart.

7. The way of wisdom is the way of

peace.

8. The laws! the LAWs! I ask for the LAWS!

9. Faults are pliable in infancy, changeable in childhood, more RESOLUTE in youth, FIRMLY ROOTED in manhood, and INFLEXIBLE in old age.

EXERCISE.

THE SAILOR Boy.

[The class may be required to point out the emphatic words in this piece, and tell how they should be read.]

1. As a schooner was sailing near Montauk Point, Long Island, she was suddenly struck by a heavy gust of wind and upset; and immediately she sunk. A boat, from a vessel near by, was quickly sent to save any who had not gone down with her.

2. On coming near where the ill-fated schooner was last seen, they found a little boy, about twelve years old, floating on some wood, and went to take him off.

3. As they came near him, with a greatness of soul not often seen in young or old, he said, "Never mind me; save the captain. He has a wife and six children."