Customer Reviews
This is the one! - By: MEH, 24 Oct 2008 
If you are just starting out with Latin & need a grammar reference book, this is the one. Everything is beautifully clearly laid out & easy to understand. So it's not as comprehensive as Kennedy, but that is for more advanced students. This book makes nonsense of the oft heard criticism that the Cambridge Latin Course does not cover grammar properly. This is the best introductory Latin Grammarin existence! Just buy it!
An indispensable reference for Latin grammar - By: J. Aitcheson, 15 Jan 2008 The Cambridge School Classics Project series of books has an excellent reputation for the teaching of Latin, & "Cambridge Latin Grammar" is no exception. Although it is only 127 pages long, it is nevertheless an invaluable handbook for any student of the language, particularly for those working at GCSE standard or above.
The book is divided into three main parts. The first, 'Accidence', sets out the entire system of Latin word-endings, with a number of tables that make it easier to learn all those pesky declensions & conjugations, pronouns & irregular verbs. The second, 'Syntax', is a complete guide to all the various types of sentence construction (ablative absolutes; uses of the gerund, gerundive & supine; subordinate clauses etc.) that the student will be faced within translation. The third part deals with word order & sentence structure - helpful if you want to try your hand at composing your own Latin. A fourth & final part covers miscellaneous topics, from pronunciation to how to correctly use a Latin-English dictionary.
There is a lot of information densely packed into these pages, but it is all presented clearly & concisely, & without unnecessary waffle. This is not a book to read straight through, but to dip into as a reference; as a result, the index has been made extremely thorough, which makes searching for the topic you need incredibly simple. Throughout the book (generally at the end of every chapter) there are a number of short exercises & further examples - excellent translation practice & especially helpful when it comes to revision, although sadly answers are not provided. At the back, too, is supplied a list of selected vocabulary - helpful for working through the book's own exercises, but for other translation work it is well worth having a proper dictionary to hand, such as the Chambers-Murray "Latin-English Dictionary" by Smith & Lockwood.
Allin all, "Cambridge Latin Grammar" is an excellent guide & indispensable for any student of Latin. I referred to it extensively when studying for my A-level & found it extremely useful. Definitely recommended.
