Latin Prose Composition

Rating:
Summary: For total mastery of Latin syntax
Review: This appears to be a reprint of the venerable Latin Comp text occasionally encountered in used book stores. All of the major uses of the cases and principal sentence patterns are covered. Each chapter introduces one new concept at a time and provides an abundance of English-Latin translation exercises, in the form of both single sentences and complete paragraphs. Instructors should find everything they need for classwork, take-home assignments, and quizzes. Several lexical aids are provided, including general and chapter vocabularies, a glossary of military expressions, and a list of important synonyms. The emphasis given to military terms is undoubtedly a relic of the days when young boys cut their teeth on Caesar; it would be wonderful if North & Hillard were substantially revised to include more of the legal and political jargon typical of authors more likely to interest older students.

In order to use this book, the student must know all declensions and understand the basic uses of the cases and tenses. A reference grammar is NOT included. Students learning from Wheelock's might find some of the grammatical content rather elementary. For their sake, an instructor might want to consider including some of the easier exercises for supplemental work, saving the hard stuff for the course in comp. This book is not recommended for self-study unless the key to the exercises--sold separately--is available. I have not had a chance to review the key.

I docked this edition a point because it was not proofread as carefully as it ought to have been. In ten minutes I found four typos. Most of them are minor stuff, like "proeliurn" for "proelium" (151), which should not trouble a reasonably alert pupil. But not every pupil will realize that "carate" on p. 147, given as the Latin for "be without", is a meaningless misprint of what I assume was supposed to be "carere". Also, indication of quantity in the vocabularies seems to have been carried out irregularly and in fits.

Rating:
Summary: Not practical, but fun
Review: While the ability to write in latin is not practal, it is fun and useful. By teaching latin composition, this book inadvertantly improves ones ability to read latin. By using the constructions in this book it becomes easier to recognize them in context. Ex libris, sapientia.