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THE

ENGLISH READER:

OR,

PIECES IN PROSE AND POETRY,

SELECTED FROM

THE BEST WRITERS.

Designed to assist young Persons

TO READ WITH PROPRIETY AND EFFECT;

TO IMPROVE THEIR LANGUAGE AND SENTIMENTS;

AND TO INCULCATE

SOME OF THE MOST IMPORTANT PRINCIPLES OF PIETY

AND VIRTUE.

With a few preliminary Obfervations

ON THE PRINCIPLES OF GOOD READING.

By LINDLEY MURRAY,

AUTHOR OF "ENGLISH GRAMMAK ADAPTED TO THE

DIFFERENT CLASSES OF LEARNERS

Lock:

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NEW-YORK

PRINTED FOR LONGMAN AND REES, NO. 39, PATERNOSTER.
ROW, LONDON; SOLD ALSO BY DARTON AND HARVEY, NO. 55,

GRACECHURCH-STREET AND BY WILSON,
SPENCE, AND MAWMAN, YORK.

1799.

TIBBYBA

MEW AORE

PREFACE.

MANY felections of excellent matter have lately been made for the benefit of young persons. Performances of this kind are of fo great utility, that fresh productions of them, and new attempts to improve the young mind, will fcarcely be deemed fuperfluous, if the writer make his compilation inftructive and interesting, and fufficiently distinct from others.

THE present work, as the title exprefses, aims at the attainment of three objects: to improve youth in the art of reading; to meliorate their language and fentiments; and to inculate foie of the moft important principles of piety and virtue.

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THE pieces felected, not only give exercise to a great variety of emotions, and the correfpondent tones and variations of voice, but contain fentences and members of fentences, which are diverfified, proportioned, and pointed with accuracy. Exercifes of this nature are, it is prefumed, well calculated to teach youth to read with propriety and effect. A felection of fentences, in which variety and proportion, with exact punctuation, have been carefully obferved, in all their parts as well as with respect to one another, will probably have a much greater effect, in properly teaching the art of reading, than is commonly imagined.

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