ficult
to say. 2. _Prise_, a thing taken, and _prize_, to esteem; _apprise_, to
inform, and _apprize_, to _value_, or _appraise_, are often written either
way, without this distinction of meaning, which some wish to establish. 3.
The want of the foregoing rule has also made many words _variable_, which
ought, unquestionably, to conform to the general principle.

RULE XIV.--COMPOUNDS.

Compounds generally retain the orthography of the simple words which
compose them: as, _wherein, horseman, uphill, shellfish, knee-deep,
kneedgrass, kneading-trough, innkeeper, skylight, plumtree, mandrill_.

EXCEPTIONS.--1. In permanent compounds, or in any derivatives of which,
they are not the _roots_, the words _full_ and _all_ drop one _l_; as,
_handful, careful, fulfil, always, although, withal_; in temporary
compounds, they retain both; as, _full-eyed, chock-full_,[119] _all-wise,
save-all_. 2. So the prefix _mis_, (if from _miss_, to err,) drops one _s_;
but it is wrong to drop them both, as in Johnson's "_mispell_" and
"_mispend_," for _misspell_ and _misspend_. 3. In the names of days, the
word _mass_ also drops one _s_; as, _Christmas, Candlemas, Lammas_. 4. The
possessive case often drops the apostrophe; as in _herdsman, kitesfoot_. 5.
One letter is dropped, if three of the same kind come together: as,
_Rosshire, chaffinch_; or else a hyphen is used: as, _Ross-shire,
ill-looking, still-life_. 6. _Chilblain, welcome_, and _welfare_, drop one
_l_. 7. _Pastime_ drops an _s_. 8. _Shepherd, wherever_, and _whosever_,
drop an _e_; and _wherefore_ and _therefore_ assume one.

RULE XV.--USAGE.

Any word for the spelling of which we have no rule but usage, is written
wrong if not spelled according to the usage which is most common among the
learned: as, "The brewer grinds his malt before he _brues_ his beer."--_Red
Book_, p. 38.

OBSERVATIONS.

OBS. 1.--The foregoing rules aim at no wild and impracticable reformation
of our orthography; but, if carefully applied, they will do much to obviate
its chief difficulties. Being made variable by the ignorance of some
writers and the caprice of others, our spelling is now, and always has
been, exceedingly irregular and unsettled. Uniformity and consistency can
be attained in no other way, than by the steady application of rules and
principles; and these must be made as few and as general as the case will
admit, that the memory of the learner may not be overmatched by their
number or comp