Reading Latin: Text

Having attempted previously to learn Latin on my own from Wheelock's, I can say that this text is far superior for anyone attempting self-study. The texts are enjoyable and, at times, funny (Plautus), scary (In Verrem), beautiful (Ovid, Virgil, etc.), and moving (Cirero, Ad familiares, 2.16). Rather than the dry, boring sentences and mutilated sententiae you find in Wheelock's, Reading Latin uses engaging texts and prepares you to read unadapted Latin as quickly as possible. Furthermore, I found introducing the deponent verbs before the passive rather nice. Upon encountering deponent/passive endings, it's better not to assume immediately that the verb is passive as Wheelock's trains you to. Along this line, the order of presentation is overall very good. Rather than presenting a new tense in pieces, for each conjugation, Reading Latin gives them to you all at once, making it far easier to remember the patterns. I finished the entire text in 3 months, spending only about 3 hours on it per day. While I'm not reading anything quickly yet, I can read Virgil, Ovid, Cicero, et al. using only patience and a dictionary (alas, vocabularly takes a while to build up no matter what language you learn).

I have taught Latin 1-2 using Jones and Sidwell for at least ten years and continue to think it's the best text available, especially for self-study. Pace Ryan Friesen, teaching the deponent verbs first is BRILLIANT; it's FAR easier for a student to get comfortable with deponents simply as an alternative form of the active verbs (which in a way they are), and THEN tackle the passive. Jones and Sidwell point out (somewhere) that traditional grammar books are based on description, not on how best to present the language to learners, and their whole approach is to get at what the student needs to learn and practice, and then build on that intelligently. (Other examples: they spread the ablative absolute and the subjunctive, and even nonne and num, over DIFFERENT chapters, presenting the easiest aspects first and then moving logically to the harder ones).The book is not intended as a reference grammar, and it certainly can be difficult to find the right page for the explanation you want. But this is an unavoidable consequence of the (I think) intelligent choice to approach the language from the student's point of view. Wheelock is opposite: very concise, and thus very usable as reference, but you do not emerge with any abilty to read the language (deponents come as a final last-minute chapter, and thus remain a problem for students long afterwards).The one downside of their approach is that the student reads relatively little "real" Latin. But the fact of the matter is that there are very few easily readable Latin texts that are very worthwhile, and it is far better, in my view, to present texts that give the student lots of practice with the most relevant constructions.The book is not perfect, and I have long hoped for a second edition (with workbook, and perhaps computer exercises and audio cd). But it is the best I have ever seen. I have never met either Sidwell or Jones, but remain indebted to them.

This has been an excellent course (including the text and study guide) for me; well structured, clear and concise. I have been following this course, unassisted by a tutor, for the past 11 months and have completed over three-quarters of it. For pronunciation, I am using Transparent Language's "Latin Now" CD, which is okay, but not great (but after all, with how many people do you converse in Latin anyway?)With these three books (i.e. the grammar, vocab. and exercises, the text, and the independent study guide) and a pronunciation aid (Latin Now or another), you should have everything you need to progress to a "lower"-intermediate level in the language. To add some context to what I mean by that, I, for example, am able to "struggle" through parts of the Aeneid (I am using Pharr's edition). I say "struggle" because while I take great enjoyment in following this course and learning latin, it is important to maintain realistic expectations. You will not be leisurely perusing your way through unadapted texts by Cicero or Virgil upon completing this course.I have not reviewed Wheelock's latin course, and have nothing else with which to compare Jones and Sidwell's course. However, I can say that this course worked very well for me. Please also note, however, that the language (and this course) require a significant amount of attention and dedication. As stated, I have been following the course for 11 months while also working a full-time job (40 - 80 hours a week). While my life did not change dramatically, I did find that completing this course in a year required me to: (1) watch significantly less TV, (2) spend virtually no time reading other books, (3) find creative times to study latin (e.g. studying on airplanes, flashcards on the walk into work, etc.), and (4) put up with abuse from friends and coworkers who can not understand why.

I think the book is excellent for beginners; it is much better than the books I used when first learning Latin in high school. However, the course is also excellent for those who want to refresh their Latin. By using the running vocabulary as mandatory instead of optional and reviewing the grammar points, a former Latin student can quickly regain his/her proficiency in the language. In addition to covering major aspects of grammar such as the subjunctive, use of deponent and defective verbs, and future passive participles, there is increased focus on the reasons why cases (not just the ablative) are used in the ways they are. The text is engaging and slowly increases in difficulty, and best of all, unlike most Latin courses, the vocabulary is not merely setting you up to read De Bello Gallico, perhaps the most boring book ever written in Latin.

This book, and its companion volume Reading Latin: Grammar, Vocabulary and Exercises, constitute in my opinion the best way to learn Latin for the university or adult learner. The programme is designed to build a good reading knowledge of Latin, and many of the earlier exercises are designed to help the learner read the Latin sentence in the order in which the words are presented. The Reading Latin volume contains a series of reading extracts, initially simplified, then moving closer to the original Latin as the book progresses. The first chapters draw their material from the plays of Plautus, then from speeches of Cicero and Sallust's history of the Catilinarian conspiracy. The final chapter contains a variety of original Latin pieces from the major Latin authors. All these are read with the grammar and vocabulary help from the companion volume - you need both. There is a very comprehensive range of exercises in the companion volume, and although the authors recommend choosing from them, you really need to do most of them to get full value from the course.This course follows the format of the same authors' Reading Greek, but it is a pity that there is not the Independent Laearning Guide that you can get with the Greek course, which contains translations of the extracts. I did the first half of the course by myself, and the second half through a second year Latin course at the University of Western Australia. You can learn Latin by yourself with this course, though you definitely benefit from having an instructor to explain the subtleties.I've tried several approached to Latin over the years, and this is the one that worked for me. A major reason is that the course is constructed so that you can feel yourself making progress, and the extracts themselves are inherently interesting, as well as providing an introduction to Latin literature.