ENGLISH GRAMMAR.—Candidates must have a good knowledge of English grammar; they must be able to define the terms used therein; to define the parts of speech; to give inflections, including declension, conjugation and comparison; to give the corresponding masculine and feminine gender nouns; to give and apply the ordinary rules of syntax.
They must be able to parse correctly any ordinary sentence; giving the subject of each verb, the governing word of each objective case, the word for which each pronoun stands or to which it refers, the words between which each preposition shows the relation, precisely what each conjunction and each relative pronoun connects, what each adjective and adverb qualifies or limits, the construction of each infinitive, and generally to show a good knowledge of the function of each word in the sentence.
They must be able to correct in sentences or extracts any ordinary grammatical errors.
It is not required that any particular text-book shall be followed: but the definitions, parsing, and corrections must be in accordance with good usage and common sense.
The examinations may include questions similar to the following:
1. Define and give examples of: a. infinitive; b. indirect object; c. simple sentence.
2. Give the principal parts of: a. choose; b. crow; c. freeze; d. fly; e. burst.
3. (i). Give the plurals of: a. motto: b. fairy; c. money: d. belief; e. axis. (ii). Indicate which of the following words are singular, which are plural, and which may be either: a. cherubim; b. mathematic; c. species; d. basis; e. news.
4. (i). Give the feminine of: a. hero; b. gander; c. duke; d. priest; e. Englishman. (ii). Indicate the gender of: a. songster; b. spinster; c. goose; d. mouse; e. book.
5. (i). Give the possessive case singular of: a. it; b. princes; c. Kings of Italy; d. Henry the Fourth; e. man-of-war. (ii). Give the possessive case plural of: a. brother-in-law; b. Jones; c. I; d. who; e. Musselman.