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90 of 90 found the following review helpful:
 One of the best basic Latin grammars around.Mar 06, 2000
I am a doctoral student in Classics with an emphasis on Greek and Latin literature. This was the first Latin grammar I ever owned, and I still believe it is the best available for younger students and beginners in the language. The first half of the book concentrates on forms; grammatical paradigms are presented in logical order, with extraordinarily clear formatting and generously sized type. A surprising amount of information on exceptions is also present, relegated to footnotes where it will not confuse those who are still working to memorize regular forms. The section on verbs is particularly good, with the four conjugations presented in columns side-by-side to allow comparisons to be made. Irregular verbs like 'sum' and 'volo' get their own pages. The second half of the book deals with syntax. Major features of the language and all of the basic types of clauses are covered clearly and concisely, with the rules for each variety boiled down to perhaps three or four essential points. Each syntax entry contains at least one example, and most have several. I have found the examples to be good enough to use as simple prose composition assignments for classes working out of different books or series, too. Henle's Grammar is generally ignored by most Latin teachers at both the secondary and university levels nowadays, primarily because Henle's _textbooks_, which this grammar is designed to accompany, are outdated and need to be re-edited before they can really be used again. This Grammar, however, is definitely ready to go, and I highly recommend it. (I myself am now on my second copy, having destroyed my first one through overuse.)
23 of 23 found the following review helpful:
A Systematic Study of the FundamentalsSep 28, 2002
By T. B. Vick
"T.B.V."
This is an excellent essentials text. In other words, the Henle Latin Series from Loyola Press has put together a very comprehensive series and this is one of the better editions. This text covers the basics or fundamentals of the Latin language - i.e. the grammar. The text includes nouns, adjectives, adverbs, verbs, pronouns, numerals, and how these are all ordered in certain sentence structure, etc. Moreover, detail on syntax is covered for each of the above things mentioned, as well as special cases or uses for each. All the clauses are covered, conjugations, declensions, rules for time, gender, etc. Prepositions are given special attention as well as methods of diagraming. Everything and anything anyone would need to know in order to gain a better understanding of the Latin language is within this books covers.
Thus, this text is great for the beginner as well as the more learned student of the language. It also helps you sharpen your Latin grammar skill, if perhaps you might be a little rusty. This is definitely a great reference and study text for everyone.
34 of 37 found the following review helpful:
 It's a companion bookOct 25, 2001
By wolverine librarian
For those who are using either the First year Latin or this book by its self, you're a probably just a confused as I was. I had bought the First Year Latin book and was wondering where the declensions were and where the exercises for the units were. After I read more carefully, I realized that the First Year(etc) Latin book and this grammer book were supposed to be used together. For example the very first unit in the First Year Latin Book tells the reader to open to exercise 31 in the the grammer book! I wish that the editors or Amazon would have put a note with the book advertisment that these books went together. I had to go back and buy the grammer after I bought the First Year Latin book. I do like the First year Latin. It is a nice intermediate between Wheelock's Latin that makes me cringe whenever I open it and the Oxford Latin Series that isn't detailed enough.
18 of 18 found the following review helpful:
Excellent supplementJan 14, 2001
By Richard A. Weaver
I wouldn't use this book as the base textbook for learning Latin; it's not organized into lessons with vocabulary and exercises. I would highly recommend it as a supplement to whatever text you do choose to use, whether Balme, or Wheelock, or Ruck, or whatever else. The first third of the book is a summary of forms: noun declensions, verb conjugations, etc. The real strength is the last two-thirds of the book, where the author gives excellent coverage of the syntax. It's well organized, with lots of examples and clear explanations. My copy was printed in 1958, and from the sample sentences you can see that this work was probably designed for Catholic high schools; many examples have a "Caesar in Gaul" flavor. But the presentation of the grammar and syntax is clear, understandable and comprehensive. A definite help for beginners, and a good review for intermediate and advanced students.
15 of 15 found the following review helpful:
Good for learning, great for reviewJul 03, 2004
By FrKurt Messick
"FrKurt Messick"
I had Henle's text 'Latin Grammar' as a companion during my second year of Latin in college -- we'd used Wheelock's text for the first year, and the second year was a readings year, with Henle's text as a companion. Henle's book is set up in what I tend to call 'the old fashioned' format -- each paragraph is a numbered unit. There are 1025 numbered units here, each one addressing a point of grammar. The arrangement is logical, divided into two primary sections -- Forms and Syntax. Under Forms, Henle introduces nouns (all five declensions), adjectives, adverbs, numerals, pronouns, and finally, verbs (the four main conjugations, active and passive voice, and special cases). The majority of the book is taken up with Syntax -- here Henle discusses the issues of order of words (much more flexible in Latin than in English), types of clauses and statements, questions, and how the various noun declensions and verb conjugations work to make sense in the language. This is not a stand-alone book for learning Latin. The primary drawback to this application is the lack of a vocabulary section or progressive teaching of vocabulary for use in the constructions. Henle and others have outside books for that use. That makes this text more worthwhile to those who have had some preliminary Latin training. It is a great guide for looking up the rules, given the numbered-unit format and good index, but I would opt for other texts as a first book for Latin.
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