Learn and teach Latin here

In recent clearout I found my school Latin dictionary -from 1940s.
I loved Latin - got top marks in O level.We had an inspiring Latin master.
The sentence construction seemed so logical.and pronunciation easy..
So many words have Latin roots.

And I like singing in Latin.!

I imagine that if any of us had been taught Classics by that very moreish Dr Michael Scott ("Who Were The Greeks") we'd all have been avid classical scholars!

I struggled with it and failed O level dismally. We had a useless Latin teacher who was one of only two male teachers at my all girls high school. The other male teacher (music) was a pervert but the Latin teacher was a gentle, scholarly man who loved his subject and we made his life hell. Poor man.

What little I absorbed has come in very useful in my attempts to learn Italian. But how I wish I had tried harder! (And not been so unkind)

It was not even on the curriculum of my 1959 comprehensive school. I have to say I have survived without it. I have picked up basic words and phrases since I joined a choral society but words from Latin masses don't get you very far in common conversation.
I managed to learn French fairly well without it.

What memories, eh. I scraped through O level maths, because I had a brother who was good at maths and helped me study. To my shame, i helped him with his Latin, but he still failed that subject.

I like watching Time Team, and it is interesting when they read Latin texts (we are still getting 2009 to 2012 repeats here: RIP Mick)

Remember that rhyme we used to write on our Latin books:

Latin is a language
Dead as dead can be
It killed the Ancient Romans
And now it's killing me!

I failed O level Maths and was just so pleased that I would never have to do it again
When I was learning Italian a few years ago we were all finding the grammar very difficult . All our teachers were Italian and they all just knew so much more grammar than we did.

I rather like a translation which appears on one of the many adverts featuring cats and dogs (why are there so many?)

Carpe diem - Grab the frisbee

Was it Dan Quayle who said he had enjoyed his tour of Latin America and his only regret was that he had never learned Latin so he could converse with the people he met. And he was one heart attack away from having his finger on the red button.

I was so lucky! I failed Maths dismally, and started Biology after mocks, which back in the old days was quite enough, if you had Classics to back you up, for university entrance.

I do wish I had worked harder at Maths, though. Theseus and his friends used to do my Maths homework for me, and I'd help with their literature essays. Why did no-one, in the so-called golden days of education, ever notice my perfect homeworks and c* class work and exams?

I gave up the subjects I thought I might fail in - eg Geography!

Took me three tries to pass my O level maths. And rivers of tears.

Not all so brainy! Failed A level Latin twice. B...y Cicero.

What a brainy lot we are on Gransnet. I wonder what percentage of Mumsnetters learnt Latin (unless you're all on Mumsnet too)!

I agree Ella - but I do love saying 'in flagrante delicto' and my family grew tired of hearing me roll my 'r's as I called for 'audi alterem partem' when there was a disagreement. .

Grannyactivist I think I like yours best of all

MiceElf it strikes me that your quotation could be used in many places on this forum!

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Latin_phrases_(full)

A level Latin was a great help with Old French at university. Unfortunately I don't get much opportunity to use it nowadays (or Old French come to think of it).

I studied Latin o level and and found the root words a great help when studying French,Spanish and Italian.

Thanks!

Sounds like prison Greatnan. Quite horrible. Still, you survived to tell the tale.

Sorry!

Debate isn't possible with those who deny the foundations.

In other words, if debaters don't agree the meaning of terms and principles then it's impossible to have a proper debate.

I wonder if my school was particularly bad? It was in a deprived area of Salford and most of the children in my street would now be classed as having special needs. The convent grammar school was a big improvement - still lots of religion, of course, but the individual subject teachers seemed to be good. There were no after-school activities of any kind though - the spinster teachers headed off for their homes in the leafy suburbs , so there was no drama, music, sport, chess, etc. There was no encouragement for any kind of creative or sporting talent. We were not allowed to compete in local school sports (not that I would have done, anyway, as I loathed sport and usually hid in the toilets during gym/games lessons) because some of the other schools' pupils wore outfits that showed some of the thigh above the knee! We had to kneel down to show that our gym dress touched the floor!

Could you translate, please?