Customer Reviews

The Greek Particles

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The Denniston text is an extremely useful resource that any classicist should have in front of them when working with primary source materials from ancient Greece. The organization of the book facilitates ease of use, and the entries are filled with examples taken from antiquity. Comparing the entries on particles in Denniston with those in Smyth greatly add another level of understanding to the project of translation.

This is an indespensible book for all of those interested in the subtlties of Classical Greek. No other work of scholarship comes close. It is a reminder in these days of cheap cultural criticism what real scholarship looks like.

This is a book to be regarded with awe. There is no work of scholarship that compares with it. It is testimony to what real expertise and work can acheive. I cannot imagine anyone doing a better job explianing the nuances of one of the most subtle verbal forms in language. This book is a treasure,

Greek particles are among the most difficult aspects of ancient Greek to understand. What does "men" or "te" mean in a given context? Consider (in English) the difficulties of translating "well...," "so...," "OK...," or the implications of a compound like "well, ok, so..." in a specific context. For example, the meaning of "OK" is often not simply an affirmative. This volume offers excellent and comprehensive insights into the range meanings in given contexts for these little words that create often elusive nuance in the Greek language.

Like Marinone's "Tutti i Verbi Greci," this volume deserves a place on every classicist's bookshelf and is well worth the price.