The Greek & Latin Roots of English [Paperback]

Tamara M. Green (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0742514668 | ISBN-13: 978-0742514669 | Publication Date: October 2003 | Edition: Third Edition

Over 60 percent of all English words have Greek or Latin roots; in the vocabulary of the sciences and technology, it's over 90 percent. Thus, studying the Greek and Latin roots of English is essential to understanding English vocabulary and how the history of the English language has shaped our perceptions of the world around us. Now in its third edition, The Greek & Latin Roots of English is one of the foremost resources for students of etymology across many academic disciplines.

The third edition retains the tried-and-true approach of previous editions, with even more resources for students. New exercises have been added to the end of each chapter, and many lessons are revised, updated, and expanded.

Author Tamara M. Green opens with an introduction to basic principles of Latin and Greek. Green then organizes the remaining chapters thematically--students will find chapters on the Greek and Latin roots of words in biology and medicine, science and mathematics, politics and government, literature, and religion and philosophy. Unlike texts which treat Greek and Latin roots separately, this book treats them as an organic whole. This unique, focused approach makes The Greek & Latin Roots of English as valuable to a medical student studying terminology as it is to a student of language and the classics.

Editorial Reviews

Review

If you want to teach this class, use another book at your own peril. . . . I looked at (and continue to look at) every major etymology textbook on the market, but I always come back to Professor Green's book. It is the best thing out there. I have been teaching the class now for eight years, and it remains the only textbook I have ever used. (Steven Cerutti )

An excellent book--The Greek & Latin Roots of English has proven to be an excellent resource. I use it primarily for my medical terminology course, but also for my nuclear medicine technology courses. This text is a well-crafted, rich source of information.... (Scott R. Sechrist )

Concise and authoritative, this book packs an extraordinary amount of information into a useful format. Valuable for learning Greek and Latin roots across a wide range of disciplines -- or in everyday headlines. (Morris, Timothy R. )

The exercises at the end of the chapters reemphasized the content yet also will encourage the student to do extra work, not merely reiterating the material in the chapter. They will also lend themselves to some good discussions, as students may have a variety of answers with rationales. The discussion questions in the chapters will stimulate good student interaction. (Rita Horgos )

Green's book has always had many virtues: a light-hearted and inviting style, a rigorous attention to etymological detail, and a multi-disciplinary view of the classical world. These virtues remain in the third edition, and are in many cases magnified. . . . (Dan Curley )

I have used the second edition three times, and have had good results with an undergraduate class. The third edition is better. The author has a way of communicating well with the students. (Daniel Levine )

An excellent book--The Greek & Latin Roots of English has proven to be an excellent resource. I use it primarily for my medical terminology course, but also for my nuclear medicine technology courses. This text is a well-crafted, rich source of information. (Scott R. Sechrist )

About the Author

Tamara M. Green is professor and chair of the Classics Department at CUNY-Hunter College. She is also author of The City of the Moon God: Religious Traditions of Harran (1992).

Product Details

• Paperback: 240 pages
• Publisher: Rowman & Littlefield Publishers; Third Edition edition (October 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0742514668
• ISBN-13: 978-0742514669
• Product Dimensions: 9.7 x 6.9 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 14.4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #722,067 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars Tamara Green is an amazing professor and writer, October 17, 2011

By 

Mary O (NEW YORK, NY, US) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Greek & Latin Roots of English (Paperback)

I majored in Latin and Greek at Hunter (though I didn't finish my degree there), and I treasure every moment in and out of class in the Classics department. Parents, if you want your children to totally master vocabulary, get them this book and encourage them to work through it. Even if they don't have the benefit of AP classes in their school, this will do wonders for their SAT verbals.