Latin

I used this Latin Grammar by Henle and his First, Second, and Third Year Latin Books when I was in High School. Since I was introduced to Latin through Henle's Series, I found this easy to use when I need to review my Latin or now I am studying Spanish. I found it easy to understand the Spanish Grammar; time and again I would refer to Henle's Grammar especially when it comes to the Tenses, Subjunctive Mood, etc and how they are translated and used in English.

This review focuses on the Kindle Edition. Anent the content of the grammar, I am in complete agreement with the majority above: this is that rare Goldilocks Grammar that hits the perfect balance between too much and too little explanation. As a quick aside, there are two basic schools for learning any language, the Natural or Intuitive school and the Analytical or Grammatical school. In the former you immerse yourself in the written or (preferably) spoken language and intuitively learn the structure. In the latter, you learn the structures and then approach the sentences of the language with that structural knowledge as the guide to meaning. Both methods work; which you choose is a matter largely of your personal gifts and preferences. For those who want their grammar up front, the content of this book is superb. *** Now, the KINDLE Edition: I honestly hesitated quite a bit before purchasing the Kindle Edition. There was no need. This digital book is extremely well done. First of all, there are actual page numbers included in the slider at the bottom of the page. The digital "loc" references are still there, but the primary way the text is ordered is around the page numbers of the printed text. This is important for those who want to use the Kindle edition with the larger four year Henle Latin Course. In short, yes you can. Second, the table of contents is linked and fully interactive. Skim the TOC and tap "Reflexive Pronouns" and you are at the reflexive pronouns section of the text. More complicated tables and images (such as the diagramming sentences in the back) are all intact, clear, and relatively clean. The index at the back of the book is complete, but, alas, not interactive. Since the page numbers are included, this is not a major flaw. Still: Deduct 1/10th of one star. Footnotes are (inexplicably) one-way interactive. That is, footnotes are highlighted: you can click on the footnoted word within the grammar and you are taken directly to the appropriate footnote text at the end of the book. However, once there, you have nothing to click on that will send you back to your original spot in the body of the book. You simply have to hop back to wherever you were using the scroll bar at the foot of the page. Relatively quick and easy, but I would have appreciated some form of "One-click Return" to my original page in the book. That is a significant oversight I think. Deduct another 2/10ths of a star. So, with these caveats, I give the Kindle Edition of this book 4.7 stars. Not enough to reduce it a full star, though. Not after the thoughtful inclusion of so many other features. Bottom line: I am quite pleased that I purchased the Kindle Edition over the print. If you are debating between the Kindle and the paper, you should have no hesitation about the Kindle version interacting with the Henle textbooks, or with its readability, completeness, clarity or ease of use. And with the Kindle, you have the advantage of a top-notch grammar in your pocket or bag all the time.

Written to support a course in Latin for Roman Catholics. It is exemplary in its clarity and support for learning Latin. I am not a religious person, but I often use it to support my Latin studies.

This grammar is a companion volume to Henle's four volume Latin series (see evaluation for Henle's First Year Latin). The grammar must also be bought if one wants to take full advantage of the other four textbooks. It is a short and easy to use text, but the serious student of Latin should access more extensive grammars, such as the time honored Allen & Greenough New Latin Grammar.

Just what I needed