How to parse. ...

APPENDIX III.

HINTS ON SPELLING.
266 English Spelling is so irregular that no systematic
rules can be laid down for it. The knowledge of
the derivation of a word is often a help towards the
spelling of it; but this is not always the case. The
best way to spell well is to read often, and so to
become familiar with words. Thus misspelt words
will be detected by their strange look.
Change of Letters.- The following principle
will explain many of- the variations in the spelling
of words:
Rule. -A letter is often changed or doubled in
passing from one form of a word to another, in order
to preserve the original sound.
267 I. - y. For example, -y final preceded by a consonant, as in "happy," is changed into i upon the
addition of -er, -est, -al, -ed, -ous, or of any other
affix (except -ing) beginning with a vowel. Other