WORDBUILDING. DOUBLING OF LETTERS.-RULE I. 1.-Words of one syllable, and words accented on the last syllable, double the last consonant. When a syllable beginning with a vowel is added; And when the vowel before the last consonant is single,-The last consonant is not doubled, unless these three conditions are found together. 2. In the following words w and u have a consonant sound; the rule therefore applies to them. WORDBUILDING. DOUBLING OF LETTERS.—RULE I. (continued.) 3. The last consonant is not doubled if the word ends in more than one consonant. -er to teach, preach, comfort, import. -en to soft, list, fast, gold; -ish to fiend, monk, brand, girl. -al to post, herb; -y to loft, craft, thrift, might, naught. -age to ford, cord, post, herb, pound. 4. The last consonant is not doubled if it is preceded by more than one vowel. WORDBUILDING. DOUBLING OF LETTERS.—RULE I. (continued.) 5. In words of more than one syllable the last consonant is not doubled if the accent is not on the last syllable. Add -ish to devil, heathen, woman, gibber. -an to public, republic; -ism to terror, patriot. -ure to curvet, discomfit; -ant to visit, inhabit. -ory to audit, transit; -ate to amalgam; -alty to mayor] WORDBUILDING. DOUBLING OF LETTERS.-RULE I (continued). Verbs ending in 1 are often doubled when a syllable beginning with a vowel is added, even when the accent is on the first syllable either mode of spelling is admissible. : The double 1 is the more usual in spelling. See remarks on words of unsettled orthography, at the end of Part IV. EXERCISES. In the same manner write out the following in the two modes: When an affix beginning with a consonant is added to a word ending with the same consonant, the double consonant is retained. |