Text Set: Latin Verbs Forms & Translations
1. Wheelock’s
Latin
Reading
Level: 9.9
Description:
Wheelock is one of the most well-known and comprehensive introductory texts for
Latin. It introduces Latin from the very first day of instruction (what is an inflected
language? what alphabet does Latin use?) through some of the most complex forms
in Latin. (Re: subjunctive mood, the gerund and gerundive, ablative case’s
never-ending uses.) The reading level may be slightly above some students’
comfort level, although Latin is naturally a grammar-heavy language, and
Wheelock does an excellent job of making the language accessible.
Rationale:
Wheelock has the advantage of being comprehensive, well-written, well-known,
and cheap. (Older editions are readily available for $20 or less.) Websites and
texts with additional resources are easy to find—I own a book of translation
passages written to accompany it. The book itself is an excellent source for
alternate explanations of grammar points and alternate exercises.
2. Allen
& Greenough’s New Latin Grammar
Reading
Level: 12.7
Description:
If Wheelock is the regular student’s go-to book for an explanation, then Allen
& Greenough is the reference guide of the dedicated student for those
esoteric and tricky forms. A&G functions much like the Harbrace does in
English classrooms: it is a reference guide for any grammar point in the
language, and therefore tends to read like a college professor’s lecture.
Rationale:
A&G is not a casual resource which I see low level students using often,
but it is valuable for upper level students as they learn about more complex
uses of verbs (re: subjunctive mood), and especially for students in Latin IV
and V, who are reading authentic Latin and will encounter all manner of
constructions which may or may not have been explicitly taught.
3. The
Complete Idiot’s Guide to Learning Latin
Reading Level: 7.4
Description: Straightforward and accessible, this guide to
Latin is written precisely for someone who knows nothing about languages or
complex grammar, but still wants to learn Latin. It has simplified
explanations, handy charts, and intuitive organization—at least to someone who
does not already know Latin.
Rationale: It is far more immediately accessible to students
than some of the other texts (particularly A&G.) It includes several of the
reader-friendly features we have discussed in class, like text and hint boxes,
larger fonts and clear headings, and summary sections which highlight the most
important features of the lesson.
4. Barron’s
Foreign Language Guides: Latin Grammar
Reading Level: 8.8
Description: This is a small reference book with many pages of
reference charts in the back. It has short, sometimes superficial explanations,
but the charts are excellent as references. There is one with the verbs
organized by the perfect stem (which can have a long vowel, an –x, an –s, a –u,
or a –v), which is helpful for students memorizing the different parts of a
verb.
Rationale: This book, unlike several of the others, is small
enough to fit easily into a student’s already-full backpack. It can be an
excellent review resource, or students can use the charts in the back to
organize their knowledge of Latin. The teacher can even copy the charts as a
handout for students.
5. Latin
Teaching Materials at Saint Louis University (http://www.slu.edu/colleges/AS/languages/classical/latin/tchmat/grammar/vb/vbcontents.html)
Reading Level: 5.3
Description: This online resource includes grammar resources
for many different subjects within Latin. Each lesson is organized into PDFs to
download, and many have exercises to download as well. The explanations are
short and clear, and include useful charts and diagrams.
Rationale: This resource is available for free online, so any
students who have internet access at home can access it—access is not limited
to one user or physical proximity, like with a book. The explanations, although
short, can be a good review for students, particularly if they have taken a
semester off from Latin. The exercises can also serve as a review.
6. Latin
Lexicon: Word Study Tool (latinlexicon.org/word_study_tool.php)
Reading Level: 8.5
Description: This online tool allows students to type in a word
– with an ending or in its dictionary format – and search it. The Lexicon will
return the dictionary meaning of the word as well as the specific form, with
the option for a student to add the word to an online set of flashcards. For
example, “ambulavisse” would return as “ambulo, ambulare, ambulavi, ambulatus:
to walk, walk about, take a walk; perfect active infinitive”.
Rationale: While this tool may encourage students to become
lazy in recognizing their forms, it can also help students to learn words with
irregular forms, such as “fero, ferre, tuli, latus: to bear.” These words are
easy to forget until students see them often enough to remember that the
irregular forms belong together as one verb. The flashcard feature is
especially useful because it allows students to mark the words with which they
have more trouble.
7. Verbix:
Latin Verb Conjugator (http://www.verbix.com/languages/latin.shtml)
Reading
Level: 5.6
Description:
Verbix allows students to enter the first principal part of a verb into its
search box, and then it shows an entire conjugation chart for that verb. It labels
the subjunctive as the “conjunctive”, but otherwise is a very straightforward
resource for reviewing verb forms.
Rationale:
Latin is rife with irregular and illogical exceptions to the rules – as is any
language – and so having a full verb chart is very useful, particularly when
students are trying to find the differences between one form and another. This
is also extremely helpful for irregular verbs.
8. A Web
of Latin Verb Synopses (http://web.utk.edu/~ehsuther/synop.html)
Reading
Level: 7.8
Description:
This webpage allows students to type in verbs of a specific conjugation (with
or without macrons) to practice making the forms. It automatically checks the
student’s answers so that the student can see what he/she got correct and
incorrect.
Rationale:
Making forms can be very difficult, even after a student has memorized all the
rules. This website allows a student to practice at home and drill him/herself
in MAKING the form, not just in reading off a list of the forms. Practicing
making the form helps students to remember it better than merely looking at the
form.
9. The
Latin Library: Latin Handouts (http://www.thelatinlibrary.com/101/)
Reading
Level: 5.7
Description:
This website has an extensive list of PDF handouts which students can download
to review different grammar points. The handouts are brief reviews, but are
suitable as a review or reference sheet for students.
Rationale:
Free review and reference sheets for teachers and students!
10. Diagramming
Latin Sentences (http://www2.cnr.edu/home/bmcmanus/diagraminglatin.html)
Reading
Level: 10.2
Description:
This website offers an easy introduction to diagramming Latin sentences, which
can be valuable for understanding an inflected language. Unlike English, Latin
depends on endings rather than on word order in order to understand how a word
is being used in a sentence.
Rationale:
While diagramming may not help all students, it can help some students to see a
sentence visually deconstructed. This website offers a clear introduction to
that exercise.
11. The Subjunctive
Mood: Uses (http://www.dl.ket.org/latin3/grammar/Subj.htm)
Reading
Level: 7.4
Description:
This short website offers an introduction to the subjunctive mood, and its
independent and dependent uses. There are example sentences in English to show
how English uses the subjunctive mood.
Rationale:
Subjunctive is one of the hardest features of Latin for students to learn, and
so extra resources and explanations are always useful. This one is particularly
nice because it includes examples of the subjunctive in English, which is often
not discussed in Latin classes.
12. Ed
Connelly: Latin (http://www.edonnelly.com/latin/)
Reading
Level: 10.1
Description:
A list of tools which students can use to study specific concepts of Latin,
such as a verb conjugation or a noun declension.
Rationale:
These tools allow students to practice their skills at home in a more
interesting way than teacher-assigned worksheets. Anything which is freely
accessible, repeatable, reliable, and interesting is a good resource to give to
students.
13. Interactive
Latin (http://www.open.ac.uk/Arts/interactiveLatin/verbRecognition.html)
Reading
Level: 4.2
Description:
This is a multiple-choice format quiz which asks students simple questions
about verb forms, such as “Which answer is in the future tense?”
Rationale:
It practices instant recognition and differentiation between forms.
14. Classics:
Uses of the Latin Subjunctive (http://www.rmc.edu/academics/classics/subjunctive.aspx)
Reading
Level: 0.8
Description:
This page is composed almost solely of charts showing the different uses of the
subjunctive in a formulaic layout. It is excellent because it shows the words
which signal the different types of subjunctive clauses.
Rationale:
In concert with some of the other subjunctive and verb resources, this resource
is an excellent way for students to review the uses of the subjunctive.
15. Prolegomena
to Latin: Understanding Our English Grammar (http://community.middlebury.edu/~harris/EngLatGrammar.html)
Reading
Level: 15.5
Description:
This resource, unlike several of the other resources, focuses on English
grammar rather than on Latin grammar. In order for students to understand how
to translate a Latin sentence or clause into English, they must understand both
the Latin and the English—not the Latin alone. After all, they may be able to
recognize a purpose clause, but without knowing what it is in English, that
knowledge is useless.
Rationale:
Students need to know how English grammar works in order to translate Latin
into English.
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