New website tomorrow… I hope.

You can tell I built my website alone.  You can also tell that I am a Latin teacher, not a website designer. Fortunately, I have a friend who knows how to design websites… and who also understands design. For the past few weeks, he has been re-designing my...

The silence

My site is about to change drastically.  Hopefully… Thursday. In the meantime, the designer is doing all he can to make the transition a smooth transition. During this time, we are doing our best to keep up with correspondence.  As always, it may be some time...

The silence

My site is about to change drastically.  Hopefully… Thursday. In the meantime, the designer is doing all he can to make the transition a smooth transition. During this time, we are doing our best to keep up with correspondence.  As always, it may be some time...

I have to cancel some classes.

I hate canceling classes.  Hate.  Hate.  Hate.  Double hate.  Loathe entirely. That said, I have to cancel two classes this Thursday.  Appointment. So… Italian and Greek.  Both classes are canceled. Unless… you want to get up early.  If enough of you are...

I have to cancel some classes.

I hate canceling classes.  Hate.  Hate.  Hate.  Double hate.  Loathe entirely. That said, I have to cancel two classes this Thursday.  Appointment. So… Italian and Greek.  Both classes are canceled. Unless… you want to get up early.  If enough of you are...

Business Math?

I received this email: This is not a latin question. We respect your points of view about college and being debt free. My son is very smart and is college material. However, wants to build a business and not go to college. This past summer he began a car wash...

Good luck learning English.

My mom recently sent this to me.  Good luck learning English.  I love our language… but, what a linguistic train wreck it is. Dearest creature in creation Studying English pronunciation,    I will teach you in my verse    Sounds...

Rise and shine.

I received this note from someone in the (now defunct) Word Up Live class. I have been out of town on a business trip this week on Pacific time. I can get up at 4 am, but 3 am was asking too much with a full day’s work following….so I did not join this week.  I will...

Two new “classes”.

Sometimes there just isn’t enough time in class to cover it all. This has been a major problem with Second Year Latin by Robert Henle.  There just isn’t always enough time for the readings he assigns. So, on Monday’s (until May) we are going to...

Those who can’t, teach….

From age 5 to about age 22, all I wanted to do was fly for the U.S. AirForce.  That’s it.  I was single-mindedly focused on that one goal.  Then, I got distracted.  I got married.  I decided not to yank my kids from country to country every year.  I made a...

Ventriloquy

Ventriloquy: The act, art or practice of speaking in such a manner that the voice appears to come not from the person, but from some distant place. Ventriloquy comes from the Latin word ventriloquus which itself comes from two other Latin words. Venter means stomach...

VISUAL LATIN ERRATA: Worksheet 10

A Visual Latin user discovered a spelling mistake in Visual Latin, lesson 10. In the answer section, question 3 should have the following answers: feminam. Here is what you will see: 3. Adam saw the woman __femininam__. (femina) Fortunately, the ending is correct. ...

Pauciloquent

Pauciloquent: Using few words.  Brief in speech.  Taciturn.  Succinct.  Laconic. Breviloquent. Pauciloquent comes from the Latin words paucus which means “few” and the Latin verb loquor, meaning “I speak”. “The pauciloquent beggar received few pennies.”  “The...

Two words, same meaning

In our series, “Word Up: Live!” this morning, we looked at two English words.  Here they are: Loquacious: talkative; garrulous; apt to blab and disclose secrets. Loquacious comes from the Latin verb loquor, meaning “I speak”. Here are a few example...

Help with Henle Latin.

I have finally started working my way through some of the English to Latin exercises in First Year Latin by Robert Henle.  This is the beginning of a long project.  I hope that it will be helpful to those struggling through this notoriously difficult...

Interlocutor

Interlocutor: a person who participates in a dialogue or takes part in a conversation; a talker, or a mediator between others. Interlocutor comes from the Latin inter, meaning “between” and the Latin verb loquor, meaning “I speak”. For example: “After our difficult...

YouTube shortcuts

Every Saturday, I send out a tip of the week.  I also include announcements, upcoming classes, and so on.  If you would like to hear from me every weekend, sign up for my weekly updates here: [yikes-mailchimp form=”1″]   You subscribe to my “tip...

Passing it on.

You subscribe to my “tip of the week” and I appreciate that.  I really do.  It’s a small thing, but it means a lot to me.  In person, I am generally taciturn.  After twenty years in the classroom, and after twenty years of thinking on my feet, I find...

Greek Numbers

Just found this a few days ago. If you are in my Greek class, and if you are working on pronunciation, this is a great way to practice… and learn the Greek numbers at the same time: https://www.loecsen.com/en/learn-greek/91-2-57-numbers

Link for Word Up: Live!

I foolishly allowed the registration link to die. If you like rising very early to find out where English words came from, join me here: https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/regist…/5460760071755583747 The “class” is free. (It’s not really a class. No...

Colloquy

Good morning, everyone. Today in Word Up: Live! we looked at the word colloquy. Colloquy: a conversation, a conference; a dialogue; especially a formal conversation. Colloquy comes from the Latin word for conversation, colloquium. And, colloquium comes from the Latin...

Can I join the Greek class late?

I received this question: I am a homeschool Mom looking to teach my children Greek. I found your website and see you have an amazing Latin program and we have completed Year 1 of Latina Christiana through Memoria Press. We have enjoyed it, but with Bible study we are...

Keep it breviloquent.

Breviloquence: A brief, laconic, terse way of speaking.  Brevity of speech. When Alexander’s father, King Philip, threatened to attack the Spartans, he said: “If I invade Laconia (homeland of the Spartans), I will raze it to the ground.”  The Spartans responded...

My favorite email this week.

Last week, I jokingly threatened to shut my site down.  Or, maybe I was serious.  Can’t remember.  🙂 Anyway, I then received this message: “I want to encourage you to please keep up the wonderful work you do to help us all with Latin (and some of us Greek)...