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An Independent Study Guide to Reading Greek | 
 enlarge | Author: Joint Association Of Classical Teachers' Greek Course
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Category: Book
List Price: $32.99
Buy New: $29.59
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New (15) Used (3) from $24.79
Avg. Customer Rating:  1 reviews
Sales Rank: 222187
Media: Paperback
Edition: 2
Number Of Items: 1
Pages: 280
Shipping Weight (lbs): 8.7
Dimensions (in): 9.7 x 6.8 x 0.7
ISBN: 0521698502
Dewey Decimal Number: 477
EAN: 9780521698504
ASIN: 0521698502
Publication Date: April 21, 2008 (New: Last 30 Days)
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Condition: BRAND NEW
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Product Description
First published in 1978 and now thoroughly revised, Reading Greek is a best-selling one-year introductory course in ancient Greek for students of any age. It combines the best of modern and traditional language-learning techniques and is used in schools, summer schools and universities across the world. This Independent Study Guide is intended to help students who are learning Greek on their own or with only limited access to a teacher. It contains notes on the texts that appear in the Text and Vocabulary volume, translations of all the texts, answers to the exercises in the Grammar and Exercises volume and cross-references to the relevant fifth-century background in The World of Athens. There are instructions of how to use the course and the Study Guide. The book will also be useful to students in schools, universities and summer schools who have to learn Greek rapidly.
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| Customer Reviews:
2008 edition much improved, still not for newbies May 4, 2008
2 out of 3 found this review helpful
WHAT IT IS
This book is part of a three-book set, which includes:
1. RG: Grammar and Exercises
2. RG: Text and Vocabulary
3. RG: An Independent Study Guide ( this book)
Think of the set as one book broken up into three parts, with the Greek practice text from every chapter in book 1, the grammar in every chapter in book 2, etc. It's a nutty system, but you can get used to it.
#1 Short passages of Greek text (with vocab lists at the end of each passage). Early passages are modern stuff written especially to complement parallel sections of Grammar; later passages are from ancient texts.
#2 Grammar theory, forms, and exercises all keyed to parallel passages in the Text. So when you study middle voice verbs in Grammar, you read the accompanying passage in Text, and see how that form works in real Greek sentences.
#3 Translations of Text #1, and answers to exercises in Grammar #2. Also has useful hints and insights.
For self study #1 and #2 are an absolute minimum. The text isn't helpful without the grammar, and the grammar makes much more sense when supported by the text readings. #3 is avoidable but worthwhile; no matter how careful you are the exercises will turn stuff you missed learning--but you won't find that out unless you can check your answers.
[There are other JACT RG books with short Greek passages from ancient texts. You don't need them now (or ever, IMHO Loebs are better).]
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COMPARING 2008 with earlier editions
1. The books are physically bigger, better laid out, with much larger type and better fonts. They are much easier to read. A small thing that makes a big difference.
2. The Grammar has been entirely redone, and is much much better.
3. The Text readings are the same.
4. The vocabulary has been moved from Grammar to Text, which makes the readings much easier. (In the old version you were constantly flipping book to book.)
5. The vocab listings are still a problem. a) The lists are better, but still omit too many words. b) The lists give the words in the form in the reading (which is fine), but not also in the standard dictionary form necessary for your memory list. This means putting together you list of memorization vocab takes a lot of work with a Greek dictionary. You may consider buying the old yellow vocab book.
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BAD STUFF
1. One-book-in-three is nutty. But you'll get used to it.
2. In my experience this is NOT a good set for absolute newbies. It was originally designed in the 1970s when students starting Greek after a year of Latin, and thus already understood inflected grammars. If you don't understand inflected grammars already, you may get lost. I did. I tried RG as my first learn-Greek-on-your-own book about 18 months ago, and was immediately lost. Too many unspoken connections, not enough big picture.
3. Vocabulary selection is excellent Attic prose wise, but not given in the form needed for your memory list.
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GOOD STUFF
Since giving up on RG the first time I've memorized the forms in Mounce, and otherwise fiddled around getting the big picture. Now that I've come back to RG it makes much much more sense, and it seems to me the most excellent book.
This is one of those noun here, verb there, then some prepositions and a particle or two books. The Grammar gives small bites at a time, with helpful explanations. Then the Text and the exercises cement your understanding of that small section of the Greek ocean.
The big advantages of this organization are a) it can do the most important basic stuff alone and first, leaving the nuances of the nuances till later on, b) the Text readings are very helpful in giving context to the forms.
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COMPARED WITH ATHENAZE
Neither RG or Athenaze is perfect, but the both have lots of simple readings that I find most helpful. I've bought and used both, and would again.
The RG Study Guide has answers to exercises--an important way to confirm you know what you're supposed to. The current 2003 edition of the Athenaze main text has exercises, but the workbook with the exercise answers is unavailable.
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