A Grammar of the English Tongue - ESL Teachers Board

A Grammar of the English Tongue 8Ei is sounded like e long, as seize, perceiving.Eu sounds as u long and soft.E, a, u, are combined in beauty and its derivatives, but have only the soundof u.E may be said to form a diphthong by reduplication, as agree, sleeping.Eo is found in yeoman, where it is sounded as o short; and in people, whereit is pronounced like ee.I.I has a sound long, as f[=i]ne; and short as f[)i]n.That is eminently observable in i, which may be likewise remarkable inother letters, that the short sound is not the long sound contracted, but asound wholly different.The long sound in monosyllables is always marked by the e final, as th[)i]n,th[=i]ne.I is often sounded before r, as a short u; as flirt, first, shirt.It forms a diphthong only with e, as field, shield, which is sounded as thedouble ee; except friend, which is sounded as fr[)e]nd.I is joined with eu in lieu, and ew in view; which triphthongs are soundedas the open u.O.O is long, as b[=o]ne, [=o]bedient, corr[=o]ding; or short, as bl[)o]ck,kn[)o]ck, [)o]blique, l[)o]ll.