423. The only exceptions to this rule are, the words as, whereas, has, his, was; for bias, dowlas, Atlas, metropolis, basis, chaos, tripos, pus, chorus, cyprus, etc. have the final s pronounced sharp and hissing.
424. Agreeably to this rule, the numerous terminations in ous, as pious, superfluous, etc. have the s sharp, and are pronounced exactly like the pronoun us; and every double s in the language is pronounced in the same manner, except in the words dissolve, possess, and their compounds; scissors, hussy, and hussar.
425. S in the inseparable preposition dis, when either the primary or secondary accent is on it, (522,) is always pronounced sharp and hissing: the word dismal, which seems to be an exception, is not so in reality; for, in this word dis is not a preposition: thus dissolute, dissonant, etc. with the primary accent on dis; and disability, disagree, etc. with die secondary accent on the same letters, have the s sharp and hissing; but when the accent is on the second syllable, the s is either sharp or flat, as it is followed either by a vowel, or a sharp or flat consonant: thus disable, disaster, disease, disinterested, dishonest, disorder, disuse, have all of them the s in dis flat lik z, because the accent is not on it, and a vowel begins the next syllable; but discredit, disfavour, diskindness, dispense, distate, have the s sharp and hissing, because a sharp consonant begins the succeeding accented syllable; and disband, disdain, disgrace, disjoin, disvalue, have the s flat like z, because they are succeeded by a flat consonant in the same situation. (435)
426. S, in the inseparable preposition mis, is always sharp and hissing, whether the accent be on it or not; or whether it be followed either by a vowel, or a sharp or flat consonant, as miscreant, misaim, misapply, misorder, misuse, misbegot, misdeem, misgovern, etc. See the prefix Miss.
427. S, followed by e in the final syllable of adjectives, is always sharp and hissing, as base, obese, precise, concise, globose, verbose, morbose, pulicose, tenebricose, corticose, jocose, oleose, rugose, desidiose, close, siliculose, calculose, tumulose, animose, venenose, arenose, siliginose, crinose, loose, operose, morose, edematose, comatose, acetose, aquose, siliquose, actuose, diffuse, profuse, occluse, recluse, abstruse, obtuse; except wise and otherguise, and the pronominal adjectives these and those.
428. S, in the adjective termination sive, is always sharp and hiising, as suasive, persuasive, assuasive, dissuasive, adhesive, cohesive, decisive, precisive, incisive, derisive, cicatrisive, visive, plausive, abusive, diffusive, infusive, inclusive, conclusive, exclusive, elusive, delusive, prelusive, allusive, illusive, collusive, amusive, obtrusive, etc.
429. S, in the adjectives ending in sory, is always sharp and hissing, as suasory, persuasory, decisory, derisory, delusory, etc.
430. The same may be observed of s in the adjectives ending in some, as troublesome, etc. and substantives in osity, generosity, etc.
431. Se, preceded by the liquids l, n, or r, has the s sharp and hissing, as pulse, appulse, dense, tense, intense, sense, verse, adverse, etc. except cleanse.
S pronounced like Z.
432. S has always its flat buzzing sound, as it may be called, when it immediately follows any of the flat mutes b, d, g hard, or v, as ribs, heads, rags, sieves. (24)
433. S is pronounced like z, when it forms an additional syllable with e before it, in the plurals of nouns, and the third person singular of verbs; even though the singulars and first persons end in sharp hissing sounds, as asses, riches, cages, boxes, etc. thus prices and prizes have both the final s flat, though the preceding mute in the first word is sharp. (422)
434. As s is hissing, when preceded by a liquid, and followed by e mute, as transe, tense, etc. so when it follows any of the liquids without the e, it is pronounced like z, as morals, means, seems, hers. In the same analogy, when s comes before any of the liquids, it has the sound of z, as cosmetic, dismal, pismire, chasm, prism, theism, schism, and all polysyllables ending in asm, ism, osm, or ysm, as enthusiasm, judaism, microcosm, paroxysm, etc.
435. S, in the preposition dis, is either sharp or flat, as it is accented or unaccented, as explained above; but it ought always to be pronounced like z, when it is not under the accent, and is followed by a flat mute, a liquid, or a vowel, as disable, disease, disorder, disuse, disband, disdain, disgrace, disvalue, disjoin, dislike, dislodge, dismay, dismember, dismount, dismiss, disnatured, disrank, disrelish, disrobe. (425) Mr. Sheridan, and those orthöepists who have copied him, seem to have totally overlooked this tendency in the liquids to convert the s to z when this letter ends the first syllable without the accent, and the liquids begin the second syllable with it.
436. S is pronounced like z, in the monosyllables as, is, his, was, these, those, and in all plurals whose singulars end in a vowel, or a vowel followed by e mute, as commas, operas, shoes, aloes, dues, and consequently when it follows the w or y, in the plurals of nouns, or the third person singular of verbs, as ways, betrays, news, views, etc.
437. Some verbs ending in se have the s like z, to distinguish them from nouns or adjectives of the same form.
| Nouns. | Verbs. |
| grease | to grease |
| close | to close |
| house | to house |
| mouse | to mouse |
| louse | to louse |
| abuse | to abuse |
| excuse | to excuse |
| refuse | to refuse |
| diffuse | to diffuse |
| use | to use |
| rise | to rise |
| premise | to premise. |
