Greek Grammar

by Herbert Weir Smyth

Sponsored by the Department of Classics of Harvard University, a revised edition of the late Professor Smyth's A Greek Grammar for Colleges is now available. All necessary corrections have been made, and the book retains the form which has long made it the most complete and valuable work of its kind. In this descriptive grammar the author offers a treatment of Greek syntax which is exceptionally rich as well subtle and varied.

Genres: Reference, Language, Classics, Linguistics, Nonfiction, Textbooks, Classical Studies

784 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1956

About the author

Herbert Weir Smyth was an American classical scholar. His comprehensive grammar of Ancient Greek has become a standard reference on the subject in English, comparable to that of William Watson Goodwin, whom he succeeded as Eliott Professor of Greek Literature at Harvard University.

Reviews

[persephone · Rating 5 out of 5]

Going to pour one out for Herbert tonight. I probably would’ve either dropped out of university or killed myself if this was never written

[Anatolikon · Rating 5 out of 5]

A marvellous and necessary text, although it lacks extended material on Koine or Byzantine Greek. Don't buy any of the dozen crappy reprints available, as they are from earlier editions. This is the most recent.

[stew · Rating 5 out of 5]

The only item with more wear than my Hellhammer tee.

[maria · Rating 3 out of 5]

love/hate.

[Liam Malone · Rating 5 out of 5]

Perhaps the best single source in English of the ancient Greek language.

[Vikram Kumar · Rating 3 out of 5]

It has all the grammar you could possibly want, but it's a bore to read more than 2-3 pages at a time.

[Kevin Riley · Rating 4 out of 5]

A classical text used for many years. Based on traditional grammar, and is a good book for beginners in Classical Greek. One of the better books published before modern advances in linguistics.

[Anders Dionysius · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is a pillar the whole modern approach to ancient Greek grammar firmly rests upon.

[Thomas Vidal · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the undisputed king of Greek Grammars. I’ve used (and use) the modern grammars, but no grammarian writes nearly as well as Smyth. Seldom do people refer to a grammar as engaging reading, but this one is. I started my study with Koine, and have studied and used Decker, Wallace, AT Robertson, and BDF. All are superb. But Smyth’s is my favorite.

[L S · Rating 5 out of 5]

Come on, I had to include it! I haven't read through Smyth cover-to-cover; so, the date-read bit is when I got my first copy.

Now, it has to be said, Smyth is antiquated and in desperate need of revision; come on, though, it's still the book of which we all have extra copies on the bedside and in the can.

[James · Rating 4 out of 5]

A true classic. Excellent reference grammar. The only complaint is that it seems to assume that Attic Greek from the Classical period is "real" and everything else is some sort of derivation or dialect. Scholars of other Greek literature (e.g. Biblical, Early Christian, Neo-Platonic, Byzantine, etc.) will need additional grammars specialized to that literature.

[Cassie · Rating 5 out of 5]

I actually use the 1920 edition, and it's very good. It's very comprehensive, and written in as straightforward a manner as is possible. It's a great reference book when dealing with tricky grammatical constructions.

[Maria · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fascinating bedtime story. Good for insomnia too.

[Jared Saltz · Rating 4 out of 5]

The standard of Greek reference grammars.