New-York tribune., 1907-06-02
UB-FRESHH4N ERRORS.
attention Directed to Them by Re
port on HarCard Examinations.

HO b't II b 1 on IL 1LdUWLHiIIOUS.
Harvard University has issued few publications
or more general interest than the pamphlet en-
titled "A Report on the Examinations in English
Tor Admission to Harvard College, which has
Just appeared. 1t IS something rev in the line
OF university publications. a brief PREDATORY note
explains It's purpose: Several years experience
in reading English entrance examination books
has Impressed upon the regularity with which
candidates repeat certain elementary errors To
ut Into the hands Of teachers a large number
or these errors and 20 make some suE-est ions for
preventing them are the objects Of this report"
mere follow thirty pages Of choice specimens OF
sub-ireshman attempts at English intcrspersed
with comments and suggestions that are Intended
TO point the way toward improving those attempts
IN the future.
It IS well known fact that more candidates
ioT admission 10 Harvard funk their English ex-
animation. than fail IN any other subject In
StTLctoTs IN preparatory schools have alwaya in
sisted that the requirements were too hard while
Harvard teachers have insisted that many or the
candidates lack an elementary KNOWLEDGE
OF the rules of grammar Selecting their examines
only from the papers written for admission in
June. ErF. they present Illustrations Of nearly
every possible grammatical error. This is followed
by long list OF misspellcd words About TWENTY-FIVE
are starred AS occurring frequently These include
such old friends as ''privelage" "recieyo' sep
crate ''predjudice' and some that more mod
ern, as 'iuterIectual" william ''thot' 'rythuIu'
and ''phamplet" The paragraphs that follow are
worth quoting in their entirety:
our concern IS not primarily with proper names
even II they are improperly spelled. Therefore we
shall not dwell upon the Guardian Angie who re-
yealed himself critic OF Addlsou's cam.
IaIsn.' nor shall attempt 10 penetrate the dis
Buse OF Adders3n,' 'BanCo, 'Bodswel.' EIcC atHey'
GE o., or Josalar Rena!s such forms as rhysche.'
'CyAey' and Pnysic betray Ignorance OF classical
etyInology. tie significance Of which will be spoken
From the list Of misspellings 1t seems clear
"Uu Many in spelling occur because the
boy attempts 70 write words as he mspronouuees
'tnreshoe.' 'wlckid tmerity' ara seuance' are cx-
ing teachers must encourage TeadIHg aloud and
must Insist that pupils give to each syllable its
T., % To- 5len correctly a boy muss know, not mere
y ~ 'Es |Apls "oFd, put tHe separate sy4bles. II
If he does not know Greek ana Latin his English
teacher VIII do well TO write on the black6oard
and TO explain that describe would mean TO write
to pie'.S surprise would be 10 undertake. in
stead OF 70 ovortake' and 'seperate' would lose
td ear@ dSTn 10 tRs tTsp4 6oat P1Ge %e Ien q99
to remind teachers that even "A slight study OF
sI,ch vGrjs a. ttaI'ti, ,,t ,,i'i .i IA
fle5 "Gif G % 9 anpTrn%Hd ana .Id @sIrn
wherein the word unique is made false to it's own
20 Many msspellinss Ike many !mproprls1tes
troublesome pairs of words. such AS loose, and
Iearned-by exact and insistent drilL'
IN INC 'o'l9l''l '''A'I' '' ''lSlN'N "Di'H '''lN
phrases are quoted sentences which in their way
"one brother is an optlmus and the other
Imagine how severe blow feels when your
only arniabi!ity is abducted in manner as Jessica
u have read from several different authors fic-
There shyIock had come to get his forfeit Of
pound of flesh in perfectly good faith. but got the
was stiIi alive. even If the mother was dead
Truly. It is pitiful sight to hear broken
hon f1d ia her
escapades of his trusted daughter Jesslca."
"Shylock whetted his revenge to the kindling
'Shylocs was so blinded to his thirst for revenge
The johnson Club described In "A single SEN
tence, reads The Johnson Club was a cnb , com
posed OF such men as Johnson. Boswell Goldsmlth:
Reynolds and others the purpose of il was TO get
literary topics, and this kind of thing In those
days beneficial the great Libraries of to-day.
and talked the social conditions that pre-
vailed at that time and the fact that Johnson son was
one that Il was success for nowhere IN the ms ms
In speaking Of sentence structure the pamphlet
books reveal little understanding of what a SEN
how to make their sentences units in thought. ana
that fewer st know how 10 represent that unity
other single fault boys who take the Harvard en-
trance examinations In English suffer because they
serves to be made subordinate. and because they
have tte or mo M RFaSGe f0amG 9T sqen G crane tb
parenthess the dependent clause and the part-
cipial phrase"
One example from the many given viii illustrate
the error OF which complaint is made: The maiden
Wanders in the woods, ana is tempted by the sur
rounding evils, and is led astray from the en-
chantress Comus who offers her drink. which If
taken would change her into the form of an ami
mai like unto her many converts whom she had
foIed by the deluding liquor"
Coming from high school graduates, errors OF fact
like the following are rather startling:
II Ike Shakespeare very well, and have reao
most Of his Waverly Novels"
"Addison's first work was a poem. in which. he
cOmDaTed Wellington to the Guardian Angle, be-
cause of his ode the battle of Blenheim."
Addison passed his early life in the place IN
which he born. 1t situated little way
from Harvard College, what then called
Tory's Row. He educated by private tutor,
and at the age OF sixteen entered Harvard College.
He had no rooms the college, but lived at his
own home The beauty of the country around his
place afforded him many topics for his books"
AS ar offset TO the many pages of bad examples
the authors Of the pamphlet take pleasure in citing
in conclusion several pages of choice composition
that are only admirable in their correctness,
but also en1body the elusive qualities OF force eie
gance and ease with which the Harvard under
ora dnat Ia Is slnnnsed hecoma familiar In his