Scansion of Poetry!!!
DEFINITIONS:
Scan – (verb) to assign long and short marks/symbols to
vowels in order to create long and short syllables in a line of
poetry
Syllable – (noun) an uninterrupted segment of speech or
verse consisting of a vowel sound, a diphthong, or a
consonant e.g. Cae/cil/i/us (4 syllables)
Dipthong – (noun) 2 or more vowels coming together to
make 1 sound e.g. “ae” = “eye”
Meter – rhythm of sound based on accents or rhyme e.g.
Dactylic Hexameter = the meter of the AENEID
Elision – omitting part of a word for ease in pronunciation
or flow of the line
Verse – lines of poetry divided into certain regular units
called feet
Foot – a combination of syllables
DACTYLIC HEXAMETER
(the meter used by Vergil and Ovid, et al.)
Dactyl – foot of poetry marked by -ᴜᴜ
 Spondee – foot of poetry marked by -  Composed of 6 feet of either dactyls or
spondees
 5th foot is always a dactyl
 6th foot is always a spondee
EXAMPLES: diceret
aequas
praemia
montes
fatis

Syllables: long or short???

Syllables are long by nature
◦ It contains a long vowel or a dipthong

Syllables are long by position
◦ It contains a short vowel followed by 2
consonants in 1 or 2 words
E.G. litora caedem conderet soror
atria
EXCEPTIONS: a vowel followed by a “p, b,
t, d, c, g, l, r” may be either long or short to
“fit” the needs of the verse
e.g. patrem
When to ELIDE words together!

3 Conditions under which you “elide” a
vowel;
◦ Elide the vowel at the END of the word when
the next word BEGINS with a vowel, dipthong
or the letter -h
◦ Elide a dipthong at the END of the word when
the next word BEGINS with…
◦ Elide the letter –m AND it’s preceding VOWEL
when the next word begins with…
EXAMPLES: 1.) vade age 2.) Juno aeternum
3.) omnium et
4.) terram heros
Tips for Scanning Poetry!!!
Mark all ELISIONS
2. Go to the end, mark the 5th foot as a dactyl
and the 6th foot as a spondee
3. Mark all syllables that are long by nature or
by position (see previous slides)
4. Mark any remaining syllables
E.G.
1.
Albanique patres atque altae moenia Romae
**proceed to the practice attached to your outline**