Curme, George O.

George O. Curme, in full George Oliver Curme, (born Jan. 14, 1860, Richmond, Ind., U.S.—died April 29, 1948, White Plains, N.Y.), American grammarian and professor of German, best known for his Grammar of the German Language (1905, revised 1922) and for his Syntax (1931) and Parts of Speech and Accidence (1935)—the third and second volumes respectively of A Grammar of the English Language by Curme and Hans Kurath.

Curme received most of his education at DePauw University, Greencastle, Ind., and the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor. He also did postgraduate work at the University of Berlin. His principal teaching posts were at Cornell College, Mount Vernon, Iowa (1886–96), and Northwestern University, Evanston, Ill. (1896–1933). After his retirement from Northwestern, Curme taught from 1934 to 1939 at the University of Southern California, Los Angeles.

Curme’s Grammar of the German Language is one of the best works in its field, among the books by non-Germans. His English grammars are very conservative but may be profitably consulted for detailed information.