1. We are likely to suppose that the natural or original sound of a
vowel is the long sound, because that is the sound we give it when
naming it in the alphabet. If we will examine a number of words,
however, we shall soon see that in combination with consonants
all vowels have a tendency to a short or obscure pronunciation.
The sounds of the consonants are naturally obscure, and they
draw the vowels to a similar obscurity.
Since such is the case, when a vowel is given its long sound there is
always a special reason for it. In the simple words _not, pin, her,
rip, rid, cut, met,_ we have the short sounds of the vowels; but if we
desire the long sounds we must add a silent _e,_ which is not pronounced
as _e,_ but has its sound value in the greater stress put upon the vowel
with which it is connected. By adding silent _e_ to the above words we
have _note, pine, here, ripe, ride, mete_. In each of these cases the
_e_ follows the consonant, though really combining with the vowel before
the consonant; but if we place the additional _e_ just after the first
_e_ in _met_ we have _meet,_ which is a word even more common than
_mete.
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