Second Year Latin - Part 1 - Selections of Easy Latin

by J.B. Greenough

Edited by Greenough, D'Ooge and Danniel, this free Latin reader features 62 pages of easy Latin text and line notes to assist the learner. It is posted online in printer friendly format for convenient off-line use and study. The term “Second Year” or “Second Book” was used to obviously describe any schoolbook that was meant to follow a “First Year” or “First Book”. But also “Second Year” books were typically beginning level readers which included exercises and detailed appendices. It should not escape your notice that Part 1 of Second Year Latin is titled, “Miscellaneous Selections of Easy Latin”. This is because second year readers typically featured Latin selections that have been simplified or even rewritten to imitate a historical author. The purpose of this simplification was to provide Latin text that gradually increased in difficulty, all the while building up the reader’s working vocabulary and presenting appropriate examples of construction and syntax. Also common to Second Year books were line notes, vocabulary, some brief instruction on syntax and composition exercises.