OBS. 33.—­Particular examples, both of proper distinction, and of blind irregularity, under all the heads above suggested, may be quoted and multiplied indefinitely, even from our highest literary authorities; but, since nothing can be settled but by the force of principles, he who would be accurate, must resort to rules,—­must consider what is analogical, and, in all doubtful cases, give this the preference.  But, in grammar, particular analogies are to be respected, as well as those which are more general.  For example, the noun side, in that relation which should seem to require the preceding noun to be in the possessive case, is usually compounded with it, the hyphen being used where the compound has more than two syllables, but not with two only; as, bedside, hillside, roadside, wayside, seaside, river-side, water-side, mountain-side. Some instances of the separate construction occur, but they are rare:  as, “And her maidens walked along by the river’s side.”—­Exodus, ii, 5.  After this noun also, the possessive preposition of is sometimes omitted; as, “On this side the river;"(—­Bible;) “On this side Trent.”—­Cowell.  Better, “On this side of the river,” &c.  “Blind Bartimeus sat by the highway side, begging.”—­Mark, x, 46.  Here Alger more properly writes “highway-side.” In Rev., xiv, 20th, we have the unusual compound, “horse-bridles.” The text ought to have been rendered, “even unto the horses’ bridles.” Latin, “usque ad fraenos equorum.”  Greek, “[Greek:  achri ton chalinon ton hippon].”

OBS. 34.—­Correlatives, as father and son, husband and wife, naturally possess each other; hence such combinations as father’s son, and son’s father, though correct enough in thought, are redundant in expression.  The whole and a part are a sort of correlatives, but the whole seems to possess its parts, more properly than any of the parts, the whole.  Yet we seldom put the whole in the possessive case before its part, or parts, but rather express the relation by of; as, “a quarter of a dollar,” rather than, “a dollar’s quarter.”  After the noun half, we usually suppress this preposition, if an article intervene; as, “half a dollar,” rather than, “half of a dollar,” or “a dollar’s half.”  So we may say, “half the way,” for “half of the way;” but we cannot say, “half us” for “half of us.”  In the phrase, “a half dollar,” the word half is an adjective, and a very different meaning is conveyed.  Yet the compounds half-pint and half-penny are sometimes used to signify, the quantity of half a pint, the value of half a penny.  In weight, measure, or time, the part is sometimes made possessive of the whole; as, “a pound’s weight, a yard’s length, an hour’s time.”  On the contrary, we do not say, “weight’s pound, length’s yard, or time’s hour;” nor yet, “a pound of weight, a yard of length;” and rarely do we say, “an hour of time.” Pound and yard having other uses, we sometimes say, “a pound in weight, a yard in length;” though scarcely, “an hour in time.”