GREEK 500 A: Grammar and Composition

Spring 2024
Meeting:
TTh 2:30pm - 4:20pm
SLN:
15098
Section Type:
Seminar
Instructor:
MEETS IN CLASSICS SEMINAR ROOM - DENNY 257
Syllabus Description (from Canvas):

Prof. Alex Hollmann

Office hour: W 3-4pm (in person Denny Mezzanine 262E or zoom by request) or by appointment

One of the best ways to gain fluency and understanding in reading ancient Greek is to use the language actively. When as a producer one has to make decisions about how to say even simple things in Greek (should I use aorist or present aspect here? where should I put the verb in this sentence?), as a consumer one becomes much more sensitive to the language and style of any piece of Greek writing and understands it better. In this course we will use Eleanor Dickey鈥檚 Introduction to the Analysis and Composition of Greek Prose, designed to develop knowledge of syntax and style of classical Attic prose and techniques of translation, and gradually move to translation of whole paragraphs of connected prose. I ask students to put up their sentences on the board and we go through them as a class together. We will vary this with looking at the style of various genres and authors. It's fun! (Really!) Midterm and final (translation from English into Greek of paragraph selected from a number of options) are both take-home format, homework assigned for every meeting.

Assessment:

Exercises (graded largely for completion) 25%

Midterm (take home) 25%

Final (take home) 25%

Class participation (25%)

Conversion scale from % to GPA

 

This schedule will be filled in as the term progresses. It may also be changed if necessary: notice will be given by email.

 

Week 1: Dickey Accentuation I Articles II Modifiers (pdf )

 

T March 26 *Note: we will work through these today in class together: no need to prepare

Ch. I Ex 1 (on A) h-n (p.10)

Ex 2 (on B) g-k (p.12)

Sentences 11鈥17 (pp.12鈥13)

Analysis 1鈥11 (pp. 14鈥15)

 

Th March 28 (from now on prepare exercises in advance to go over in class; please submit with corrections after class)

Ch. II Ex 1 (on A and B) j-m (p.18)

Ex 2 (on C) a-m (pp. 19鈥20)

Ex 3 (on E) h-l (p. 22)

Sentences 15, 32, 33

Analysis 4 (p. 25)

.

 

 

Week 2: Dickey III Tenses, voices, and agreement IV Cases

T  April 2

Ch. III Ex 1 (p.29) g鈥損;

Ex 2 (p. 31) a, d, i, j, n, o, s

Sentences (p. 32) 

2, 5, 20, 23, 33

Analysis (p.33鈥34) 4

.

In-class exercise: in Thuc. 6.34, of passage here.

 

Th April 4

Ch IV  Ex 1 (p. 37) h, i, j, l

Ex. 2 (p.38)

Ex. 3 (p.39)

Sentences (pp. 40f.) 2, 11, 13,  22, 30

Analysis (p. 42鈥43) 3, 6, 7

For a story that revolves around the genitive of value we read the Aesop fable about .

Submit your answers

 

 

Week 3: Dickey V Participles VI Word order and connection

T April 9

Ch. V Ex 1 (p. 45) g鈥搇; Ex 2 (p.47) a, f鈥搄; Ex 3 (pp. 48鈥9); Ex 4 (pp. 49鈥50) j,k,l,m,p,q; Ex 5 n, p, q, s, u, v, x, z; Sentences 13, 16, 21, 24, 27, 28

Submit your answers

 

Th April 11

Ch. VI Ex 1 (p. 61); Ex. 3 (p. 63); Ex 4 (p. 65) g鈥搇; Ex 5 (p. 65鈥66); Sentences (p. 66) 13鈥15; Analysis 6

Submit your answers

 

F April 12: .

 

Week 4: Dickey VII Conditional, concessive, and potential clauses VIII Relative clauses

 

T April 16 Ch. VII Ex 1 (p.77) u鈥搉n; Ex 2 (p.79) m鈥搝; Sentences 12, 13,16, 22, 28, 30; Analysis 4, 6

[If you like, consult Appendix D pp. 207-212]

Submit your answers

 

Th April 18 Ch. VIII Ex 2 (p. 84) e鈥揾; Ex 3 (p. 85) j鈥搎; Ex 4 (p. 86) e-h; Ex 5 (p. 86)  g鈥搄;  Ex 6 (p. 87) e鈥揼; Ex 8 (do e-g from Ex 6); Ex 9 (p.90) g,h; Sentences 1 (p. 92) 10, 12; Sentences 2 (p. 93) 9, 10; Sentences 4 (p. 93) 3, 4, 6;  Analysis (p. 95) 8

NOTE: If this is too much, do what you can. I'm still getting used to this textbook and getting the right amount of work to assign!

Submit your answers

 

Week 5: Dickey IX Pronouns X Indirect statement

 

T April 23 Ch IX Ex 1 (p. 98) f鈥搄; Ex 2 (p. 99); Ex. 3 (p. 100鈥1); Ex. 4 (p. 102) f鈥搇; Sentences (p. 103) 15, 17, 20, 24; Analysis (p. 104) 5, 7.

Submit your answers

 

Th April 25 Ch X Ex 1 (p. 107) h-n; Ex 2 (pp. 107鈥8) b, d鈥揾; Ex. 3 (pp. 108-109) e鈥搃; Ex. 5 (p. 110) f鈥揾; Sentences (pp. 111-112) 3, 5, 8, 24, 28, 29; Analysis (p. 113) 9

Submit your answers

 

Week 6: Dickey XI Questions XII Purpose, fear, and effort

 

T April 30 Ex. 1 (p.115) c-j; Ex. 2 (pp. 116鈥117) f鈥搄, n; Sentences (p. 119) 10, 17, 18, 20, 21; Analysis (p. 120) 3

We also looked at my as a way to begin thinking about word order in Greek.

Submit your answers

 

Th May 2 Ex. 1 (p. 125) g, h; Ex. 2 (p. 126) e-j; Ex. 3 (p. 127) c, d; Sentences (p. 128) 16, 17, 19, 21, 25; Analysis (pp. 128) 2, 5

Submit your answers

 

Su May 5 11.59pm :  

 

Week 7: Dickey XIII Cause, result, and 鈥渙n condition that鈥 XIV Comparison and negatives

 

T May 7 Today class will be shorter than normal, from 2.30 to 3.20.

Ex. 1 (p. 132) e, h; Ex. 2 (p. 133) c, d; Sentences (pp. 134鈥135) 8, 15, 24, 27; Analysis 8

Submit your answers .

 

Th May 9 Ex. 1 (p. 139) g, h; Ex. 2 (p. 139) e, g; Ex. 3 (p. 140) a, b, e, f, g; Sentences 1 (p. 141) 13, 17, 18; Sentences 2 (pp. 141鈥142) 9, 13, 15; Analysis (p. 143) 6

Submit your answers .

 

Week 8: Dickey XV Commands, wishes, and prevention XVI Temporal clauses

T May 14 Ex 1 (p.145) e-j; Ex. 2 (p. 146) g鈥搆; Ex. 3 (p. 147) b, c, d, f; Sentences (pp. 147鈥148) 12, 13, 16, 25, 28, 29; Analysis 7

Submit your answers .

Th May 16 Ex 1 (p. 153); Ex 2 (p. 154); Sentences (pp. 154鈥155) 2, 3, 7, 16, 18, 19, 21, 23, 29; Analysis 7

Submit your answers .

 

Week 9: Dickey XVII Impersonal constructions and verbal adjectives XVIII Oratio obliqua

T May 21 Ex 1 (p. 162) l, n, p, q; Ex 2 (p. 164) l, m; Sentences 1 (p. 165) 6, 8; Sentences 2 (p. 165) 4, 13, 14, 17, 18. Analysis (p. 167) 7.

Submit your answers .

W May 22: Final translation assignment .

Th May 23 [No exercises] Sentences (p. 174) 1鈥7, 9; Analysis (p. 175鈥177) 3, 10

Submit your answers .

 

Week 10: [Dickey XIX Summary XX Consolidation] - we'll do some reading and analysis instead

T May 28 no homework assigned

Th May 30 no homework assigned

 

 

Final assignment due end of exam week, Friday June 7 11.59pm.

Catalog Description:
Translation of passages from English to Greek for the purpose of acquiring advanced knowledge of the grammar and the style of the classical tongue.
Credits:
5.0
Status:
Active
Last updated:
April 17, 2026 - 1:54 am