Greek Grammar Reviewed: Duff’s Elements of New Testament Greek (Popular Grammar)

Watch this weeks grammar review to see if you think you need a copy of The Elements of New Testament Greek.
Duff's grammar is an update of Gordon Wenham's grammar, which is an update of Nunn's 1914 grammar - a bit like Schwandt's grammar.
Despite this there is plenty of unique qualities that make Duff's grammar stand out.


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[stephensammons]

Thanks for this. I learned Greek by myself through this grammar and found it incredibly rewarding. I think the simplifications he makes are super helpful. The second chapter did not feel daunting because you are learning so much so quickly it's actually super exciting, it seemed obvious to me that I needed to learn the tables of by heart even if he doesn't say - and the noun table I think makes perfect sense having Nom, Acc... as these are the first two cases you learn.
When I came to college, I found it very easy to get straight into Wallace's intermediate without having to make huge adjustments.

[treatmentforty-two]

I would think this grammar is so widely used in the UK because Wenham was pretty much universally used here in the 1970s when I first started studying Greek. Duff is the direct successor volume. It's therefore like the book most of those teaching NT Gk learnt the language from! As regards the order of cases in the paradigms, this is the order used by Nunn, Wenham and other UK grammars such as Jay. It is also the order used in all UK Latin grammars. I seem to remember Bill Mounce saying in one video that he did consider using this order in his textbook but, in the end, decided against it. Anyway, it's a British thing so surely it must be the rest of the world that's got it wrong?!!!

[avweroswoakpojaro]

Thanks for reviewing this grammar Dr. Burling. It’s my favorite Greek grammar.

[gillianstone]

Hi, Darryl, Interesting video. I have not seen this book, but I would like to point out in response to your comment about the book's order of cases that historically in the UK the case order for all languages with case systems has been Nominative, Vocative, Accusative, Genitive, Dative, (6th case: Ablative/Instrumental). I learned German, Russian, Latin, at school, with different teachers, in different schools and under different education authorities; then latterly Greek with another British book. Without exception that was always the case order. I tried Mounce recently but found having to re-learn the case order almost impossible, particularly having had as my first Greek grammar a book using the case order that I was used to. It was like having to try to learn the piano with the right and left hand crossed over on opposite sides!!

[DerekWinterburn]

Darryl, thanks for this. Just a small note: the Wenham who wrote the first 'Elements' was John. Gordon is one of his sons - the OT scholar, another David is a NT scholar. His third son is Michael, a parish minister.

[HickoryDickory]

10:04 = Hmmmm... I would say that if an native English speaker doesn't know what First, Second, and Third Person are by the time they're attempting to learn Greek, their time would be far better spent picking up an old-school English grammar instead, seeing as their English classes in the modern secondary school system have failed them miserably.

Thomas Kerchever Arnold and Robert Gordon Latham each wrote their own _An English Grammar for Classical Schools._ Either one is recommended. Or perhaps even Thomas W. Harvey's _A Practical Grammar of the English Language._ All three—Arnold's, Latham's, and Harvey's—teach English Grammar in the manner in which classical languages used to be taught, addressing orthography, etymology, syntax, and prosody (hence the name of the first two).

[tomfortune]

I am about halfway through this grammar and I am not experiencing any of the drawbacks you mentioned. In facf I think this is an excellent introductory book. That said I do have extensive knowledge of Latin so the grammatical principles which you claim are poorly explained were already familiar to me. With respect - I don’t think you have given Dr. Duff’s book a fair review. Cheers!

[blaltanpuia]

I am 60 years old. I am learning biblical Greek by myself. I am studying The Elements of New Testament Greek by Jeremy Duff. But, it is little difficult for me. I need an easier new testament grammar. Can anyone suggest me?

[damc]

I've been gradually learning Greek in my spare time, and have learned a few hundred words without any grammar to hang them on. Which (cheap) grammar book is the best for helping beginners understand the Bible and transition to an intermediate Greek textbook later?

[Occhiodiargento]

This book, was translated in Spanish and is in kindle thanks to Clie. So, there you have it.

[trferro]

I own both Nunn and Wenham. What will I find in Duff that is new and/or different?

[christopherskipp]

B.M.A., what is your take on Mounce 's verb morphology book? I cannot recall the exact name of the book at the moment. Thank you for your feedback.

[jay.rhoden]

If this textbook had accent marks it would be my favourite and most highly recommended textbook. I agree with the idea that accent rules and complexities should be minimised for beginning students, but removing them all together is going too far. To this day there are still some accents I get wrong because I didn’t learn the words with tje correct accent, it is frustrating. I wish there was a way to encourage Duff to reconsider his position for the next edition.

This book is amazing, it’s lightweight, the exercises are fully integrated, but please please bring back the accents.

[micahclifford]

Hi Darryl,

Thanks for this. I really appreciate your wisdom on this. After doing a review on this, which other beginning Greek grammar would you recommend as a supplement to this one given that I have to use Duff for my College education? I am leaning towards Mounce or Merkel/Plummer or Decker. What do you think?

[ballsyougothacked]

Hi, i am a beginner in koine greek. I have three questions:
1. Which pronunciation do you use for koine greek?
2. When should there be breathing marks? I have looked for an answer to this question but I haven't found an answer yet. And what decided if it should be a smooth or rough breathing mark?
3. What should i learn after the alphabet, vowels, dophtongs, accents and breath marks? Am i ready to start learning words after learning that or is there anything more that i have to learn first?

[Yohan]

I didn't study with Duff's method, but I studied with its predecessor, Wenham's method (Wenham's full name is John William Wenham, not Gordon Wenham). For all I can say, Wenham's method is the best that I've come across, and one of the most popular manuals even outside English-speaking countries. If Duff's method is like what you said about it, it is a let-off to the line of Elements of New Testament Greek.