Scan Camilla's first steps: Aeneid 11.573
Aeneid 11.573: read the assigned Latin, work through language and interpretation, then practise with explained responses.
Section Paper 2 · Literature
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
- Build six feet from the line's actual syllables
- Distinguish long syllables, long vowels and the mute-liquid exception
Read this assigned passage
Aeneid 11.573. Keep your assigned edition open. These original guides use the underlying ancient text; check differences against the prescribed anthology and your teacher's reading.
Set out syllables and feet
Read the ancient line: utque pedum primis infans vestigia plantis. Use L for a long syllable, S for short and X for the final indifferent syllable. The foot divisions are: ut que pe | dum pri | mis in | fans ves | ti gi a | plan tis. Feet cut across word boundaries; these spaces do not change the words or their translation.
The pattern is L S S | L L | L L | L L | L S S | L X. The first and fifth feet are dactyls, the middle three are spondees, and the sixth closes the line. The meaning is ‘and as soon as the infant had begun to walk’ across the surrounding sentence; one scanned line need not complete its syntax.
Explain the quantities
Ut is long by position before qu; dum is closed before the following pr; in and ves are long through the following consonant groups. Primis has naturally long vowels and the long ablative-plural ending. Vestigia supplies a long ti followed by two short syllables in the fifth foot.
The short a before plantis illustrates the possible short quantity before a mute plus liquid, here pl. Do not apply the two-consonant rule without that qualification. L marks the whole syllable's metrical value; it does not mean every vowel in a closed syllable should be pronounced or written as naturally long.
Sources for this lesson
Pause and explain
Can a foot boundary divide the syllables of one word?
Worked example
Build the first foot from utque pedum.
Show the worked solution
- Ut is long before the qu consonants.
- Que and the first syllable of pedum are short.
- The remaining dum belongs to the next foot.
Answer The first foot is ut que pe, L S S. It is a dactyl, and the foot boundary divides pedum; a scan must not force each word to remain inside one foot.
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: Classify the six feet of the displayed scan.
Give me a hint
Dactyl is L S S; spondee is L L.
Compare my reasoning
- Feet 1 and 5 have three syllables.
- Feet 2, 3 and 4 have two long syllables.
- Foot 6 is the final L X.
The line has dactyls at feet 1 and 5, spondees at 2–4, and the closing L X. That classification uses syllable quantity and the final-foot convention rather than English stress.
Look for these in your work
- Identifies dactyls
- Identifies spondees
- Uses final convention
Independent: Count the pronounced syllables from the six-foot pattern.
Give me a hint
Add the syllables, not just the feet.
Compare my reasoning
- Two dactyls supply 6 syllables.
- Three spondees supply 6.
- The final foot supplies 2.
There are 14 syllables in the displayed scan: 6 + 6 + 2. Six feet do not mean six syllables; each foot contains its own long/short pattern.
Look for these in your work
- Counts dactyl syllables
- Counts spondee syllables
- Totals 14
Application: A student makes the final a of vestigia long solely because pl follows. Explain the missing qualification.
Give me a hint
Mute-plus-liquid groups can allow short quantity.
Compare my reasoning
- Identify pl as mute plus liquid.
- Use the permitted short treatment in this line.
- Check the fifth-foot pattern.
The general position rule has a mute-plus-liquid qualification. Here the a is short before pl, allowing ti gi a as L S S; forcing it long would spoil the displayed fifth foot.
Look for these in your work
- Identifies group
- Uses qualified rule
- Checks pattern
Common mistakes
- Forcing feet to match words
- Writing natural vowel length from position alone
- Making a before pl automatically long
What can you explain now?
Can a foot boundary divide the syllables of one word?
Compare with the explanation
Yes
Metrical feet and word boundaries are different structures.
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Make it stick
Can a foot boundary divide the syllables of one word?
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.