After a lot of hard work, I finally finished Wheelock’s. But since I’m a homeschooler and the only child in my family to have taken latin, I’m not sure what I should do now. Are there any books that could would offer more advanced material?
The best choice for you partially depends upon your own goals, but one great option that you should consider is North and Hillard’s Latin Prose Composition. It’s amazing how much more you learn when you go through a book like this. In addition to being a great book, there are two other things about it that are appealing:
- It’s right here on textkit, and free, of course:
http://www.textkit.com/learn/ID/151/author_id/11/
- There is also an answer key:
http://www.textkit.com/learn/ID/160/author_id/11/
Good luck in whatever you choose, though.
I think that a composition course might be a little too much right after Wheelock. You might as well enjoy the fruits of you labor by first taking on a good reader. A Wheelock Reader is not bad. My favorite is “Aeneas to Augustus: A Beginning Latin Reader for College Students”.
I agree, follow-up with a Wheelock reader makes good sense. Not long ago I picked up “Wheelock’s Latin Reader”, a nice collection of mostly Classical Latin, very well-prepared according to the Wheelock method.
However, I will add a recommendation for taking up Latin composition. In my opinion if you really want to master the language you should spend some time learning to write it, it gets you down to the nitty-gritty quickly.
I also agree that Aeneas to Augustus is a good book. It is nicely formatted, broken up into small chunks, and begins with easily structured Latin and graduating towards the original Latin authors. It basically follows the history of Rome starting with the flight of Aeneas from Troy through the Monarchy and Republican period, so, if you like history, then this book will keep you very interested. It has copious notes and the vocabulary you learn is indispensible.
I also agree with edonnelly. North and Hillard is excellent for making sure you are thoroughly comfortable with Latin grammar through exercises. As they’re divided up into focusing on specific areas of Latin grammar, you can use it to strengthen what you’re weakest at. Having the answer key available makes it twice as valuable.
Greenough’s 2nd year Latin reader is both a nice, easy reader and also available for free on this site. It will also teach you quite a bit about Republican society.
If the two readers above seem a touch on the easy side, and composition is what you’d like to work on, Readings and Exercises in Latin Prose Composition by Milena Minkova and Terence Tunberg is a great way to go. It presents excerpts from Latin authors and then asks you to write about the content in various ways. The only drawback to this book is that you are expected to be able to read and thoroughly understand Latin authors, both ancient and medieval, without any guidance. Also, finding an answer key or teacher’s guide is next to impossible.
Hope this helps and all the best to you,
Chris
Congradulations on finishing Wheelock.
I would recomend “Wheelock’s Latin Reader”.
I was feeling very lost, so I really appreciate all the help. Thanks!