Beginning Latin for College Students

Book excerpt: Beginning Latin for College Students is the fruit of the author's 40 years of teaching Latin in higher education. Clear, compact and concise, this book helps students progressively master grammatical concepts, acquire meaningful vocabulary, and begin to successfully read real Latin from Roman authors. All practice sentences, passages, and illustrative examples in the book are taken verbatim from over 150 primary works by 38 classical Roman authors. Students are transported back in time through this encounter with real Latin by real Romans writing about things humans have always cared about--life and death, love and betrayal, war and peace. This authentic material provides instructors the opportunity to bring the Roman world to life. The condensed number of carefully selected vocabulary words helps students build a strong foundation and complete exercises without being overwhelmed by excessive annotations or needing to consult a dictionary. Core vocabulary words are used multiple times throughout the book allowing students to see them in various permutations. Grammatical concepts are gradually introduced in clear, simple language over the course of 66 compact chapters--making it easier for college students to learn and enjoy Latin.