n of
words into syllables is indicated in dictionaries by the use of the hyphen
thus: _sub-trac-tion_, _co-or-din-ate_. It will be observed that in the
first of these examples the vowels are all separated by consonants, while
in the second two of them are separated by a pause only.

The English language has the further peculiarity of using _l_ and _n_ as
vowels in syllabication, as in _middle_ (_mid-dl_) and _reck-on_
(_reck-n_).

The division of words into syllables for pronunciation is generally, but
not always, the same as that which should be followed in case the word has
to be divided typographically. As these text-books are intended to help the
apprentice as a speaker and writer of English as well as a printer, it is
worth while to give some attention to syllabication for pronunciation
before proceeding to discuss typographical division.[The illustrations from
this point to the end of this section on page 16 are not typographic
divisions. They concern pronunciation only.]

Two letters forming a diphthong or digraph are not to be separated.
_Coin-age_ (_oi_ diphthong) but _co-in-ci-dence_ (_oi_ not a diphthong).
_Excess_ (_ss_ digraph, pronounced practically like a single s) gives
_ex-cess-es_, _ex-cess-ive_, etc. Whether or not the letters thus occurring
together form a diphthong or digraph will depend on the derivation of the
word, thus in _cat-head_ (verb), a nautical term, _th_ is not a digraph but
in _ca-the-dral_ _th_ is a digraph, as is usually the case with these two
letters. You would not say _cat-hed-ral_.

Two vowels, or a vowel and a diphthong, coming together but sounded
separately belong to separate syllables.

_A-or-ta_, _co-op-er-ate_, but _coop-er-age_, _moi-e-ty_.

Do not end a syllable with

(_a_) _c_ or _g_ when soft, _en-ti-cing_, but _dic-tion_, _wa-ges_
but _wag-on_.

(_b_) _t_, _s_, _z_, _c_, _sc_, _g_, and _d_, when followed by _i_
or _e_ giving the sound of _sh_; _ra-tion-al_, _o-cean_, _re-gion_,
_as-cen-sion_.

(_c_) _d_, _s_, _t_, and _z_ when followed by _u_ giving the sound
of _ch_, _sh_, _zh_, or _j_, _cen-sure_, _sei-zure_, _na-ture_,
_ver-dure_.

Do not begin a syllable with

(_a_) _x_ with the sound of _ks_ or _gs_, _anx-ious_, _ex-act-ly_.

(_b_) _r_ preceded by _a_ or _e_; _par-ent_, _av-er-age_, but by
exception, _pa-rent-al_.

(_c_) Single _l_, _n_, or _v_, followed by _i_ with the sound of
_y_ c