I’m planning to work through Dickey’s An Introduction to the Composition and Analysis of Greek Prose. Is there an (unofficial) answer key for the exercises she doesn’t cover in hers? And secondly: in the introduction she mentions a book in French called La grammaire grecque par l’ exemple by Bertrand. Is anyone familiar with this?
I don’t think there’s any key to the exercises apart from that at the end of the book. I’m not familiar with the Bertrand book. But your project of going through Dickey is a good idea. I did this a couple of years ago to refresh my knowledge of basic grammar, and it was a very helpful exercise, though I probably should do it again.
There’s a group over at B-Greek currently going through Dickey and posting their answers, but it looks to have run out of steam (Barry may be able to give you more information). http://www.ibiblio.org/bgreek/forum/viewforum.php?f=75
If you’re looking for a buddy to go through it with I’d be up for that.
I got half way through when it was published and then gave up - I wasn’t reviewing enough as I went along so my house of cards eventually collapsed.
Hi, just to respond to your second question, I have the Bertrand book: it’s a classic drill book, with corrections, but without the helpful notes before each set of exercises like in Dickey’s book.
Another French book I got in Paris, closer in spirit to Dickey’s book, is Lebeau’s Le thème grec du DEUG à l’agrégation (2000). It has lots of helpful tips throughout, including a section at the beginning on how to read dictionary entries (e.g. what it means if the comparative or superlative of an adjective is not mentioned in the dictionary entry: useful tips for beginners in prose comp). It also has 16 French prose excerpts turned into Greek, with preliminary notes before the Greek copy on key points to observe, and footnotes on particular constructions throughout the Greek copy itself, sometimes giving parallels to Greek models (e.g. on pg. 113, where the Greek copy repeats ἅμα at the beginning of two cola, it gives a cross-reference to Gorgias 497).
Cheers, Chad
Thanks to all of you.
I went through chapter 1 so far and that was quite an eye-opener. I made a disheartening amount of mistakes in the exercises that are suposed to be easy: accents, word order etcetera. Lots of work still to be done.
#Seanjones: thanks for suggesting to do this together, but I’m affraid that doesn’t work for me, mostly because my tempo will be very erratic due to work and so on.
#Highander: I’m a bit surprised that you would feel the need to go through this book. You give the impression of knowing your Greek grammar and syntax inside out.