Grammar (Byakaran): sandhi, samas, karak, verb forms
Grammar (Byakaran) covers sandhi, samas, karak, verb forms and the rest of the prescribed grammar. It is the most rule-bound part of the paper: answers are right or wrong, so rule knowledge pays more here than anywhere else.
Sandhi
Sandhi is the sound change at a word junction; both joining and splitting (বিচ্ছেদ) are set. Three families dominate: স্বরসন্ধি (vowel + vowel), ব্যঞ্জনসন্ধি (vowel or consonant + consonant) and বিসর্গসন্ধি. Learn the vowel grid: অ/আ → আ; ই/ঈ → ি; উ/ঊ → ু; a following dissimilar vowel usually reappears as its semi-vowel (য, ৰ, ল, ৱ).
Samas
Give the vigraha (split) first, then name the relation the split reveals. রাজার পুত্ৰ → রাজপুত্ৰ shows a genitive relation, so it is ষষ্ঠী তৎপুরুষ. For reference: দ্বন্দ্ব joins items with 'and'; কৰ্মধাৰয় is adjective + noun; দ্বিগু is numeral + thing; অৱ্যয়ীভাৱা has an indeclinable first member.
Karak
Manipuri marks case with suffixes attached to a verb-final clause: -দা locative (ইম্ফালদা), -গী genitive (ইম্ফালগী), -দগী ablative (ইম্ফালদগী), alongside instrumental and dative markers. Identify the role first - who acts, what is acted on, with what, from where - then choose the suffix.
Verb forms
Conversion tasks ask you to shift tense, person, polarity or politeness level. Change only the verb ending and whatever must agree with it; leave objects and postpositions untouched.
Worked example
হিম + আলয় → হিমালয়. Reasoning: final অ and initial আ are both অ-বৰ্ণ, so they merge into আ. Nothing is inserted, nothing deleted, and the spelling of both stems is otherwise preserved - write the split with exactly that spelling.
Traps
- A split with wrong spelling cancels an otherwise correct answer.
- Naming a samas type without giving the vigraha.
- Confusing locative -দা with ablative -দগী.
- Shifting tense but forgetting person or honorific agreement.