Higher Structures of the Latin Language
This course teaches the higher structures of Latin grammar. The grammar included here is beyond what most beginners have encountered, but is nevertheless not esoteric: they are the forms and structures that, though requiring a solid grounding in the more fundamental structures, are nevertheless found on every page of Latin. They are core concepts required for even basically reading ability.
As an educator working with intermediate and advanced Latinists, these are the structures that I find are most often problematic. Students with a great deal of experience teaching or studying Latin are still often struggling to implement or recognize these concepts.
In this course, I will teach these concepts carefully, with an eye both to their historical development and their usage in actual Latin texts. This course is ideal for two types of students: those learning Latin for the first time who have completed Foundations of Latin Grammar or an equivalent, and those who feel they need a grammar review to strengthen their grasp on core concepts. At the end of this course, students will be prepared to begin the reading of Latin texts in the Reading Latin Practicum.
This course is the culmination of the Latin Learning Track.
Mondays and Thursdays, 7:00-8:30 pm CT
October 13 - December 11, 2025
$600 / student
part of the Learning Latin Track
Schedule:
Week 1: Unit Eleven
Deponent verbs, subjective and objective genitives, infinitive as subject, verbs “volo, nolo, malo”
Week 2: Unit Twelve
Independent uses of the subjunctive, direct and indirect questions
Week 3: Unit Thirteen
Indefinite pronouns, dative with intransitive verbs, impersonal passives, dative with compound verbs, verb “fio”
Week 4: Unit Fourteen
Result clauses, contraction of the subordinating conjunction, indirect reflexives
Week 5: Unit Fifteen
Cum clauses, other subordinating conjunctions, clauses of proviso
Week 6: Unit Sixteen
Gerund, gerundive, impersonal verbs
Week 7: Unit Seventeen
Clauses of fearing, doubting, and prevention, the supine
Week 8: Unit Eighteen
Modal attraction, “futurum esse ut” and “fore ut,” historical infinitive, syncopated forms, noun clauses with “quod”
Week 9: Cumulative Review
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Dr. Johnson’s personal, innovative, and engaging instruction has helped me, even as a longtime Latin teacher, to think about Latin in new and surprising ways, which has infused my teaching. I have been humbled and yet inspired anew to value the process more than the result and to share that vital perspective with my students.
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Junius Johnson is one of the best professors I have ever encountered. He is deeply knowledgeable and qualified, but also uses humor and a sense of play to foster a collaborative and engaging learning environment — all while pushing his students to do and be their best. He equipped me with the essential skills of nuanced Latin translation, and perhaps just as importantly instilled in me a love for the language and appreciation for its historical development and contexts. More than a decade after studying with him, I continue to benefit from Professor Johnson’s instruction and in fact am currently translating a ninth-century text for publication.
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With humor, intelligent discussion, and deep insights, Junius Johnson gives you more than an overview or introduction to Latin, he inspires you to keep learning hard things while giving you a vision and much fuller picture of Latin.
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Junius has such a robust understanding of the language, and his passion is contagious. His approach invites parents, educators, and students to re-imagine how they think about Latin, moving from merely transactional to experiential. He’s also not afraid to address many of the “why” questions that all too often go unanswered. Highly recommend!
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Simply put, Junius Johnson is the best Latin teacher I have ever experienced in my many years of supervising education. He is a true scholar of the Latin language from the classical period to the neo-Latin present; he has success teaching every age and skill level. Junius is compassionate with those who are less gifted than he, but still manages to stretch his students in a friendly and inviting manner. I wholeheartedly recommend him to you as your teacher. Trust me, the encounter will be memorable.