Business English Part 6

=Exercise 40--The p.r.o.nunciation of _c_ and _g_=

The letter _c_ is p.r.o.nounced sometimes like _s_ and sometimes like _k_.

What sound does _c_ have before _a_? Ill.u.s.trate.

Before _e_? Ill.u.s.trate.

Before _i_? Ill.u.s.trate.

Before _o_? Ill.u.s.trate.

Before _u_? Ill.u.s.trate.

Before _y_? Ill.u.s.trate.

If _c_ is p.r.o.nounced like _k_, it is called hard and is marked _[c]_.

If _c_ is p.r.o.nounced like _s_, it is called soft and is marked _c_. The mark used to indicate the soft _c_ is called the _cedilla_.

Make a statement telling when _c_ is hard and when it is soft.

What sound does _g_ have before each of the vowels, as in _game_, _gone_, _gymnasium_, _Gunther_, _gentle_?

=Rule 8.--_C_ and _g_ usually are soft before _e_, _i_, and _y_.=

=Exercise 41=

Words ending in silent _e_, according to Rule 5, drop the _e_ before a suffix beginning with a vowel. Exceptions occur when the _e_ is needed to preserve the soft sound of _c_ and _g_. Tell why _e_ is dropped in _encouraging_ and retained in _courageous_.

In words containing _dg_, as in _judge_ and _lodge_, the _d_ gives the _g_ the soft sound, and there is no need to retain the _e_ before adding a suffix, as in _judgment_.

=Rule 9.--Words ending in silent _e_ usually drop the _e_ before adding a suffix beginning with a vowel, unless the _e_ is needed to preserve the p.r.o.nunciation; as after soft _c_ and _g_, when the suffix begins with _a_ or _o_.=

Tell why the _e_ is retained before the suffix in the following:

noticeable damageable p.r.o.nounceable outrageous courageous peaceable serviceable manageable

Tell why the _e_ is dropped before adding the suffix in the following:

managing curable erasure besieging admirable realization receiving obliging precedence perseverance

The fact that _c_ has two different sounds causes a slight peculiarity in words ending in _c_. Final _c_ has the sound of _k_. When words end in _c_, the letter _k_ is usually added before a suffix beginning with either _e_, _i_, or _y_, to show that _c_ is not p.r.o.nounced like _s_; as,

frolic frolicked frolicking

If the _k_ is not added, the _c_ changes its p.r.o.nunciation; as,

public publicity

=Exercise 42=

It follows by inference from Rule 9 that words ending in silent _e_ retain the _e_ before a suffix beginning with a consonant; as,

move movement disgrace disgraceful defense defenseless fate fateful arrange arrangement fierce fiercely noise noiseless manage management severe severely rude rudeness

_Exceptions._--Truly, duly, wisdom, awful, wholly.

Bring to cla.s.s a list of twenty words that retain the final _e_ before a suffix beginning with a consonant.

=Exercise 43=

What spelling rule does each of the following words ill.u.s.trate?

advantageous gigantic boxes admittance mimicking piece libraries occurrence arrangement receipt keys acquittal

=Exercise 44--Abbreviations=

Write abbreviations for the months of the year. Are there any that should not be abbreviated?

The abbreviations for the states and territories are:

Alabama, Ala. Maryland, Md.

Arizona, Ariz. Ma.s.sachusetts, Ma.s.s.

Arkansas, Ark. Michigan, Mich.

California, Cal. Minnesota, Minn.

Colorado, Colo. Mississippi, Miss.

Connecticut, Conn. Missouri, Mo.

Delaware, Del. Montana, Mont.

District of Columbia, D.C. Nebraska, Nebr.

Florida, Fla. Nevada, Nev.

Georgia, Ga. New Hampshire, N.H.

Idaho, Idaho New Mexico, N. Mex.

Illinois, Ill. New York, N.Y.

Indiana, Ind. New Jersey, N.J.

Iowa, Ia. North Carolina, N.C.

Kansas, Kans. North Dakota, N. Dak.

Kentucky, Ky. Ohio, O.

Louisiana, La. Oklahoma, Okla.

Maine, Me. Oregon, Ore.

Pennsylvania, Pa. Utah, Utah Philippine Islands, P.I. Vermont, Vt.

Porto Rico, P.R. Virginia, Va.

South Carolina, S.C. Washington, Wash.

South Dakota, S.D. Wisconsin, Wis.

Tennessee, Tenn. West Virginia, W. Va.

Texas, Tex. Wyoming, Wyo.