3. The final _-e_ is frequently, but not always, suppressed in a few common words (best learnt by observation), such as _were_, _hadde_, _wolde_, _sholde_, and some others. _Thise_, these, is invariably monosyllabic. So also, the medial _-e_ is usually suppressed in such words as _havenes_ (haavnez)[60], _othere_ (oodhr[*e]) _owene_ (aou.n[*e]), _everich_ (aevrich), _sovereyn_ (suvrein). Similarly, the second _e_ is dropped in _t['a]vernes_ (tav.ernz), when the accent is on the first syllable. If it be on the second, then the word is trisyllabic: (taver.nez). Accentuation plays an important part in determining the forms of words. These three rules meet a large number of cases. Exceptions should be noticed as they arise; and it will usually be found that the exception can be justified. s. 68. THE STRONG DECLENSION OF SUBSTANTIVES. The forms of substantives frequently present much difficulty in individual cases. The primary rules are these. 1. Substantives which end in a vowel in Anglo-Saxon, in the nominative case, take a final _-e_ in Chaucer, in the nom. and dative. The accusative may be taken to be the same as the nominative in every instance. The A.S. masculine and neuter nouns include _jo_-stems (Sievers, A.S. Gram. ed. Cook, sect. 246), as _ende_[61]; short _i_-stems (s. 262), as _mete_, A 127; short _u_-stems (s. 270), as _wode_, wood; as well as sbs. of the weak declension, as _ape_. The A.S. _wo_-stems give M.E. final _-we_, reduced to (u) in pronunciation, as in _sparwe_ (spar.u). The A.S. feminines in _-u_ give M.E. final _-e_; as _sake_, _dore_. Feminine sbs. of the weak declension end in final _-e_, as _tonge_, tongue. 2. Most of the A.S. monosyllabic feminine nouns with a long stem-syllable take a final _-e_ in Chaucer, in the nom., acc., and dative, doubtless because all the oblique cases were dissyllabic. And owing to this tendency, some A.S. monosyllabic nouns of the masculine and neuter genders do the same. Ex. A.S. _l[=a]r_, lore, Ch. _lore_ (never _loor_); A.S. _borh_, a pledge, Ch. _borwe_. Prof. Child remarks that 'two forms not unfrequently occur, one with, and the other without, the vowel.' Ex. _carte_, acc., B 4208; _cart_, acc., D 1539. 3. The monosyllabic sbs. in Chaucer (i.e. sbs. having no final _-e_) mostly correspond to A.S. masculine and neuter _o_-stems (Sievers, s. 238). If a final _-e_ appears, it is usually in the dative case; but even in this case, it is frequently dropped. Ex. _arm_ (of the body), _boor_, a boar, _breeth_, breath, _corn_, _deer_, _stoon_. Datives: _breeth_, A 5; _doom_, F 928; _day_, A 19; _ring_, F 247; _folk_, A 25; _gold_, A 160. Datives in _-e_; _horne_, Book Duch. 376; _londe_, B 522; _horse_, T. v. 37.