Articles for Students and Teachers
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Learn to Speak Latin: Part 3
Numbers, Days of the Week, and Action Verbs Students integrate numbers and days of the week into their simple “est”/”sunt” questions and answers. They then move on to action verbs, learning to use them in more complex conversations. This article is the third installment of a series of articles on this blog. If you haven’t…
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Learn to Speak Latin: Part 2
Simple Latin Conversations Students learn to use a list of stock Latin conversational idioms in the context of very simple Latin conversations. When they’re ready, they move on to simple questions and answers that they compose on their own, utilizing the verb forms “est” and “sunt”, along with a short list of Latin nouns. This…
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Learn to Speak Latin: Part 1
Grammar, Translation, and Pronunciation Students should already have a basic understanding of Latin grammar, translation, and pronunciation before they start to speak the language. An enlightened minority of Latin teachers and students understand that the ONLY way to achieve true fluency in the language is by learning to speak it. Unfortunately, over the past hundred…
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“Why Study Latin?” Series — Reason #6: Access to 2000 Years of Western Literature
Unparalleled Access to Ancient, Medieval, and Pre-Modern History and Literature The sixth (and last) reason to study Latin is in my mind the most persuasive argument of all. For most of the past two millennia (up until the 19th century) Latin was the common language of the literate West and so of the majority of…
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“Why Study Latin?” Series — Reason #5: Modern Language Learning
A Solid Foundation in Latin Boosts Modern-Language Success Like much in this series, this may seem counterintuitive, but in fact, one of the best ways (if not THE VERY BEST way) to achieve long-term success in a modern language is to study the Latin language first. Obviously, starting with Latin may seem like a weird…
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“Why Study Latin?” Series — Reason #4: SAT and ACT Scores
Latin Boosts SAT and ACT Scores While long-term Latin study has a variety of benefits, one in particular is most likely to get the attention of high-achieving students and parents — a significant increase in SAT and ACT scores. In previous articles in this series I’ve outlined precisely how Latin study improves students’ understanding and…
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“Why Study Latin?” Series — Reason #3: Logical Skills
How does Latin develop students’ logical-thinking skills? In the last article in this series I explained how the difference in the structure of a Latin sentence versus an English sentence forces students to understand the grammar of both languages in a deep, detailed way, which leads to students reading, writing, and speaking English at a…
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“Why Study Latin?” Series — Reason #2: English Grammar
Latin Teaches English Grammar It’s counterintuitive, but BECAUSE Latin and English grammar are so DIFFERENT from each other in so many ways, Latin actually teaches English grammar far better than modern languages do. In fact, a major reason for the general decline in English-grammar understanding is the steep decline in the number of students studying…
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“Why Study Latin?” Series — Reason #1: English Vocabulary
Latin Study Expands English Vocabulary Most high-achieving students would love to improve their English vocabulary. They know that a better understanding of the meaning and spelling of English words will lead to higher grades in a wide range of subjects and (perhaps more important to most learners and their parents) MUCH higher scores on standardized…
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Why Study Latin?
What foreign language should my student study? If you assert that Latin is not only highly useful but in fact the best foreign-language choice for the vast majority of English-speaking students, the response will (in most cases) be one of skepticism and even mockery. People may respond that Latin is a “dead language” and so…