Basic Greek in 30 Minutes a Day
by Jim Found
Reviewed by Martha Robinson
Purchase details: Basic Greek in 30 Minutes a Day by James Found. Large paperback, $21.99. Published by Bethany House Publishers. Please support HomeschoolChristian.com by buying this program from our Christian Book Distributors link or Amazon affiliate link.
Basic Greek in 30 Minutes a Day is a 336 page workbook designed to give a basic introduction to Greek for the purpose of reading the New Testament. The author's assumption is that "the person using this book will either go on to an academic course, or will learn to make use of an analytical lexicon." The goal, then, of Basic Greek in 30 Minutes a Day is not mastery of the language, but rather a quick start on Bible translation and Greek pronunciation.
Basic Greek in 30 Minutes a Day uses the unique approach of cognates, "words with similar spellings that mean about the same in Greek and English," to teach vocabulary. With this method, the student is reading parts of Scripture by the third lesson, even before the entire alphabet has been introduced. A tremendous amount of vocabulary is presented.
Grammar concepts are overviewed. Noun cases and declensions, pronouns, placement of adjectives, and "small words," common short words like "and," "to," "not," and "more" found many times in scripture are introduced. Verb tenses, moods, voices, and appropriate endings as well as verbals and some irregular verbs are covered in the final part of the book.
Fifty-two lessons have multiple exercises each. As with any workbook, activities include fill-in-the-blank, matching, and multiple choice. A full answer key is in the back.
In the appendix, the author suggests some ideas on how to continue Greek studies and Bible reading using various references.
Recommendation: Basic Greek in 30 Minutes a Day offers a quick start in Greek studies that will be especially helpful to students who need that immediate gratification in foreign language study. With this program, the student will be pronouncing and reading Greek words by the end of the first lesson.
Activities are laid out in a simple format that will allow the student to progress rapidly through the book if desired. A high school level student could easily work through the book with no help from the parent.
While Basic Greek in 30 Minutes a Day does not have the depth needed for full high school credit, it will ignite enthusiasm and build confidence in the student and encourage him to continue with further studies. This would be an outstanding program to use in the summer prior to starting a rigorous Greek course in the fall.
HomeschoolChristian.com resources related to this review:
HomeschoolChristian.com's Classical Languages Resource Section
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