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What to read after the boring textbook…
This year, I am teaching a Latin course for students in Classical Conversations. We are reading through the text First Year Latin, by Robert Henle. I am going to be honest. Mr Henle’s book is not my favorite Latin book. It is no secret that Lingua Latina, by Hans...
Extra Henle practice….
This year, I am teaching a Latin course for students in Classical Conversations. We are reading through the text First Year Latin, by Robert Henle. In his series, particularly in the first book, Mr. Henle requires students to diagram some of the Latin sentences. ...
Vicipaedia
Don’t underestimate the power of reading in Latin. If you want to learn Latin, you must start reading in Latin. Use any tool you can to bring more reading into your life. Use textbooks, public domain books, the Vulgate, Vicapaedia, or Facebook. Read, read, read! ...
Tip of the Week
Each Saturday, I send out a Tip of the Week. Not everyone has time to visit all the blogs they would like to follow. The "Tip of the Week" eliminates one step for you. Instead of searching for the blog, the blog comes to you... directly to your email inbox. Now...
How to use Saturday Mornings
I've been reading the daily e-zine "Early to Rise" since before Noah was a sailor. It's full of good practical wisdom. It's also full of high pressure sales copy, but, during the long years of poverty I developed high sales resistance. I suggest you check out their...
Chromatophore
Chromatophore: A pigment-bearing cell found in some fish, reptiles, cephalopods, and other animals. From Greek χρωμα (color) φέρειν (to carry). Remember this guy from Tangled? He could change the color of his skin since his skin contained chromatophores. Or, maybe...
A wise old minimalist
I have followed the writings of "the minimalists" of an on for several years. Not long ago, my family of 7 lived in a 950 square foot, 2 bedroom condo. We lived there for 7 years. Naturally, we became, to a degree, minimalists. It was during that time I discovered...
Deportment
Deportment: behavior; demeanor; conduct; how someone behaves in company. The word deportment took a familiar road on its way into the English language. It started out as a few Latin words. The preposition de, in Latin, means: away. The verb portare, means: to...
Anaphora, anaphora, anaphora!
Anaphora: the same word or phrase at the beginning of a series of sentences or clauses. Anaphora comes from the Greek word ἀναφορά (carrying back). Αναφορά derives from the preposition ἀνά (up) and φέρω (I carry). This, of course, gives us the literal translation,...
Diagramming Expletives
Learn how to diagram expletives in this 10 minute video. No... not swear words. Just "extra" words. http://youtu.be/xmy55YereLo
Comport and Cheer
Comport: to behave, or conduct oneself well. From Latin comportare (to collect, to amass, to bring together). In this sense, perhaps comport carries the meaning of pulling oneself together for the occasion. The verb comportare breaks down to the preposition cum...
Errata: Visual Latin – Quiz 12
I received this email: Subject: Visual Latin I, Test XII Message Body: On question #41 the answer key says the answer is A. vocatne? My son is wondering why the answer is not D. auditne? Here is my reply: Your son is right… and, I was wrong. He found a mistake....
Porter
Porter: the doorkeeper, or gate keeper. This word comes from Latin porta (door). When the doorkeeper helps you carry the luggage, he becomes another kind of porter. He becomes a carrier of burdens. The second usage of the word comes from the Latin verb portare...
Amphora
Amphora: Among the ancients, a two-handled vessel, tapering at the bottom, used for holding wine, or oil. Sometimes amphorae, filled with oil, were awarded to victorious athletes in the games… which is why, even today, trophies take on an amphoral shape. Amphora...
Subordinating Conjunctions
In this short video, learn to diagram subordinating conjunctions in English. Then, learn to translate those sentences into Latin. These sentences are based on the Henle Latin series from Robert Henle. These sentences come from chapter 2 of the first book in the...
Latin passwords
I subscribe to Bill Myers's Tip of the Week. I thought you might be able to use this one. Maybe you should choose your favorite Latin word as your password. 🙂 Bill Myers Tip of the Week - January 24, 2015 ==================================================== Hackers...
Latin via YouTube
If you are learning Latin, chances are, you will need some help. Free help is good. You will find plenty of free help on YouTube. After filming Visual Latin, I began loading free videos to YouTube. I try to load a video every day of the week, but Sunday. Naturally,...
Carry on…
The verb porto, in Latin means, to carry or, to bring. In all its glory, the verb is: porto, portare, portavi, portatum. English pulls quite a few words out of this particular Latin hat. Before we get to that, however, let's take a look at the way Romance languages...
What do merchants do?
In the homework section of Lingua Latina, chapter 10, is a question that causes trouble for many of my students. The question, "Quid agunt mercatores" hinges on the verb "agunt". The verb, which means, to do, is fully conjugated...
Tip of the Week #3
ThinkOutsideTheBorder: Tip of the Week - January 24, 2015 ==================================================== If you are learing Latin, chances are, you will need some help. Free help is good. You will find plenty of free help on YouTube. After filming Visual...
Down with the Restored pronunciation!
The real reason I abandoned the Restored Classical pronunciation. My greatest problem with the "restored classical pronunciation", is that its proponents tend to be pushy. They spend a lot of time emphasizing the “correct” pronunciation. They spend a lot of time...
Diagramming prepositions
Here is the latest video in new series, Diagramming English. In this video, you will learn how to diagram prepositional phrases. These videos are particularly helpful for students learning Latin via First Year Latin by Robert Henle. In "Henle" Latin, the author...
Latin for younger kids
I received this email: Hi! I use Visual Latin with my older children, and will start it later with my boys who are in 2nd & 3rd grade. Is there any way to add Latin now with them? Just start learning vocabulary? Or are there concepts they can start learning now?...
Nostalgia
Nostalgia: a longing for home; a longing for better days. From Greek νοσταλγία (nostalgia), which further derives from νόστος (a return home), and ἄλγος (pain, suffering).
Adult
Adult: a person who has stopped growing at both ends and is now growing in the middle. From Latin adultus (mature, ripe, fully grown).
Diagram a Predicate Nominative
Diagramming Predicate Nominatives is a lot like diagramming Direct Objects. There is just one little twist. Find out what it is here: http://youtu.be/bHVNt-cVRVU
Wooden translation
I received this email: Dwane, My daughter is currently on Lesson 15 of Visual Latin. When I go to check her “Reading and Translation” part, she goes for a literal translation compared to yours. Do you have any suggestions to correct this or should I not worry about...
How to diagram an Indirect Object
Ever wondered how to diagram Indirect Objects? No, of course you haven't. Oh well, if you ever do wonder, watch this video. http://youtu.be/kIyyVAQknkw
Abyss
abyss: a bottomless pit; an unfathomable depth; or even, a hopeless situation. From Greek ἄβυσσος (bottomless). This word breaks down into ἀ (not) and βυθός (deep place). I've never seen this abyss, though I hope to while traveling "out West" this summer. The title...
Expert
Expert: a person with a particular skill, special knowledge, or a person who knows a lot about a particular subject. Expert derives from the Latin expertus (tried, tested, proven by experience). Expertus is the past participle of the verb experior (to test, to put to...
How to diagram Prepositions
Ever wonder how to diagram a prepositional phrase? There really isn't much to it. Find out how to do it in this video. http://youtu.be/mfAG5JGfAPk
Tip of the Week
I’ve been studying languages for over 20 years. Along the way, I’ve picked up some tips and tricks. Sign up for the “Tip of the Week” and, every Saturday, I’ll send it straight to your inbox. Of course, if you don’t want another email in your bulging inbox, you can...
Listen
Last week, I recommended you find time to listen to your target language every day. But… how much time should you spend listening? Personally, I try to spend two hours a day listening to the language I am learning. These days, it’s Greek. If you study three hours a...
What other choice do you have?
I named my site "Think Outside the Border" for many reasons. I grew up overseas. When you grow up outside, you see America from the outside. It just happens that way. More and more people are "thinking outside borders" when it comes to education. Personally, I...
Diagramming Direct Objects
The next video in the English diagramming series is here! I am slowly working my way through the famous First Year Latin text by Robert Henle. This is not my favorite Latin book (Lingua Latina, by Hans Orberg is.), but, I have quite a few students working their way...
How to diagram a subject and verb
In one of my online Latin classes, the First Year Henle Latin class, we take a grammatical approach to learning Latin. Unfortunately, there is simply never enough time to cover all that we need to cover. With this in mind, I am launching a new Chalkboard series on...
The Solopreneur
This article resonated with me. For years, I have wanted to work from home. I have spent some time working in drama filled, toxic environments and found myself, often, eager to strike out on my own. These days, I am home about half the time. I divide my working...
Henle’s First Year Latin
This year, I am taking a team of students through First Year Latin, by Robert Henle. We set out to read the book in two years. As we read, however, I am realizing it would be better to speed up. We need to read the book in one year. Better to rip a band-aid off in...
Listen up!
You have already completed one language program. You spent the first few years of your life listening to your parents. Whether you knew it or not, you were enrolled in a language immersion school. For the first few years of your life you slept - a lot. You sleep...
Listen up!
You have already completed one language program. You spent the first few years of your life listening to your parents. Whether you knew it or not, you were enrolled in a language immersion school. For the first few years of your life you slept - a lot. You sleep...
In case you didn’t know…
Bogged down in Visual Latin vocabulary? You might not know this, but some time ago all of the Visual Latin vocabulary was loaded into Quizlet. You can quiz yourself with flashcards, games, and more! Just click on the link and start learning!...
Latin Pronunciation Practice
I received this question: Hello, My children are taking Visual Latin 1 as high school students. We are on week 10 where they are starting into reading the Familia Romana. We are not sure what is meant on the daily schedule for "Listening" on day 1 and day 5. Of...
Demonstrative Pronouns, part 2.
It's been a long time since loaded a video in the chalkboard series. Long enough. I am ready to get back to creating these. In this video, you will learn more demonstrative pronouns. These are the pronouns you use to point to something some distance away from you....
How to focus on the goal.
Chances are, you are reading this because you have decided to learn Latin, or maybe Greek. Write the goal down. Clear, written goals force you to focus. Clear, written goals keep you on track. Do this now! Set a goal. Be sure that your goal is specific. Wanting...
Why did you learn Latin?
Now and then, someone will ask me, “Why did you choose Latin?” Here's why: I’ve always been fascinated by history. When I was younger, I read avidly. For the most part, I read biographies. I enjoyed the biographies of early American explorers and adventurers. I...
Oversight.
Those of you in my live online Latin and Greek classes need to know... I messed up. While setting up classes for next semester, I did not catch a detail in the default settings. When you downloaded the class login information, that download expired 24 hours later. It...
On the road again…
Guys, I will not be around today. My grandfather turns 90 today. I will spend much of the day driving to a party for him. While I am on the road, here is a repost. Of course, if you have never read this... it is a new post. It is an answer to the most common...
How to improve your life.
Gratitude: an emotion of the heart, excited by a favor or benefit received; a sentiment of kindness or good will towards a benefactor; thankfulness. From Latin gratus (pleasing, favor). Turns out, gratitude could be the secret to turning your life around. How? Find...
A bad trip.
"I have a New Year's tradition. I lay all my travel dreams on the table, sort them out, prioritize, and begin the process of turning those dreams into reality." - Rick Steves I do the same thing with my kids on New Year's day. This June, we are heading out West. ...
How to write resolutions.
Happy New Year, everyone! Bill Myers is the online video, product development, and marketing guru. Last year, he wrote a short guide to setting up resolutions for the New Year. As you know, I am a fan of New Year resolutions. Only if they are done correctly, though....