Rating: 
Summary: An outstanding learning tool
Review: If you've read "Greek for the Rest of Us" by William Mounce and decided that you really wanted to learn the basics of Biblical Greek including vocabulary then this is the book that you will want. William Mounce has a gift for taking the Greek language and making it approachable even to those who have tried before but not succeeded in learning Biblical Greek. While there are many, many grammar details to learn such as whether something is dative, nominative, accusative, genitive, active, passive, dependent, independent, etc. Mr. Mounce actually makes it interesting and finds ways to keep the student interested and feeling positive about their progress. All those grammar rules are very important in correctly interpreting the Greek texts and in understanding English translation. Sometimes there is no English equivalent for a Greek word, sometimes we can only approach a correct translation by approximating a similar word in English, but then our personal prejudices and beliefs affect the word that we choose. Understanding Greek is important to a serious level of study of New Testament writings. This book gives you the basic ability to look through a Greek text or Interlinear Translation of the Bible and understand not only what is said, but also what is actually meant but the text. This is a very highly recommended text for anyone desiring to learn Biblical Greek and one of the best books on the subject that I have ever read.
Rating:
Summary: William Mounce Writes Great Beginner Bok
Review: In Mounce's grammer the reader will discover a step by step introduction to the basics of this biblical language. In Basics of Biblical Greek, Mounce outlines the most common issues and most used categories for each major part of speech (i.e verbs, nouns, adjectives, etc.) Most importantly, he does this using examples from the text, which gives the reader a head start on reading the text. If you desire to begin your probing into New Testament Greek, start with Mounce. Just remember learning Greek on your own is no fun and very dangerous. Find a good instructor, then open Mounce for your start into the discoveries of Biblical Greek.
Rating:
Summary: ultimately...the best
Review: It's funny to see some of the comments readers have made...basically, it's a strange grammar in that Mounce doesn't introduce verbs until something like the 9th chapter--until then you couldn't write "Jesus goes to Jerusalem" in Greek if your eternal salvation depended on it! I used the book for self-study and found it much easier to start with a more "traditional" grammar to learn the basics of verb structure and to get practice in writing Greek sentences (yes, using nouns AND verbs!). Once I'd made some progress this way, I went back to Mounce for a closer look and found his explanations to be very insightful, aimed at knowing why things happen and how to see the patterns vs. just memorizing. In the end, Mounce does have the "big picture" better than most--it's just that it simply won't show until you've gotten through to at least the middle of the book. It's too bad he doesn't start using verbs earlier so students could work on real sentences from the start. But at the end of the day this is still an excellent book for Greek. Yes, he does over-explain things. But since I was learning entirely from the books I read, this was a plus for me.
Rating:
Summary: Excellant for self study
Review: Mounce does a great job of keeping what you need to memorize to a minimum and explaining things clearly and focusing on the key points. I had a year of classical greek 20 years ago but never really mastered it. When I picked up Mounce a couple of years ago it was a breath of fresh air and I have since reached a point where I can read koine with some proficiency (you can never learn enough vocabulary!). I did run into a roadblock at about chapter 25 but I put it down for a while then started again at the beginning and worked through it all the way the second time. For me many of the nuances of syntax have become fairly intuitive after seeing them a couple of times so I don't think a lack of more detailed explanation of them ala Wallace is a disadvantage of Mounce. Memorize what he tells you to memorize and as much vocabulary as possible and you will be able to read koine. I recommend A Summer Greek Reader as a follow-up for practice reading with easy syntax and additional vocabulary memorization. After that Mounce's Graded Reader and then the New Testament, focusing more on the gospels or Acts initially and with A Reader's Lexicon to cut down on time spent thumbing through a lexicon.
Rating:
Summary: Excellant for self study
Review: Mounce does a great job of keeping what you need to memorize to a minimum and explaining things clearly and focusing on the key points. I had a year of classical greek 20 years ago but never really mastered it. When I picked up Mounce a couple of years ago it was a breath of fresh air and I have since reached a point where I can read koine with some proficiency (you can never learn enough vocabulary!). I did run into a roadblock at about chapter 25 but I put it down for a while then started again at the beginning and worked through it all the way the second time. For me many of the nuances of syntax have become fairly intuitive after seeing them a couple of times so I don't think a lack of more detailed explanation of them ala Wallace is a disadvantage of Mounce. Memorize what he tells you to memorize and as much vocabulary as possible and you will be able to read koine. I recommend A Summer Greek Reader as a follow-up for practice reading with easy syntax and additional vocabulary memorization. After that Mounce's Graded Reader and then the New Testament, focusing more on the gospels or Acts initially and with A Reader's Lexicon to cut down on time spent thumbing through a lexicon.
Rating:
Summary: Not perfect but better than most and it works if you let it
Review: Mounce is an excellent work, overall. His nouns classifications are worth the price of the book; and while his verbal sysem is probably inferior to David Black's, it is logical and provides sufficient material to get the student on board. It is understandable that some frown upon verbs not being (officially) presented until chapter 16; but one needs to know two things. First is that verbs are discussed and used prior to that - "eimi" of course is one of them. The second point is that chapter 16 comes quite quickly enough for a beginner. Mounce is not the most academic of grammars, but most who study Biblical Greek are not attemptin got become Greek teachers and scholars, just know enough to be able to exegete passages accurately and to use references materials that require Greek. The fact that Septuagint Greek in not offered in Mounce's introductory text is absurd; why would a scholar attemptin gto teach the basics add material from work, which is certainly not highly used by even intermediate students of Greek?
Rating: 
Summary: Setting the Standard
Review: Mounce's Basics of Biblical Greek sets the standard for introductory biblical Greek grammars. While there is a plethora of introductory grammars I believe this one is the most thorough, clear, and user-friendly. Zondervan has produced an excellent Greek curriculum of which Mounce's Grammar is but the beginning of the journey in learning the original language of the New Testament. There are many positive dimensions, which set Mounce's grammar above the rest. First, for today's modern reader he does not assume that English grammar is known. He has two chapters (5 & 15), which provide broad overviews to English grammar, and its correspondence to Greek grammar. Then each chapter also contains introductory English grammar and shows it relationship to Greek. Secondly, this work is generally very clear and understandable. A student seeking to learn Greek on his own should with the grammar, workbook, and included CD-Rom be able to successfully master the concepts of beginning Greek. Another advantage is the amount of tools and commitment to progress exhibited by Mounce and Zondervan in this series. It is clear that they want the student to learn Greek in order to glorify God. Such resources would include the companion workbook, the CD-Rom and the additional materials found on the website (see below). A basic chapter flow is as follows: Each chapter is introduced with an "Exegetical Insight." A well-known scholar provides an insight into the significance of the Greek grammar about to be discussed in the chapter. It helps show why learning Greek is important to understanding the Bible. Secondly, the English grammar concepts are introduced and then the Greek grammar closely follows. Paradigms and explanations are provided in the Greek grammar section. Next, there is a helpful chapter summary which sums up all of the important concepts covered in the chapter. Following is the vocabulary to be memorized. Lastly, there may be a section on advanced information, which is usually not essential material to be mastered. As previously mentioned, one of the most helpful aspects of this grammar is the many companion tools. The CD-Rom contains software programs called Flashworks and Parseworks. The Flashworks program is basically an electronic flashcard system, which allows the user to tailor the vocabulary to the specific vocabulary in the Mounce chapter. Personally, Flashworks was a big help in providing another medium to learning the vocab. Parseworks was not as helpful. While I would encourage the student to work with Parseworks I often became tired of having to select each tense, voice, mood, etc... from the drop down menus. It was not as user-friendly as Flasworks. The website ... also has a good amount of helpful resources. There you will find chapter revisions (definitely download the revision for chapter 20 - it will make a lot more sense!). You can also download the Language Learning Tools (Flashworks and Parseworks); and a very helpful 35-page summary of the first 25 chapters of Mounce's grammar. There is also a revision of the workbook, which allows for an early introduction of verbs. The teacher will find downloadable overheads, quizzes, and the answers to the workbook. A few negative comments: First, in his attempt to bring together a textbook which incorporates both a deductive and inductive method of learning there is a tendency to de-emphasize memorization. While Mounce is at pains (in sympathy with the student) to minimize needless memorization sometimes it just has to be done. There is no avoiding the vast amount of memorization in learning a language. Painful as it may be I believe it is the key to learning the language. Secondly, while Mounce is usually clear he is not always concise. He tends to lose the forest for the trees. In the footnotes it is clear that he loves morphology, but it is questionable as to how this will help the beginning student. The beginning student is already facing information overload and such excursions as interesting as they may be may prove unhelpful at this time for the student. How then should this text be used? Following are a few suggestions, in no particular order, which I found helpful in my study of Biblical Greek. First, use the companion workbook. The grammar and the workbook were meant to go together. Secondly, the workbook section should be treated as a test. One should not progress to the workbook until the corresponding chapter has been mastered. Only then should one tackle the workbook. When the workbook section has been completed then check your work with the grammar and a good English translation. Thirdly, use the software. Flashworks is easy to use and vocab is best memorized through a variety of mediums. Parseworks can be tedious but still helpful to use. The rest of the CD-Rom is less useful. Fourthly, review, review, and review. I found it helpful to read the chapter numerous times and then also outline the chapter in my own words (even writing out the full paradigms). Repetition is the best way to get the material to sink in. I would suggest not buying vocab cards, but cutting 3x5 index cards into quarters (1/4) and writing them out on your own. Then carry these cards with you wherever you go and whenever you have a chance pull them out to review. You should also pick up Jonathan T. Pennington's New Testament Greek Vocabulary on CD. These two CDs encompass all the words in the New Testament 10x and up. I only wish I had discovered this resource earlier. Remember, Mounce is not the end but only the beginning. Move onto immersing yourself in the New Testament. Pick up Mounce's Graded Reader of Biblical Greek and Wallace's Greek Grammar Beyond the Basics. Most of all seek God in prayer. After all you are learning Biblical Greek to be able to read the New Testament in its original language. Learning Greek is to be an act of worship! Study therefore to the glory of God.
Rating:
Summary: Setting the Standard
Review: Mounce's Basics of Biblical Greek sets the standard for introductory biblical Greek grammars. While there is a plethora of introductory grammars I believe this one is the most thorough, clear, and user-friendly. Zondervan has produced an excellent Greek curriculum of which Mounce's Grammar is but the beginning of the journey in learning the original language of the New Testament. There are many positive dimensions, which set Mounce's grammar above the rest. First, for today's modern reader he does not assume that English grammar is known. He has two chapters (5 & 15), which provide broad overviews to English grammar, and its correspondence to Greek grammar. Then each chapter also contains introductory English grammar and shows it relationship to Greek. Secondly, this work is generally very clear and understandable. A student seeking to learn Greek on his own should with the grammar, workbook, and included CD-Rom be able to successfully master the concepts of beginning Greek. Another advantage is the amount of tools and commitment to progress exhibited by Mounce and Zondervan in this series. It is clear that they want the student to learn Greek in order to glorify God. Such resources would include the companion workbook, the CD-Rom and the additional materials found on the website (see below). A basic chapter flow is as follows: Each chapter is introduced with an "Exegetical Insight." A well-known scholar provides an insight into the significance of the Greek grammar about to be discussed in the chapter. It helps show why learning Greek is important to understanding the Bible. Secondly, the English grammar concepts are introduced and then the Greek grammar closely follows. Paradigms and explanations are provided in the Greek grammar section. Next, there is a helpful chapter summary which sums up all of the important concepts covered in the chapter. Following is the vocabulary to be memorized. Lastly, there may be a section on advanced information, which is usually not essential material to be mastered. As previously mentioned, one of the most helpful aspects of this grammar is the many companion tools. The CD-Rom contains software programs called Flashworks and Parseworks. The Flashworks program is basically an electronic flashcard system, which allows the user to tailor the vocabulary to the specific vocabulary in the Mounce chapter. Personally, Flashworks was a big help in providing another medium to learning the vocab. Parseworks was not as helpful. While I would encourage the student to work with Parseworks I often became tired of having to select each tense, voice, mood, etc... from the drop down menus. It was not as user-friendly as Flasworks. The website ... also has a good amount of helpful resources. There you will find chapter revisions (definitely download the revision for chapter 20 - it will make a lot more sense!). You can also download the Language Learning Tools (Flashworks and Parseworks); and a very helpful 35-page summary of the first 25 chapters of Mounce's grammar. There is also a revision of the workbook, which allows for an early introduction of verbs. The teacher will find downloadable overheads, quizzes, and the answers to the workbook. A few negative comments: First, in his attempt to bring together a textbook which incorporates both a deductive and inductive method of learning there is a tendency to de-emphasize memorization. While Mounce is at pains (in sympathy with the student) to minimize needless memorization sometimes it just has to be done. There is no avoiding the vast amount of memorization in learning a language. Painful as it may be I believe it is the key to learning the language. Secondly, while Mounce is usually clear he is not always concise. He tends to lose the forest for the trees. In the footnotes it is clear that he loves morphology, but it is questionable as to how this will help the beginning student. The beginning student is already facing information overload and such excursions as interesting as they may be may prove unhelpful at this time for the student. How then should this text be used? Following are a few suggestions, in no particular order, which I found helpful in my study of Biblical Greek. First, use the companion workbook. The grammar and the workbook were meant to go together. Secondly, the workbook section should be treated as a test. One should not progress to the workbook until the corresponding chapter has been mastered. Only then should one tackle the workbook. When the workbook section has been completed then check your work with the grammar and a good English translation. Thirdly, use the software. Flashworks is easy to use and vocab is best memorized through a variety of mediums. Parseworks can be tedious but still helpful to use. The rest of the CD-Rom is less useful. Fourthly, review, review, and review. I found it helpful to read the chapter numerous times and then also outline the chapter in my own words (even writing out the full paradigms). Repetition is the best way to get the material to sink in. I would suggest not buying vocab cards, but cutting 3x5 index cards into quarters (1/4) and writing them out on your own. Then carry these cards with you wherever you go and whenever you have a chance pull them out to review. You should also pick up Jonathan T. Pennington's New Testament Greek Vocabulary on CD. These two CDs encompass all the words in the New Testament 10x and up. I only wish I had discovered this resource earlier. Remember, Mounce is not the end but only the beginning. Move onto immersing yourself in the New Testament. Pick up Mounce's Graded Reader of Biblical Greek and Wallace's Greek Grammar Beyond the Basics. Most of all seek God in prayer. After all you are learning Biblical Greek to be able to read the New Testament in its original language. Learning Greek is to be an act of worship! Study therefore to the glory of God.
Rating:
Summary: A winner.
Review: Mounce's text is excellent for learning the basics of New Testament Greek. He develops the grammatical structures with careful explanation, so much so that you really feel you have a teacher with you when you read it. His approach highlights the reasons why things happen the way they do in Greek verbs and nouns. Because he stresses the identification of connecting vowels and tense formatives, and separates the verb endings into two major categories (primary and secondary), the student sees more of the consistency in the language, and has less to memorize. This alone makes the book superior to most others. It is complete with all the tenses and structures that are necessary to enable the student to begin their own translations of New Testament passages. The only drawback is that there are no exercises in the text, but this can be remedied by getting the supplementary workbook. My advice: go for it.
Rating:
Summary: Quick Review
Review: One of the most helpful and easy-to-use Greek grammars available. Begin your study here.
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