Transitive Verbs et al.

[Thrush]

Okay, I've finished half of Wheelock's and I'm taking a break to review everything. As part of my review I'm:

> Making flashcards of ALL the verb forms (not just the ones Wheelock's has introduced; I'm memorizing all of them, and I understand them pretty well except for some things about subjunctive) and practicing them with random verbs from my vocabulary

> Using the Lingua Latina program to practice noun declension, especially macrons

> Doing readings from the Vulgate Bible as general practice

Anything else I should be doing? I especially am having trouble knowing which verbs are transitive and which aren't. The reason this review is so important is that I'm taking the Latin SAT on Saturday- I know half of Wheelocks isn't enough preparation for it, but I just want to see how I'll do.

Thanks!

 

[Akela]

What you were doing should be of a pretty good help. How did you do on the exam?

 

[Thrush]

Mmph, I think I did okay. I won't really know until I get my score, at the end of the month. Vocabulary wasn't a problem- the main word I didn't know was 'licet'- but for some reason I just couldn't grasp the poem part of the text. The grammar was too complex for me.

There were other places where the grammar was a problem, too. I've purchased Oxford Press's Latin Grammar and I'm reading it all the way through before I continue with Wheelock's.

Another thing I've found highly helpful is Harrius Potter. I'm reading it alongside the English, which tempts me to be lazy and just read through the Latin without comprehending it, but it helps my vocabulary a lot and shows me what things are difficult to translate from English to Latin. Needless to say, Needham's translation is excellent- it, combined with J.K. Rowling's writing, is entertaining enough to keep me interested even while I read everything twice. It seems to help a lot more than doing the same thing with the Vulgate Bible did.

-Thrush