The following extract is from the letter of a friend, to whom were
sent some of the advance pages of this work: "I am absolutely filled
with astonishment to see how many simple words I have been
mispronouncing all my life, and would have kept on mispronouncing to
the end of my days if my thoughts had not been directed to them. If I
were in your place I would end the book with a story in which all the
words would be used in the course of the narrative. I can imagine no
amusement more instructive or interesting than for a social party to
read in turns, under some penalty for each mistake."
I had myself conceived the idea of presenting the words untrammeled
with explanation of the orthoepy, or marks of accent; but the form was
not decided upon.
The effort to compose a narrative was abandoned after a fair trial;
for to have a plot and also bring the words in natural position would
require a large volume; otherwise, it made senseless jumble. In the
trial sentences given the objects are gained in small space. Those
objects are to allow readers to exercise the memory and test their
friends; and at the same time to use the words syntactically. It is
hoped that the reader will pardon any absurdities of context; as they
can not be avoided where one is compelled to use so many selected
words, and is obliged to force them into a small compass.