An Independent Study Guide to Reading Latin

livro novinho e em perfeito estado

I enjoy studying by myself - I am in my 80's - and can be patient, taking my time, for there is no pressure to achieve an 'End' or objective. There is a simple progression from one exercise to another which makes learning easy. Words do not adequately express my pleasure.

As someone who managed to get 80% at 'O' level and is starting to relearn Latin some 59 years later, I've decided to concentrate on the "Reading Latin" set of books [Reading Latin: Text and Vocabulary, ~:Grammar and Exercises, & ~: An Independent Study Guide]. I am finding the structure, methodology, and the teaching material to be useful, practical and effective, and also interesting, for studying at home without a tutor. The Independent Study Guide is essential in this respect, though probably not necessary for anyone who can be supported by the aid of a tutor. The Kindle editions are different from the usual Kindle edition free format, in that they are similar to a PDF document in that the page contents and layout are maintained page by page. This makes it most suitable to be read on a large screen attached to a PC or Mac using the appropriate Kindle app. However, only one page is displayable at a time with the Kindle app [something that perhaps ought to be addressed by Amazon] and so the effect of a layout which is designed to show related material, such as running vocabulary, on the facing page is lost. In my opinion, it is also preferable to use the paperback editions rather than the Kindle editions, simply because one is likely to be spending a fair amount of time swapping between the three books as you progress through the material. So best studied at a large desk or table with the 3 books in front of you and a paper pad for working through the exercises. Wheelock's Latin [7th ed] is an alternative one-volume course which is also used in university courses and in local adult education courses. For me, Wheelock's is useful as a backup [again much preferable in paperback printed format, as the fonts used in the Kindle are the wrong size and lose vital accent marks which are essential for learning the pronunciation and syllabic stress of the words. Though, there are recorded pronunciation examples for exercises and material through the whole book which are available free on the web site associated with the Wheelock's Latin course. One of the advantages of the Reading Latin course is that it is extended by the supplementary books: Reading Virgil, Reading Ovid, and Reading Medieval Latin which deal in depths with reading and understanding the original Latin, its stylistics, poetics and rhetoric in The Aeneid, Metamorphoses, and medieval religious and scholarly texts and documents. Through starting this Reading Latin course, I find I am already able to understand quotations of material in introductions and guides to the works of Roman authors and Latin literature.

Classic textbook for learning Latin and it does a good job as part of the complete set.

I bought the 'Reading Latin' and Reading Latin - Text' as specified for Latin course I started this Autumn. At the time I didn't realise there was this 3rd book in the set. I am finding it helpful to check my work between weekly classes. Note that it doesn't provide the answers to optional questions and exercises.