  A syllable is a sound uttered with one impulse of the breath. The group of letters representing such a sound should never be separated in dividing words; e.g., re-bel´ (verb), reb´-el (noun), pres´-ent (noun), pre-sent´-ed. To divide a word into syllables, pronounce it slowly and correctly, and note the natural division into sounds. In writing, it is preferable to put the whole word on one line. When this cannot well be done, that part of the word left at the end of one line should suggest the part beginning the next line; e.g., happiness should be divided—happi-ness, not hap-piness. Rules for Spelling. 1. At the end of monosyllables with a short vowel sound, the letters f, l, or s are usually double; e.g., muff, ball, pass. 2. Words ending in silent e usually drop it on adding any suffix beginning with a vowel; e.g., come, coming; bride, bridal; love, lovable. Exceptions:—(i) Words ending in ce or ge retain the e before the suffixes able and ous, in order to keep the soft sound of c or g; e.g., traceable, outrageous. (ii) Words ending in ee, oe, or ye retain the final e when ing is added; e.g., freeing, shoeing, eyeing. 3. Monosyllables and words accented on the last syllable, if they end in a single consonant with a single vowel before it, usually double the final consonant before a vowel-suffix, e.g., clap, clapper; clan, clannish; nod, nodded; prefer, preferring. Exception:—When the derivative has the place of the accent changed, the final consonant is not doubled; e.g., prefer´, pref´erence. Note also, gases, gaseous, transferable, woolly. 4. Words ending in a single l double it before a vowel-suffix; e.g., chisel, chiselled; revel, reveller; cancel, cancelling. But, paralleled. 5. Words ending in y preceded by a consonant usually change the y into i when a suffix not beginning with i is added; e.g., cry, cries, crying. Exceptions:—Dryly, dryness; shyly, shyness; slyly, slyness. Note also daily, gaily, gaiety, laid, paid, said, saith, slain, staid. 6. ei or ie. When sounded like long e, i comes before e except after c; e.g., piece, deceit. But, either, neither, plebeian, seize, leisure, weird. When not sounded like long e, the order of the letters is always ei; e.g., skein, height. |
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