Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1885-07-25
THOSE EXAMINATION QUESTIONS.
Reply to 'An Old Timer" by President
of the County School Beard
EDS. REcoap- UNION: In last Satul

issue of the RECoRD-USIos ! find an anon
yincus communication, signed "Old
Timer, in which the writer holds that two
of the grammar questions recently pre-
pared by me for teachers examinations were
very obscurcly expressed, and the words
! for definition assigned at previous exam
nations were too uncommon" In the
crowded columns OF a daily newspaper.
| shall but briefly review these objections
At the outset l premise that should "Old
| Timer, from Gait, who lives during the
summer in Sacramento city. think fit 10
+ reply to my communication, he will have
the goodness to sign his own name If he
! expects me to notice his communication
! 1t is not to my mind TO play the target for
| the amusement of 2 nameless person, who,
! lacking the courage of his convictions, takes
! his stand behind q stone wall. As the
anonymous correspondent from Sacramento
! city did not delgn to give his real name or
| place Of residence, l shall call him by the
! assumed name of his choice, "Old Timer,
! from Calf.
Old Timer =" What does question OF
! direction 1 in the grammar questions, as
published last Saturday, mean? State the
/ principles which guide in the use of the
possessive forms When a series OF
nouns denoting possession are employed
| the last only should have the poSsessive
, form. Is that what is called for? For the
| life of me cannot tell what is meant
| COMMENT did not originate this ques-
, ton. That teachers "of immature minds
may the more easily obtain the answer, |
of the question, as found in Reed and
! Kelloggs Grammar page 235. question !,
| which reads thus Give and illustrate the
principles which sujde in the use Of the
! possessive forms" 1t IS presumed that
! Reed and Kellogg, who enjoy national
! reputation as authors of school and college
text books, are al7oSt as competent TO form
| ulate questions, on grammar at least, as is
| the crudite grammarian-"Old Timer
| from Sacramento. Apart from the literary
authority OF these authors, an intelligent
| public can see that the question is neatly
expressed. Any paraphrasing Of the ques-
ton would only make less clear what is
already rs apparent us is the nose on man s
face
For the special instruction, however, of
odd Timer, l shall state that the words
state the principles, etc, here mean-sive,
principles which are found in every school
grammar extant E;r "Old Timers" an
swer 10 the question which he himself
formed in the cavernoHs depths of his in
ner consciousness is not Internationally
correct To find his error, let him borrow
| a primary school grammar
"Old-Timer direction Question 5,
what does the examiner mean by paren-
thetical, coordinate, transpositional, oppo-
sitional and divisional constructions? |
find coordinate clauses, coordinate modi-
fers, bat what are coordinate, oppositional
and Omissional constructions can guess,
and guess and guess, but ! end by guessing,
because know OF no Technology as here
employed which has any recognized mean
ing in grammar and therefore | syInpathize
with the victims
Comment-So do I sympathize with both
you and the victims, solely ON account of
the apparent mutual ignorance. The eek
aminer' said what he meant and meant
what he said. Constructions OF language
is phrase well understood by almost all
English-spcahing persons. The meaning
of the five adjective terms are also well
known 10 the great mass of educated per-
sons using the kings English. These two
questions were meant for persons who.
during some period of their lives, acquired
some little knowledge Of grammar. In the
pride Of your grammatical crudition you
do not allow teachers of immature
minds any latitude or originality
to condense and simplify the many
rules of punctuation as laid down in
our school grammars. Applicants are not
expected to give all the niceties and excep-
tons 70 the rules of punctuati0n-poins
on which authorities are not uniform-but
they are justly required to be familiar with
the great constructions of the language
and to know by what punctuation points
these constructions are marked off. Now,
as to the Technology " used in the question
having no recognized meaning IN gram
mar" | refer you to "Swinton's Progress
sive English Grammar page 1872, in which
you will find the following words Mari
off independent and opposi-
tional constructions by commas"
Old Timer -" Nothing better demon
strates the uncommonness of these words
for definition) than the definitions quoted
from teachers who won first-grade certifi
Gates, etn.
Comment - The so-called definitions
quoted from teachers clearly point out
great fact-that these unfortunate teachers
received a one-siled, misguided. crammed,
indigested and badly-balanced education.
1t is not the uncommonness' of the words
which is apparent, but il is the uncommon
and dense ignorance of words in common
Use and in current literature which is so
extensively obvious. That an intelligent
and tar-minded public may judge on the
merits, or rather dement's, of the so-called
definitions themselves, | now present from
each list few words with the applicants
definitions, together with the correct and
somewhat extended definitions incosed in
curves Solecism-pertaining to music IAN
Offense against the rules of GRAMMAR. Rep
ehensible-That which was known before
(culpable; blameworthy as, reprehensible
conduct. Preyalence-That which comes
before a forerunner (predOmnanCe as,
the prevalence Of an Epidemic. Puerile-
Tiny, small, as an atom (bovish, as puerile
conduct. Colossus-The meaning OF it all
"a statue of enormous size, as, the Colossus
of Rhodes. Parasite-A name Of the Bible
"a plant that grows on trees or other plants;
a servile hatterer}. Bagatele-A musical
instrument 4 tTitle As {. mere bagatellel.
Utopian-A very precious stone fauciful,
as a Utopian idea: More's Utopia -.
Amenity-To do better (Ciyiity; as the
amenities of life.
Surely the luscious richness of these def
nitiOns beggars description, and entities The
applicants of immature minds, at least
so far as their English scholarship is con-
cerncd, not only to irst-gradc certificates
uncommon place in Pope's immortal
" Dunciad" It is noteworthy, in this con
nection to state that some IS per cent. of
the seventv-tive words are found spelled
and fully defined in the first siXty-three
pages of a two-bit school textbook { Hen
derson's " Test Words in Spelling') in very
general use in the schools of this State. Ii
is sold by the hundreds in this city, and
used in the best schools of this city and
county. The few remaining words-with
the exception Of two-are found in Reeds
Word Lessons. Those two words are
in Wtstlake's Three Thousand Practice
Words and in many of the spoilers
used in this State
I know country school boys who could
define eighty-fye per cent. of the seventy
five words, yet who would bow with re-
spcctful Difference to the sublime English
Scholarship of teachers Of miniature
minds Applicants expected to be exam
med in " defining; hence their ignorance
Of this branch of knowledge is indefens-
ible. All the talk about an extensive ac-