These five examination papers were originally published in an appendix to An Epitome of English Grammar for the Use of Students: Adapted to the London Matriculation Course and Similar Examinations, by W.H.H. Kelke (London: Kegan Paul, Trench & Co., 1885). For the first two exams (January 1871 and July 1879), key grammatical terms are linked to definitions and examples in our Glossary of Grammatical and Rhetorical Terms. To view these exams without advertisements, click on the print icon near the top of the page.
From the preface to An Epitome of English Grammar:
The scope of the London Matriculation course affording an excellent and convenient standard, this book carefully considers the general tenor of the questions, as well as the particular questions themselves, that have for the last twelve years been set at the London Matriculation under the head of "English Language."
The student who aims at fuller knowledge of Old English grammar will naturally go on from this introduction to the "Historical Outlines" of Dr. Morris, and other more advanced text-books, which he will use with greater ease and profit for having mastered this elementary treatise. It is hoped that even out of the present work it will be found possible to give fairly adequate answers to almost any questions such as are usually set at any of the ordinary examinations in English Language, whether at the London University or elsewhere--with one possible exception. What may be termed Lexical questions, dealing with abnormal words of miscellaneous origin, belong rather to the Dictionary than to the Grammar. Such cannot be exhausted in one small handbook, but some examples are treated at the end of Chapter III and elsewhere. But the aim of this book is rather to convey to the student a sound and scientific comprehension of the subject as a whole, and a basis whereon to arrange his after-acquired knowledge, than to further the answering of a maximum of questions with a minimum of trouble.
LONDON UNIVERSITY MATRICULATION PAPERS IN ENGLISH LANGUAGE: 1871-1885
Examination I. January 1871
- What is Grammar, and why is it so named?
- Classify the Letters of the English Alphabet.
- What law is illustrated by change of consonant in the words thou, tu, and (German) du?
- Define each of the Parts of Speech.
- Tell the history of each of the forms now used for the Inflection of Nouns.
- Explain the terms Declension, Conjugation, Case, Mood, Tense, Participle, Gerund; and illustrate each by an example.
- Write out and punctuate the passage read by the Examiner. Underline the words in it which are of Latin origin.
- "The curfew tolls the knell of parting day."
"Parting is such sweet sorrow
That I shall say Good night till it be morrow."
First parse and then analyse each of these sentences. Explain, with reference to earlier forms of inflection, the two grammatical uses of the word you find in both of them. - Discuss the grammar of these sentences:
- "Whoe'er I woo, myself would be his wife" (Shakespeare)
- "He would have spoke" (Milton)
- "O thou my voice inspire
Who touched Isaiah's hallow'd lips with fire" (Pope) - "And though by Fate's severe decree
She suffers hourly more than me" (Swift) - "For ever in this humble cell
Let thee and I, my fair one dwell" (Prior) - "In proportion as either of these two qualities are wanting, the language is imperfect" (Addison)
Examination II. July 1879
[Not more than Ten Questions are to be attempted, in addition to the Exercise in Dictation.]
- Write out and punctuate the passage read by the Examiner.
- To what family of Languages does English belong? Give any facts showing its relation to some other languages of Europe.
- English "three" is Latin "tres," in German "drei." State and explain by examples the law to which a change of this kind is attributed.
- How many sounds might possibly be represented by the English Alphabet? Classify the actual letters of the Alphabet according to their sounds.
- Name and define each of the Parts of Speech.
- Show how we came by the Possessive Case in 's, and by the Plural in s. Tell what you know about Nouns forming their Plurals in en.
- What is meant by the Infinite Mood of a Verb? Explain as fully as you can the Infinitive form in the phrase, "This House is to Let."
- Give some account of the different forms of the Verb To be.
- Discuss the following Past Tenses of Verbs: loved, taught, ate, sang. Tell what you know of the forms ought and must.
- Discuss any five examples of what is called Irregular Comparison in Adjectives. What Adjectives cannot properly be used in the Comparative and Superlative degree?
- Classify the Pronouns.
- Write two sentences showing the same word used in one as a Preposition, in the other as a Conjunction: also two sentences showing the same word used as a Preposition and as an Adverb.
- Make a grammatical Analysis of the following sentence: "A step was taken this session which was important in as far as it tended to separate the idea of death-punishment from crimes which were no longer capital."
- Correct or justify the Syntax of each of the following sentences, and when you correct, tell why you do so:
(a) Art thou proud yet? Ay, that I am not thee.
(b) Whoever the king favours
The cardinal will find employment for.
(c) Here you may see that visions are to dread.
(d) Nothing but wailings was heard.
(e) Neither of them are remarkable for precision.
(f) I cannot tell if it be wise or no.
(g) It must be confessed that a lampoon or a satire do not carry in them robbery and murder.
(h) Whose own example strengthens all his laws
And is himself the great Sublime he draws.*
*Whose own example . . . is himself, etc." By justifiable poetic licence himself stands in Apposition with he implied in whose. The Relative (Object to draws) is omitted.
Continued on page two
