Unit 4 Master Guide: The Aeneid Books 1–2 and Latin Hexameter
View linked note
Multiple Choice
Call Kai1/26
Name | Mastery | Learn | Test | Matching | Spaced | Call with Kai |
|---|
No analytics yet
Send a link to your students to track their progress
27 Terms
Dactylic Hexameter
The standard meter for Greek and Latin epics, consisting of six metric feet.
Meter
The rhythmic structure of a verse in poetry, defined by the arrangement of syllables.
Epic Poetry
A long narrative poem, often detailing heroic deeds and events significant to a culture.
Foot
A metric unit composed of syllables, used to construct lines of poetry.
Dactyl
A foot consisting of one long syllable followed by two short syllables.
Spondee
A foot consisting of two long syllables.
Feet 1–4
These feet in a line of hexameter can be either dactyls or spondees.
Foot 5
Almost always a dactyl in a line of Dactylic Hexameter.
Spondaic Line
A line with a spondee in Foot 5, used for heavy, slow emphasis.
Foot 6
Always comprises two syllables, the first long and the second anceps.
Scansion
The act of marking the meter of a line of poetry.
Long Syllable
A syllable that is marked with a — in scansion.
Short Syllable
A syllable that is marked with a ∪ in scansion.
Long by Nature
A vowel that has a macron in the dictionary, indicating it is long.
Diphthong
A complex vowel sound that is always long in meter.
Long by Position
A short vowel that becomes long when followed by two consonants.
Elision
The omission of a vowel or syllable at the end of a word when followed by another word.
Core of a Syllable
A vowel or diphthong that serves as the central part of a syllable.
Two Consonants
When a short vowel is followed by this, it becomes long in meter.
'x' and 'z'
These letters count as double consonants in long by position rules.
'h' counting rules
In determining syllable length, 'h' is ignored.
Macron
A diacritical mark used to indicate a long vowel.
Aeneid
An epic poem by Vergil, written in Dactylic Hexameter.
Iliad
An ancient Greek epic poem traditionally attributed to Homer.
Odyssey
An ancient Greek epic poem also attributed to Homer, following the adventures of Odysseus.
Anceps
A syllable that can be either long or short, often treated as a spondee.
Metric Units
The individual subdivisions within a line of verse, known as feet.
