In making use of the phonographic prefixes and affixes students are probably more apt to lose sight of the two grand principles of phonographic writing-sound-spelling and outline-brevity - than in any other range of practice. Hence the necessity for extra caution. Remember, the prefix for corn, con or cog represents the sounds of those prefixes, not simply the letters; and therefore the sign for those prefixes may also represent the sounds for conn or comm, as in the word commend, which is therefore correctly written, as in sign 112 in Exercise, that word being phonographically spelled kom-end, according to the rule of brevity in word-outline.

Frequently the prefixes com or con, or the affix ing, may be altogether omitted from some words, the context being generally a sure indication of their omission. See signs 126 to 140 and others in Exercise.

Where one sign is used to express different prefixes or affixes (as K for com, con or cog, and B for ble, bly or bility) the groups are those in which there is no danger of mistaking which word the sign is intended for at the time.

The instances are very rare wherein words containing abbreviated prefixes or affixes can be phrased with other words; and, when done, the word containing the affix or prefix must occupy its proper place position, no matter in what position the other words of the phrase are thus compelled to be placed. Furthermore, whether written alone or in phrases, all words containing abbreviated prefixes or affixes take position in accordance with the principal vowel sound contained in the main portion of the word, not the vowel-sound of the prefix or affix. Prefixes or affixes are only secondary to the rest of the words to which they may be attached, and are therefore subject to no particular position, occupying simply whatever position the rest of the word may give them by their own position. For instance, contradict, sign 141 in Exercise, is written in the first position to indicate the vowel sound of the syllable diet, thus compelling contra to be written above the line, even though the vowel sounds of contra are second-place ones, In brief, the prefixes and affixes are to be treated precisely as though they contained no vowel element whatever. Compare signs 111 and 112.

The prefixes in our language which are not given in abbreviated form in these lessons are spelled in full, and mostly they are such simple ones as that of re in regret, regard, etc., and these prefixes, like the others illustrated, must not be purposely given their vowel position, for the balance of the word is entitled to the position. For instance, in regard, the main portion of the word, the syllable gard, must have the position, as in sign 178, while gret takes position as in sign 179. This distinguishes clearly between those words, and the rule must be observed in all dealings with prefixes, which never take their vowel-position except by accident, the rest of the word being entitled to the position. Were it not for this rule, one could never distinguish regret from regard, a very important matter.

In some words it may be somewhat difficult for the student to decide which prefix belongs to a word - for instance, whether the prefix con or contri should be written to the word contribute. In that word the difficulty is caused by the last vowel of contrinot being very conspicuous, and also by the fact that tribute being a word of itself the student is therefore apt to think the prefix in this case should be con. This would be an erroneous impression, however, contri being the proper prefix. The rule is to use the briefest form consistent with legibility.