RULE IX. THE REPRESENTATION OF THE SOUND NG. § 1. This sound never commences a syllable, and is always represented by the digraph ng, except the sound of k or g (hard) follows, and then by n only; as bank, ink, ancle, finger, longer, which are pronounced bangk, ingk, ang-cle, fing-gur, long-gur. As the ng is formed at the same part of the mouth as k and g (hard), it is easier to be pronounced after k than n would be, which is formed near the teeth. § 2. Careless speakers in Yorkshire substitute n for ng, and say, "What are you do-in? Where are you go-in ?" In Lancashire they commit the opposite fault, by adding the k, as:- "What are you do-ink? Where are you go-ink?" The teacher, in dictation lessons, should be very distinct in his utterance of this sound. THE REPRESENTATION OF THE SOUND S (HISS). § 1. The whispered sound of s, as heard in the word bless, is represented by the letters s and c, but by the former fifteen times oftener than by the latter, which is used in comparatively a few words, as, civil, censor, cylinder, &c., and sometimes in conjunction with s, as in scissors. The doctrine of chances shows that the pupil must always use s in preference to c, except in words in which he knows c to be the right letter. § 2. The letter s is always doubled when immediately preceded by a short accented vowel, and followed by another vowel, as, massive; and at the end of all monosyllables containing a short vowel immediately preceding, as mass; but c, having its hissing sound, is never doubled; for in such words as accede, accent, the first is the explosive and the second the hissing power of the letter. S is always doubled in the affixes -less and -ness. § 3. The plurals of nouns ending in whispered consonants are formed by the addition of the sound s (hiss), as cat cats; except the word terminates in ss or sh, when it takes the syllable es, as losses, wishes. § 4. The third person singular of the present tense follows the same law as the above; as, asks, insists, adapts, permits, persists, &c., presses, wishes. $5. The whispered s after long vowels is generally represented by -ce, as :— § 6. After the sound n the whispered s is generally represented by -ce; and as about 475 words end in -nce, and only about 15 in -nse, the pupil, when in doubt, should always write -ce after n. re mem' brance se' quence sī 'lence sem 'blance ven' geance vā ri ance fi nance' fra' grance pes' ti lence com pli 'ance Flor ence fur 'therance guid 'ance hin' drance prov' i dence vir 'u lence ut'ter ance rā di ance ro mance' RULE XI. THE REPRESENTATION OF THE VOCAL S OR Z. This is the vocal sound of the preceding whispered consonant, and is represented by two letters, s and z, but by the former at least a thousand times oftener than by the latter. If a word commence with this sound, as zone, or end with this sound after a short vowel, as buzz (not being a plural of a noun, as buds, or a verb, as bids), we are obliged to use z; but the number of such words is very small. A list of nearly all the words in the language in which z is used is given below; in all other cases the pupil can scarcely be wrong in writing s for this sound. The plurals of nouns ending in a vowel or a vocal con sonant are formed by the addition of the vocal s, as are likewise the third persons singular of the present tense of verbs ending in the same manner, as rays, boys, rooms, dogs,—pays, sees, robs, gives. The letter s when representing this sound is very rarely doubled, even after short accented vowels, as chisel. After the sounds sh, s or z, the syllable -es is added, as a second sibillant cannot be pronounced without the aid of a |