427. Cupola is often pronounced cupalo; foliage, foilage; future, futur; nature, natur: all of which errors should be carefully avoided.
428. “’Ow ’appens it that Henglishmen so hoften misplace their haitches?” It is a cockneyism; and if you have fallen into the habit, it will require perhaps more perseverance than you imagine, to correct it.
429. Do you say wagabond or vagabond, winegar or vinegar, wery or very, valking or walking, vatchman or watchman? It is a local custom, but if you have any taint of it, don’t sing “Villikins and his Dinah.”
430. Providence, confidence, and similar words, are often pronounced Providunce, confidunce, &c., substituting unce for ence. So also, words ending in ance, as maintenance, sustenance, surveillance, are pronounced falsely maintenunce, sustenunce, &c.
431. Coming, going, according, &c., are often pronounced without the final g: speak them distinctly, and pronounce difficult words with de-lib-er-a-tion.
432. If you are a Yankee, you should (though, as a general thing, you will not) take special pains with your vowel sounds, that they be not formed through the nasal cavities. Don’t say heow, ceow, confeound, for how, cow, &c.
433. If you are a Western man, you are liable to give your vowel sounds too great breadth. You should not say bar for bear, hum for home, dawlar for dollar; and it is better to avoid using such expressions as I reckon, I guess, I calculate, too frequently.
434. “I am going a fishing:” be bold enough to be one among the foremost to break away from the bad habit of saying a fishing, a talking, a courting, &c. This custom, however, should be retained in quoting proverbs and wise sayings; these are better in proportion as they are older; for example: “Who goes a-borrowing, goes a-sorrowing.” The quaintness would be destroyed by saying simply borrowing and sorrowing.
435. Some people add a superfluous preposition at the end of a sentence—“More than you think for.” This is awkward.
436. “Then think on the friend who once welcomed it too,” &c. &c.: say, of.