Scan the final departure: Aeneid 11.831
Aeneid 11.831: read the assigned Latin, work through language and interpretation, then practise with explained responses.
Exam scope and assessment notes
Original teaching foundations for the 2026–2028 syllabus. Six prescribed texts have passage-specific sequences; all 693 printed vocabulary rows have been reconciled into 692 distinct records, with additional number, comparison and compound-verb practice. Linked teaching and lexical self-checks do not certify mastery. Complete line-by-line annotation, further translation and scansion practice, qualified Latin-teacher review, full timed papers and human marking remain outstanding. Open the assigned edition alongside these lessons: public ancient texts can differ in spelling, punctuation or editorial readings from the prescribed prose anthology. Practice explanations are formative, not Cambridge questions, marks or predicted grades. Cambridge has announced withdrawal; the last assessment is June 2028, in administrative zones 3, 4, 5 and 6 only. Confirm entry with your centre.
Before you begin
- Read the assigned Latin alongside this guide
- Use case, verb and clause evidence before literary interpretation
Work on paper. Try each question before revealing help, and explain why your method works.
Quick readiness check
What should distinguish passage evidence from wider context?
What you will learn
- Scan the prescribed closing line and explain word-crossing feet
- Distinguish valid quantity analysis from unsupported rhythmic interpretation
Read this assigned passage
Aeneid 11.831. Keep your assigned edition open. These original guides use the underlying ancient text; check differences against the prescribed anthology and your teacher's reading.
Read and divide the line
Read: vitaque cum gemitu fugit indignata sub umbras. Divide feet: vi ta que | cum ge mi | tu fu git | in dig | na ta sub | um bras. The pattern is L S S | L S S | L S S | L L | L S S | L X. Four dactyls, one spondee and the final foot give 16 syllables.
The sense is that life departs with a groan, indignant, towards the shades. The third foot begins with the long final tu of the ablative gemitu and continues with both syllables of fugit; indignata is divided between feet 4 and 5. Word boundaries and foot boundaries must be read independently.
Explain quantity and interpretation
Cum is long by position before g; in and dig are long through the consonant groups of indignata; um is long through the following consonants. The short git before initial i and short sub before initial u are not made long merely by one final consonant. No vowel elision is needed in this displayed line.
The rapid sequence of dactyls can be discussed beside departure and protest, but the claim needs an explained connection. Indignata and the groan provide meaning; counting dactyls alone does not prove the speaker is happy or determine every emotional effect.
Sources for this lesson
Pause and explain
Does a valid hexameter always have the same number of syllables?
Worked example
Compare the syllable count here with the 14-syllable scans of lines 573 and 648.
Show the worked solution
- Four dactyls supply 12 syllables.
- One spondee supplies 2 and the ending supplies 2.
- All three lines still have six feet.
Answer Line 831 has 16 syllables rather than 14, while retaining six feet. Replacing two spondees with dactyls increases the syllable count without creating extra feet.
Try a topic test
Choose Easy, Normal or Difficult. Save your answers and open worked review after finishing.
Test this topic →From guided practice to a new situation
Write your answer and reasoning first. Use a hint only if you are stuck. The model solution is for self-checking; your written work is not automatically marked.
Guided: Identify the only internal spondee in the displayed line.
Give me a hint
Look for L L rather than L S S.
Compare my reasoning
- Examine the first five feet.
- In dig has two long syllables.
- Locate it as foot 4.
The fourth foot, in dig, is the internal spondee. The other four of the first five feet are dactyls, while the closing foot uses its final L X convention.
Look for these in your work
- Uses pattern
- Locates foot 4
- Separates closing foot
Independent: Calculate the syllable increase from 14 to 16 while preserving six feet.
Give me a hint
Each replacement adds one syllable.
Compare my reasoning
- A spondee has 2 syllables.
- A dactyl has 3.
- Two replacements add 2.
Two spondee-to-dactyl replacements add two syllables, taking 14 to 16 without changing the six-foot total. Counting feet and syllables answers different questions.
Look for these in your work
- Uses foot sizes
- Calculates increase
- Preserves six feet
Application: Evaluate a claim that the dactyls alone prove a joyful ending.
Give me a hint
Read groan and indignation alongside rhythm.
Compare my reasoning
- The scan has four dactyls.
- The wording includes a groan and protest.
- Require an interpretation using both form and meaning.
A joyful verdict from metre alone ignores the groan and indignation. A defensible response should connect the movement of the scan with departure and the emotional wording, allowing a reasoned effect rather than a fixed dactyl-to-happiness rule.
Look for these in your work
- Uses metre
- Uses wording
- Explains connection
Common mistakes
- Counting syllables as feet
- Adding an unnecessary elision
- Calling metre joyful while ignoring indignata
What can you explain now?
Does a valid hexameter always have the same number of syllables?
Compare with the explanation
No
Dactyl/spondee variation changes the syllable count while the six-foot structure remains.
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Make it stick
Does a valid hexameter always have the same number of syllables?
If you needed the solution, close it and solve the problem again from a blank page. A correct answer is stronger when you can explain the reason for each step.