The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1899-12-10
ooMroUNDrNG ENGLISH WORDS.
Rules Formulated Therefor and Il
Number of Examples Given.

Willard c. Gompf IN Hartford Times.
The compouuding of English words is an
Interesting udy but F. II race TeaH. who
was connected with the Standard dietion-
airy, is the only author who has made a
systematic attempt to disentangle the per-
plexides connected herewith. In discuss
ing The qUes in, It WI he nece ssary 10
quote frey from his work We saw las
evening in four lines n one paper the fol-
lowing; Gambling houses" pool room"
policy shops" and bucket shops" and
this morning we see in large letters,
school house" also text book" Web
ster's latest dictionary has "schoolhouse."
but writes bath house" "schooiroon.p
Sunday school," sabbath school" post
office" postal card, post card;' and yet
IN the same work We see dressing room"
wingroom." 'counungroom. Even
sewing machine" and ''ro,ilng mill' are
not hyphened We should write tath room,
drawingrcom, barroom, schoolhouse, bath
house, warehouse, storehouse, slaughter
mouse; grist-m.n, planning mill rolling mill
paper-min, cotton-mill; post-office, post
cara, postaf-card, pOstal-note; Office build
ing, school-building, college building; cot
ton-factory, furniture-facro Tory, shoe-fac-
tory, candy-factory, brush-factory; kero-
sene-oii, linseed-oil, cctton-oil sperm oil:
sewing machine, brush-machine. thrash
lhS-machlne, screw machine; carpenter
shop paint-shop, machine-shop, shoe-shop.
repalr-shop. We might xtend this list in
dehniteiy, but all like words in their spe-
enc classes should be similarly treated II
is not very satisfactory to see cotton seed
Oh mill four separate nouns representing
no actual relationship according to rule.
"Cotton-seed oil mill" Is three nouns on
the same footing. "Cotton-seed o.l-mIll'
mas the semb.aHce of an adjective and
noun but representing an idea like IAN
oH-nill made Of cotton-see ed" which of
course will not do. There is only one other
form possible, cottonseed-on mill, which is
correct.
We never write didnot, wouidnot, had
not, couldnot, but We do write Cannot"
If The latter is correct, they an are, but
more is.
We often see "gas light and flash
Asht," but they are solid words, although
many use the hyphen. Many write ILL
viii, goodwill, good-breeding, fl-.uek
etc; but Webster says "good-humor' is
good spirits "good-luck' is good for
tune 'ill-uck" is "bad-luck" If one is
hyphened, why not all? 1t is best to omit
il in each case. as we would in "evil VIII"
The Imperial dictionary says "black-
berry" and blue berry" Webster says
"blue-fish' and "blackfish." Worcester
says "blue-breast" and "redbreast."
These dictionaries contain thousands of
just such inconsistencies; in fact, they
may use a two-word form in one case, a
hyphen in the next and make il a solid
word in the next, and all for the same
word
Mr.. Teall gives the following rules as
good guide for proof-readers.
Rule 1.
Two nouns used together merely as
nouns, unless in opposition, become prop
erly in such use one compound noun; such
as door-key, trunk-key
First The name of part or appendage
or of anything connected with another
special thing in its regular use, coupled
with the name of that to which it belongs,
as chair-leg lamp wick, piano-stool.
Two The name of a receptacle or con-
tainer of any kind, and that of a special
content or occupier, as book-shelves, club
house, freight-train, drugstore, fruit
store clothing-store.
Third. The name of anything as sent or
coming from a special source coupled with
that of its source, as rife-ball, store
clothes, grape-sugar.
Fourth The name of that which is in
cidental toward a result coupled with that
of the thing resulting, as bread-dough,
rosebud, thunder-cloud.
Fifth. The name of an implement or
agent of action coupled with that of the
object acted upon or with, as hair brush
palnt-brush, telephone-pole.
Sixth. The name of a special shape or
condition OF a substance, made by nam
ing the substance and its shape or con-
dition together as dust-heap, diamond
powder, sand-bar.
Seventh. The name of something as
acted on or specialized by coupling it with
the name of the action, as entrance-hau,
eXit-passage.
Eighth. The name of an action special
lied by coupling it with the name of that
toward which the action is directed, as
fire-worship, hand-cart, horse-car, steam
engine.
Ninth. The name of a conveyance or a
motor specialized by coupling with ii that
of its motive power as hand-cart, horse
car, steam-engine, motop-car, electrician.
Tenth. The name of something as mo-
tive power coupled with that of a convey
auce or motor, as car-horse.
Eleventh. The name of a means of pass
age coupled with that of a special place
or of something as specialized in connec-
ton with a particular location, as barn
door, garden-seat, window gardening
Twelfth The name of that on or in
which something is produced, coupled with
that of the special product, as rose BUSH
apple-tree, cider-mill,
Every name exactly Ike one of these
models is essentially a compound in lis
nature.
Rule 2.
Two names, the second of which (end-
ing in ling, -er, -oT) expresses direct action
upon the first, always properly form a
compound noun, as air-compressor, boat
builder, DISTINGUISHING, furniture-dealer,
newspaper-reader.
Rule 3.
A verbal noun lending in -ing), and a
substantive following it, used together as
the name of something instrumental
toward or incidental to the action named
by the verbal noun, form compound
noun as addingma chine, lightng-appra-
tus writng-paper illuminating-gas,
backing brush.
Rule 4.
Any phrase in regular construction of
any kind becomes a compound noun when
used as name so arbitrarily that 1t can
not be considered merely fgurativn as