Objective
To learn fundamental grammar, syntax, and vocabulary of classical Latin in order to understand authors such as Caesar, Virgil, and Cicero, plus inscriptions from the ancient Roman world. (Part V of VI)
Outline
Grammar and syntax will be taught through progressive readings drawn from classical sources as found in Wheelock’s Latin.
- Infinitives; Indirect Statements
- Review
- Comparative Adjectives; Ablative of Comparison
- Review
- Irregular Comparative Adjectives
- Review
- Reading Practice
- Present Subjunctive; Purpose Clauses
- Review
- Imperfect Subjunctive; Result Clauses
- Review
- Perfect and Pluperfect Subjunctive; Sequence of Tenses
- Review
- Reading Practice
- Review for Mastery
Related Courses
This course is part of a six-course sequence, after which students will be ready for intermediate Latin readings with the assistance of a dictionary and some occasional use of a grammar reference. This course emphasizes classical Latin vocabulary and models the classical reformed pronunciation of Latin; other courses emphasize medieval Christian vocabulary and model the ecclesiastical pronunciation.
Students who complete either course sequence (classical or ecclesiastical) generally are well equipped to catch up on the alternative vocabulary and adjust to the alternative pronunciation as needed, whether they choose to pursue further studies in classical or ecclesiastical Latin. Our classical sequence consists of six courses and our ecclesiastical sequence consists of four courses because the texts of the church are generally more familiar to our students than the classical texts. While both sequences include and equal amount of grammatical instruction, the classical sequence includes cultural content that generally is new to our students.
Instructor
Mr. Price MacPherson is pursuing a BA in classical liberal arts (starting Fall 2026) with a pre-seminary/Biblical languages emphasis at Luther Classical College. He has studied both classical and ecclesiastical Latin through a combination of homeschooling, a private high school, and college course work. During the course of his studies, he has read substantial portions of Caesar’s Gallic War and Virgil’s Aeneid in Latin, as well as selections from Livy and Cicero. He has particular interest in poetic meter, including the dactylic hexameter of Homer’s Iliad and Odyssey and Virgil’s Aeneid, the Anglo-Saxon meter of Beowulf, and the iambic pentameter of Skakespeare’s dramas. He plays piano and organ, and enjoys composing and arranging Lutheran hymns. His favorite authors include Victor Hugo, Fyodor Dostoevsky, and J.R.R. Tolkien.
Currently Unscheduled
This course is currently unscheduled. If you would like it to be offered soon, please contact us.