INTRODUCTION.

It can not be too often, or too emphatically, impressed on the minds of those who desire to read well, that they must study to acquire the same easy, graceful, and natural tone and manner in reading, which persons of education and taste use in speaking. It is important, therefore, to observe closely the manner of those who read and speak well.

But, of course, no one can be taught to read well until he has learned to articulate distinctly and pronounce his words correctly. He must also pay due attention totime,inflectionandemphasis. The following rules and exercises, taken from the best sources, will be found very useful. They are made as simple and plain as possible, but are at the same time moderately full.

Pronunciation is good when all the letters and syllables in every word, are uttered with due force and proper fullness of sound. To pronunciation belongarticulationandaccent.

A correctarticulationrequires that every vowel, and,of course, every syllable in a word, be uttered with fulness and distinctness.

A correctaccentuationrequires that a peculiar stress be laid on one or more syllables of a word, and, of course, that the other syllables be pronounced with less stress, or force. In most words it is sufficient to accent one syllable. In monosyllables there can be no accent, as ifonesyllable were pronounced with force, there would benosyllable left to be passed over lightly.

I. Avoid suppressing any syllable or part of a syllable.

Do not say:

II. Avoid substituting one sound for another. Do not say:

III. Avoid adding to, or taking from the sound of the word.

Do not say:

IV. Avoid pronouncing words alike which are notpreciselyalike. Do not say:

[See exercises on these and similar words in the author’s “Columbian Spelling Book.”]

V. Avoid blending the end of a word with the beginning of the next. Do not confound—

The remarks onAccentuationin the third book of this series have already familiarized the learner with the uses of accent. He has learned how accent determines the pronunciation of words, and how it shows, in many cases, the sounds of the vowels. He has also learned, that many words are differently accented, and, of course, differently pronounced, when used as nouns, from the manner in which they are accented and pronounced, when used as verbs.

We shall not repeat what we have there explained; but we will here inform the pupil, that while all words of more than one syllable have one accented syllable, almost all words of more than three syllables have two accented syllables. These two syllables are not accented with equal force, and this makes necessary the termsPrimary Accent, andSecondary Accent.

Where two syllables are accented in the same word, that which has the greater amount of stress laid upon it, receives the primary accent (generally marked ˝), and that which has the less amount of stress laid upon it, receives the secondary accent (generally marked ˊ or ˋ).

Observing the proper position of the accent, and paying particular attention to it, is indispensable for goodreading. Those who fail to do so, always read with a drawling, monotonous tone, and cannot please their hearers. There is no precision in their pronunciation, and there can be no clearness in their enunciation. (See the “Columbian Spelling Book,” page 105, where the nature and uses of accents are treated of at considerable length.)

The second requisite of good reading is, that due regard be paid totime: if the reader hurries on without making the necessary pauses, the pronunciation is not only indistinct, but the sense is often altogether lost; and if he hesitates, making pauses where none should be made, and reads without animation or spirit, the sense is equally injured, or made difficult to ascertain, and the reading is of that drawling kind to which it is so tiresome to listen.

Those who desire to become good readers, then, must pay due attention to the pauses which should be made. Pauses are of two kinds, Grammatical Pauses, which are marked by characters, and Rhetorical Pauses, which are not marked by characters, but which the sense of what you read, requires to be made. We shall first speak of theGrammatical Pauses; they are—

The Parenthesis () is used to inclose some word or words which are not essential to the structure of the sentence; and the Dash (—) is used to denote a sudden breaking or turning off in the discourse or sentence.

When any of these points is met with in reading, there must be a pause of greater or less duration. You should stop at the comma about as long as you would be saying a word, or while you can draw breath; at the others you should stop a little longer, but there can be no proper time fixed upon; the sense and requirements of the sentence or clause must always determine. It is usual to stop longer at each subsequent pause marked in the table, than at the preceding one; thus, longer at the semicolon than the comma, longer at the colon than the semicolon, and so on. This cannot be given as an invariable rule, however, due attention to the sense of the passage read being the best possible, indeed, the only way in which the proper duration of the pause can be determined.

Rhetorical Pausesare such as the sense requires, though not marked by characters. It will be at once perceived, that the proper making of them is much more difficult to the young reader, than those of which we have just spoken; and yet, if he desires to read with grace and elegance, he cannot dispense with them. We do not think that very young learners will be benefited much by studying rules for making rhetorical pauses, (they can be made to understand their proper use and place more readily by a competent teacher,) but we give a few of the most useful and simple.

4.The rhetorical pause should be made after the objective in sentences of inverted construction; as—To my mother | give my fond remembrance. On all sides | were carnage and death. On Linden | when the sun was low. On this side of the grave | there is no real happiness.

Emphasis is a peculiar stress laid on words for the purpose of distinguishing themfrom, or contrastingthemwithother words; also for the purpose of drawing marked attention to any particular word.

EXAMPLES.

1. I spoke notfor| butagainstCæsar.

2. I did not sayhere| butthere.

3. You say | he ishonest. There is not | a moredishonestman | in town.

4. I care not | who isin| or | who isout.

5. We have offended against the lord |already.

6. He | who cannotbeara joke | should notgivea joke.

7.Littleminds | arecrushedby misfortune, whengreatones |rise aboveit.Heraised amortal tothe skies, |shedrew anangel down.

8. Many mistakeloveof virtue | forvirtue.

Emphasis is sometimes laid only on particular syllables of a word; as—

1. What issaid| cannot beunsaid.

2. He willdecrease| but I willincrease.

3. There is seldomconvenience| withoutinconvenience.

4. Todo| and toundo | are common things.

Emphasis isslight,strong, andvehement; as—

1. Let our motto be |our country, ourwhole country, and | NOTHING BUT OUR COUNTRY.

3. If I was an American | as I am an Englishman, I wouldneverlay down my arms—never,never, NEVER.

4. Theunion, itshall| and MUST bepreserved.

5.Rise|arch of the ocean, andqueen of the west!

6.Romeo,Romeo,whereforeart thouRomeo?

The following admirable observations onemphasisare worthy of attention.

“In every sentence, and clause of a sentence, there is one or more words which require to be pronounced with a greater degree of force than the other words. Without knowing and marking theaccentedsyllables in words, we cannot give them their proper pronunciation; nor can we bring out the full meaning of a sentence, unless we know and mark theemphaticwords. The accented syllables of words we learn by imitating the pronunciation of correct speakers; and by referring, in cases of doubt, to a dictionary in which they are given. The emphatic words in a sentence we can only learn by knowing their relative importance in it, and the precise meaning which the writer of it intended each of them to convey. In fact, if we know the meaning and drift of the sentence, we shall have no difficulty in discovering the emphatic words. In all such cases they are naturally and spontaneously suggested to us, just as they are to persons uttering or speaking their own sentiments. For even the most illiterate persons are sure, when uttering their own sentiments, to lay the proper emphasis on their words; though they may, and very often do, give them the wrongaccents. If a laboring man, for example, were to say, “It is a spade, and not a shovel that I want,” he would be sure to pronounce the words “spade” and “shovel” with a greater degree of force than the other words; because he wishes to draw the particular attention of the person whom he addresses to theideasor things which they represent. Had he merely said, “It is a spade I want,” he would nevertheless have pronounced the word “spade” emphatically, because he wished it to be particularly understood that it was aspade, and not any other implement, such as a shovel, that he wanted. Should he say, “Is the spade broken?” he would pronounce the word “broken” emphatically; because his object is to obtain precise information on that point. But if he should say, “Is it the spade that is broken?”he will lay the emphasis on the word “spade,” and not upon “broken;” because, understanding that there is some implement broken, he wishes to be informed whether it is thespade. Again, should he say, “Is it my spade that is broken?” he will lay the emphasis on the word “my”; because he desires to know whether the spade that is broken ishisor not. Should he ask, “Who broke the spade?” he will lay the emphasis on the word “who;” because, being already aware that the spade is broken, his object in making the inquiry is, to learn the name of the person who broke it. And, lastly should he say, “How was the spade broken?” he will make “how” the emphatic word; because, in this case, he wishes to be informed of the manner or way in which the accident occurred.

“It is obvious from what has been said, that if we understand the meaning of what we read, in the same degree as a person understands the thoughts which he utters, we shall, like him, naturally and spontaneously lay theemphasison the proper words. It is equally obvious, that if we do not understand the meaning of what we read, we shall either have to pronounce all the words with the same degree of force—which would be absurd—or to run the risk of perverting the meaning of the author, by laying the emphasis on the wrong words. The following sentence will exemplify this:—“O fools and slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have written concerning me.” If we perceive that the intention of our Saviour was to reproach his disciples for theirbackwardnessin believing, we shall, in reading it, naturally lay the principal emphasis on the word “slow.” But if we do not see that this was the object of the speaker, the chances are we shall lay the emphasis on one of the other words, and thus change or pervert the meaning. For example, if we lay the emphasis on “believe,” it would imply that the disciples were reproached forbelieving; if on “all,” then the inference would be that they might have believedsomeof the things which the prophets had written, but that it was foolish in themto believeall. If we lay the emphasis on “prophets,” it would imply that they might have believedothers, but that they were fools for believing theprophets; if on “written,” the inference would be, that though they might have believed what the prophets hadsaid, it was foolish in them to believe what they hadwritten; and, finally, if we lay the emphasis on “me,” it would imply that though they might have believed what the prophets had written concerningothers, yet they were fools for believing what they had written concerning theSaviour.

Even in the most familiar sentences, illustrations of this may be found. The simple question, for example: “Do you ride to town to-day?” may, by varying the position of the emphasis, be made to suggest as many different meanings as it contains words. If we lay the emphasis on “you,” we wish to ascertain from the person addressed, whether it is he or some other person that is to ride to town to-day; if on “ride,” we mean to ask him whether he purposes to ride or walk; if on “town,” our purpose is to inquire whether it is to the town or to the country he means to ride; and, finally, if we make “to-day” the emphatic word, we wish him to say whether it is to-day or to-morrow he intends to ride to town. Even the preposition “to,” if made emphatic, would imply, though obscurely, that we wished the person addressed to say whether he intended to ride quite as far as the town, or only part of the way.

“We shall show, by a few illustrations, the power whichemphasishas over accent when the sense or meaning requires it:—

1. He mustincrease, but I mustdecrease.2. Neither justice norinjustice has any thing to do with the matter.3. What is done cannot beundone.4. Religion raises men above themselves,irreligion sinks them below the brutes.5. This corruptible must put onincorruption, and this mortal must put onimmortality.6. To me it was far from being an agreeable surprise; on the contrary, it was adisagreeable one.7. Thought and language act andreact upon each other.8. What fellowship hath righteousness withunrighteousness? and what communion hath light with darkness?9. I shall always make nature, truth, and reason, the measures of praise anddispraise.10. A gentleman who was pressed by his friends to forgive his daughter, who had married against his wishes, promised to do so, but added, that he would have them remember that there was a difference between giving andforgiving.

1. He mustincrease, but I mustdecrease.

2. Neither justice norinjustice has any thing to do with the matter.

3. What is done cannot beundone.

4. Religion raises men above themselves,irreligion sinks them below the brutes.

5. This corruptible must put onincorruption, and this mortal must put onimmortality.

6. To me it was far from being an agreeable surprise; on the contrary, it was adisagreeable one.

7. Thought and language act andreact upon each other.

8. What fellowship hath righteousness withunrighteousness? and what communion hath light with darkness?

9. I shall always make nature, truth, and reason, the measures of praise anddispraise.

10. A gentleman who was pressed by his friends to forgive his daughter, who had married against his wishes, promised to do so, but added, that he would have them remember that there was a difference between giving andforgiving.

“In the preceding, and in all similar cases, the position of theaccentis completely changed by theemphasis. The reason is obvious: the speaker wishes to draw the special attention of the person addressed to the contrasted parts of the words; and hence he pronounces those parts or syllablesemphatically, the effect of which is, in such cases, to change the seat of the accent.

“This transposition of the accent takes place also in words which have a sameness of termination, even though they may not be directly opposed in sense; as in the following examples:—

1. Cataline was expert in all the arts ofsimulation anddissimulation; covetous of what belonged to others, lavish of his own.2. In this species of composition,plausibility is more essential thanprobability.

1. Cataline was expert in all the arts ofsimulation anddissimulation; covetous of what belonged to others, lavish of his own.

2. In this species of composition,plausibility is more essential thanprobability.

“From what has been said with regard to emphasis, we may draw the following general conclusion: Whenever a person wishes to bring anideaprominently or forcibly under the notice of the person or persons whom he addresses, he willnaturally and instinctively pronounce thewordwhich expresses it with a corresponding degree ofemphaticforce. The degree or intensity of the emphasis will, of course, depend upon the importance of the idea to be expressed, the nature of the subject, and the feelings or emotions of the speaker. In some cases it will beslight, in othersstrong, and in others,vehementor energetic; and hence a good general division of emphasis, with regard to its intensity, might be into three degrees, namelyslight,strong, andvehement. Of course, there must be a great diversity in the degrees of emphasis, from theslightto thevehement; but the general divisions which we have suggested will be quite sufficient for practical purposes—and we have no other in view.

“Though in all properly constructed sentences, every word is useful and necessary, yet in every sentence the relative importance of the words must be different.Articles,Prepositions,Conjunctions, andAuxiliaryVerbs, for example, are less important in their significations than the words which they introduce or connect—asNouns,Verbs,Adjectives, andAdverbs. And hence it may be laid down as a general rule, thatthe less important words in a sentence should be pronounced with less of force and distinctness than the more important words. And this, as we have seen, we always do inspeaking; for it is to the more important words that we naturally desire to draw the special attention of the person or persons whom we address, and not to the ancillary or subordinate words.

“It may also be observed thatPronouns, though important parts of speech, should be classed, with regard to their pronunciation in a sentence, with the less important words, asArticles,Prepositions, andConjunctions. The reason is obvious: no new idea is introduced by aPronoun. It stands for, or represents, a word which has been mentioned before, and which is, consequently, already before the mind of the person addressed.Pronouns, therefore, should be always pronounced without emphasis, unless when some contrast or oppositionis intended.[3]We shall illustrate this by a familiar sentence or two:—

If John is there, I will thank yŏu to give hĭm this book—though, perhaps, I should give it toyou, and not tohim. Yŏu are right; it is tomeyou should give it.Youthink so, butIthink differently; and so, I am sure, doeshe.

“In the foregoing sentences, the pronouns printed inItalicare emphatical, because they areantithetical, or opposed to each other; while the other pronouns in the same sentence should be pronounced without emphasis, because no contrast or opposition is intended.

“In the same way, any of the less important parts of speech may become emphatical; as—

I told you to bring methebook, notabook. You were told to put the bookonthe table—notunderit. It wasandI said—notor.

“From what has been said with regard to emphasis, it is evident that allantitheticor contrasted words are emphatic; and in fact, it is usual to consider such words only as emphatic. Mr. Walker, and his followers, for example, hold that in every case of emphasis there is an antithesis expressed or implied; and that it never can be proper to give emphatic force to a word unless it stands opposed in sense to some other word expressed or understood.[4]But this is to take too narrow aview of emphasis. There are other sources of it besides contrast or antithetic relation. There may beabsolute, as well asantitheticemphasis. For example, if theideato be communicated is of peculiar or paramount importance in itself, the word expressing it should be pronounced with a corresponding degree of emphatic force; and this a person speaking his own sentiments will naturally do, particularly if he is under the influence of passion or emotion. It is evident, too, that this kind of emphasis may extend toseveral words in succession, and even towhole clauses of sentences. This kind of emphasis Mr. Walker himself admits under the head of “General Emphasis.” The following are examples:—

1.What men could doIs done already: heaven and earth will witness,If Rome must fall, that we are innocent.2. There was a time, then, my fellow citizens, when the Lacedæmonians were sovereign masters both by sea and land; when their troops and forts surrounded the entire circuit of Attica; when they possessed Eubœa, Tanagra, the whole Bœotian district, Megara, Ægina, Cleone, and other islands; while this state had not one ship—no,not—one—wall.3. Or shall I—who was born I might almost say, but certainly brought up, in the tent of my father—that most excellent general!—shall I the conqueror of Spain and Gaul, and notonly of the Alpine nations, but what is greater yet, of the Alps themselves—shall I compare myself with thishalf-year-captain,—a captain—before whom, should one place the two armies without their ensigns, I am persuaded he would not know to which of them he is consul.

1.What men could doIs done already: heaven and earth will witness,If Rome must fall, that we are innocent.

1.What men could do

Is done already: heaven and earth will witness,

If Rome must fall, that we are innocent.

2. There was a time, then, my fellow citizens, when the Lacedæmonians were sovereign masters both by sea and land; when their troops and forts surrounded the entire circuit of Attica; when they possessed Eubœa, Tanagra, the whole Bœotian district, Megara, Ægina, Cleone, and other islands; while this state had not one ship—no,not—one—wall.

3. Or shall I—who was born I might almost say, but certainly brought up, in the tent of my father—that most excellent general!—shall I the conqueror of Spain and Gaul, and notonly of the Alpine nations, but what is greater yet, of the Alps themselves—shall I compare myself with thishalf-year-captain,—a captain—before whom, should one place the two armies without their ensigns, I am persuaded he would not know to which of them he is consul.

“It is usual to subdivideAntithetic Emphasisinto Single, Double, and Treble Emphasis;[5]and to give rules for the proper pronunciation ofemphaticwords in each case. But the simple principles we have adopted render all such rules superfluous; for in all cases of antithesis the antithetic terms must be either expressed or understood; if they are expressed, which is usually the case, there can be no difficulty with regard to emphasis; for when the words which are opposed to each other in the sentence are expressed in it, the mind instantly perceives the opposition between them and the voice instinctively marks it in the pronunciation. The following are examples:—

SINGLE EMPHASIS.1. Study not so much toshowknowledge as toacquireit.2. He that cannotbeara jest should notmakeone.3. We think less of the injuries wedo, than of those wesuffer.4. It is not so easy tohideone’s faults, as tomendthem.5. The fault, dear Brutus, is not in ourstars,But inourselves, that we are underlings.DOUBLE EMPHASIS.1. Toerrishuman; toforgive,divine.2. Custom is theplagueofwisemen, and theidoloffools.3. Theprodigalrobs hisheir, themiserrobshimself.4. The pleasures of the imagination are not sogrossas those ofsense, nor sorefinedas those of theunderstanding.5. Grief is the counter passion of joy. Theonearises fromagreeable, and theotherfromdisagreeableevents—theonefrompleasure, and theotherfrompain—theonefromgood, and theotherfromevil.6.Onesun byday—bynightten thousandshine.7. The foulest stain and scandal of our natureBecame its boast—onemurder makes avillain,Millionsahero.TREBLE EMPHASIS.1.Heraised amortalto theskies,Shedrew anangeldown.2. Afriendcannot beknowninprosperity; and anenemycannot behiddeninadversity.3. The difference between a madman and a fool, is that theformerreasonsjustlyfromfalsedata; and thelattererroneouslyfromjustdata.4. Flowers of rhetoric in sermons or serious discourses are like the blue and red flowers in corn,pleasingtothosewho come only foramusement, butprejudicialtohimwho would reap theprofit.5. Had you rather Cæsar wereliving, anddieallslaves,Than that Cæsar weredead, toliveallfreemen?

SINGLE EMPHASIS.

1. Study not so much toshowknowledge as toacquireit.

2. He that cannotbeara jest should notmakeone.

3. We think less of the injuries wedo, than of those wesuffer.

4. It is not so easy tohideone’s faults, as tomendthem.

5. The fault, dear Brutus, is not in ourstars,But inourselves, that we are underlings.

5. The fault, dear Brutus, is not in ourstars,

But inourselves, that we are underlings.

DOUBLE EMPHASIS.

1. Toerrishuman; toforgive,divine.

2. Custom is theplagueofwisemen, and theidoloffools.

3. Theprodigalrobs hisheir, themiserrobshimself.

4. The pleasures of the imagination are not sogrossas those ofsense, nor sorefinedas those of theunderstanding.

5. Grief is the counter passion of joy. Theonearises fromagreeable, and theotherfromdisagreeableevents—theonefrompleasure, and theotherfrompain—theonefromgood, and theotherfromevil.

6.Onesun byday—bynightten thousandshine.

7. The foulest stain and scandal of our natureBecame its boast—onemurder makes avillain,Millionsahero.

7. The foulest stain and scandal of our nature

Became its boast—onemurder makes avillain,

Millionsahero.

TREBLE EMPHASIS.

1.Heraised amortalto theskies,Shedrew anangeldown.

1.Heraised amortalto theskies,

Shedrew anangeldown.

2. Afriendcannot beknowninprosperity; and anenemycannot behiddeninadversity.

3. The difference between a madman and a fool, is that theformerreasonsjustlyfromfalsedata; and thelattererroneouslyfromjustdata.

4. Flowers of rhetoric in sermons or serious discourses are like the blue and red flowers in corn,pleasingtothosewho come only foramusement, butprejudicialtohimwho would reap theprofit.

5. Had you rather Cæsar wereliving, anddieallslaves,Than that Cæsar weredead, toliveallfreemen?

5. Had you rather Cæsar wereliving, anddieallslaves,

Than that Cæsar weredead, toliveallfreemen?

“In such cases as the preceding, it is obvious that there can be no difficulty with regard toemphasis; because the words which are opposed to each other in the sentence are expressed. But when only one of the contrasted terms is expressed, as in the following examples, the careless or injudicious reader is apt to overlook itsantitheticimport, and will consequently fail to give it the emphatic pronunciation which is necessary to bring out the full meaning of the sentence.

1. Achildmight understand it. [The antithesis implied or suggested in this sentence is obviously—not merely amanor a person ofmaturejudgment, but even achild.]2. Exercise and temperance will strengthen even anindifferentconstitution. [That is, not merely anordinaryorgoodconstitution, but even anindifferentone.]3.Hethatrunsmay read. [That is, not merely a person who walks, and who has therefore leisure to observe, but evenhethat runs.]4. We know the passions of men: we know how dangerous it is to trust thebestof men with too much power. [That is, not merelybadorordinarymen, but even thebestof men.]5.Tubal.One of them showed me a ring which he had of your daughter for a monkey.Shylock.Out upon her! Thou torturest me, Tubal: it was my turquoise,—I would not have given it for awildernessof monkeys. [That is, so far from giving it foronemonkey, I would not have given it for awhole wildernessof monkeys.]6.Can aRomansenate long debateWhich of the two to choose, slavery or death![That is,othersenates may, but can aRomanone?]7. Curse not the king, no, not in thythought. [That is, not merely inwordsoraudibly, but even in thythought.]8. And think not to say among yourselves, We have Abraham to our father: for I say unto you, That God is able of thesestonesto raise up children unto Abraham. [That is, not merely from theseedordescendantsof Abraham, but even from thesestones.]9. By the faculty of a lively and picturesque imagination, a man in adungeonis capable of entertaining himself with scenes and landscapes, more beautiful than any that can be found in the whole compass of nature. [That is, not only when he isabsentfrom beautiful scenes, but even in adungeon.]10. A man of a polite imagination is let in to a great many pleasures that the vulgar are not capable of receiving; he can converse with apicture, and find an agreeable companion in astatue. [That is, he can converse even with apicture, and find an agreeable companion even in astatue, which are pleasures unknown to the vulgar or uneducated.]

1. Achildmight understand it. [The antithesis implied or suggested in this sentence is obviously—not merely amanor a person ofmaturejudgment, but even achild.]

2. Exercise and temperance will strengthen even anindifferentconstitution. [That is, not merely anordinaryorgoodconstitution, but even anindifferentone.]

3.Hethatrunsmay read. [That is, not merely a person who walks, and who has therefore leisure to observe, but evenhethat runs.]

4. We know the passions of men: we know how dangerous it is to trust thebestof men with too much power. [That is, not merelybadorordinarymen, but even thebestof men.]

5.Tubal.One of them showed me a ring which he had of your daughter for a monkey.

Shylock.Out upon her! Thou torturest me, Tubal: it was my turquoise,—I would not have given it for awildernessof monkeys. [That is, so far from giving it foronemonkey, I would not have given it for awhole wildernessof monkeys.]

6.Can aRomansenate long debateWhich of the two to choose, slavery or death!

6.Can aRomansenate long debate

Which of the two to choose, slavery or death!

[That is,othersenates may, but can aRomanone?]

7. Curse not the king, no, not in thythought. [That is, not merely inwordsoraudibly, but even in thythought.]

8. And think not to say among yourselves, We have Abraham to our father: for I say unto you, That God is able of thesestonesto raise up children unto Abraham. [That is, not merely from theseedordescendantsof Abraham, but even from thesestones.]

9. By the faculty of a lively and picturesque imagination, a man in adungeonis capable of entertaining himself with scenes and landscapes, more beautiful than any that can be found in the whole compass of nature. [That is, not only when he isabsentfrom beautiful scenes, but even in adungeon.]

10. A man of a polite imagination is let in to a great many pleasures that the vulgar are not capable of receiving; he can converse with apicture, and find an agreeable companion in astatue. [That is, he can converse even with apicture, and find an agreeable companion even in astatue, which are pleasures unknown to the vulgar or uneducated.]

“It is obvious, that in each of the preceding examples there is an antithesis implied or understood; and the only rule necessary in such cases is, to pronounce the words which imply it with such a degree of emphatic force as will best bring out the full meaning of the sentence. And this every reader will naturally do, if he keeps in mind, and puts into practice, the great and fundamental rule forgood reading, namely,Understand what you read, and read it as if you understood it.”

In speaking or reading, the voice must either rise or fall, if it do not continue in the same uniform tone. This rising and falling, or upward and downward sliding of the voice, is calledinflection.

When the voice rises, it is, of course, called therising inflection, and when it falls, thefalling inflection.

When the voice, instead of either rising or falling, continues during the utterance of several words in the same tone, it is called amonotone. That falling of the tone which usually takes place at the end of a sentence or paragraph is termed acadence.

The voice sometimes rises and falls, or falls and rises, on the same word or syllable. This is called acircumflex.

The inflections are generally marked thus:

The following rules will assist the learner in determining the inflections. They are as few and as simple as possible, and can be understood with very little effort, particularly by the aid of a competent teacher.

I. Whenever the voice must be suspended without the sense being complete, therising inflectionshould be used.

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