Papers 1-4: Greek and Latin Language and Texts

Aims and objectives

1. To develop students’ knowledge, abilities and skills in reading Greek and Latin to a point where they can tackle independently and with confidence authors of whom they have prior experience.
2. To enhance students’ understanding of the structure and functioning of the Greek and Latin languages.
3. To further students’ command of Greek and Latin vocabulary.
4. To develop students’ familiarity with a range of different kinds of Greek and Latin.
5. To give students an experience of particular texts and authors that will better equip them for tackling Papers 5–8 and 10.

Scope and structure of the examination paper 2022–23

From 2020-21 in Part 1B, Paper 2 will be split into Paper 2A and Paper 2B. Candidates who sat Paper 2A in Part 1A will normally be expected to sit Paper 2A in Part 1B. Candidates who sat Paper 2B in Part 1A will normally be expected to sit Paper 2B in Part 1B. The prescriptions for the literature modules in Paper 5 will be identical for Paper 2A candidates and for Paper 2B candidates.

From 2020-21, in both Part 1A and Part 1B, ex-Prelims candidates will normally be expected to sit either Paper 4A or Paper 4B rather than Paper 3.

NOTE: The structure of the papers may need to change - including the authors specified for unseen translation, if it turns out to be the case that these examinations must be sat online or as take-home examinations.

Paper 1. Passages for translation from Greek authors (also serves as Paper GL 11 of the Modern and Medieval Languages and Linguistics Tripos)

The paper will be divided into three sections. Section A will consist of one passage of prose, previously unseen, for translation into English. Section B will consist of one passage of verse, previously unseen, for translation into English. Section C will consist of five passages, one drawn from the Schedule A texts for each of the five modules for Paper 5, of which candidates must translate two. All sections carry equal weight.

Papers 2A and 2B. Alternative passages for translation from Greek authors (also serves as Paper GL12A and GL12B) of the Modern and Medieval Languages and Linguistics Tripos)

The paper will be divided into three sections.  Section A will consist of one passage of prose, previously unseen, for translation into English. Section B will consist of one passage of verse, previously unseen, for translation into English. Section C will consist of five passages, one drawn from the Schedule A (intensive) texts for each of the five modules for Paper 5, of which candidates must translate two. All sections carry equal weight. Paper 2A is intended for candidates who did not have GCSE (or equivalent) Greek on admission to the University. Paper 2B is intended for candidates who had GCSE or AS-level (or their equivalents) but not A-Level (or equivalent) Greek on admission to the University.

Paper 3. Passages for translation from Latin authors (also serves as Paper GL 13 of the Modern and Medieval Languages and Linguistics Tripos)

The paper will be divided into three sections. Section A will consist of one passage of prose, previously unseen, for translation into English. Section B will consist of one passage of verse, previously unseen, for translation into English. Section C will consist of five passages, one  drawn from the Schedule A texts for each of the five modules for Paper 6, of which candidates must translate two. All sections carry equal weight.

Papers 4. Alternative passages for translation from Latin authors (not available to candidates in the Modern and Medieval Languages and Linguistics Tripos)

The paper will be divided into three sections. Section A will consist of one passage of prose, previously unseen, for translation into English. Section B will consist of one passage of verse, previously unseen, for translation into English. Section C will consist of five passages, one drawn from the Schedule A (intensive) texts for each of the five modules for Paper 6, of which candidates must translate two. All sections carry equal weight.

Courses for ALL candidates

If you did not manage to attend these courses in your Part IA year, now is the time to go to:

The first two lectures will explain the general principles of Greek accentuation; the latter two will take the form of practical classes. Handouts will be provided.

A detailed survey of all the main Greek and Latin metres. After the principles of prosody and scansion have been set out, these metres will be examined roughly in ascending order of difficulty or unfamiliarity. Earlier lectures will begin with the dactylic hexameter and elegiacs, passing through the iambic trimeter and Roman comic metres, and ending with more complex lyric metres in Greek and Latin. Copies of passages discussed, and optional practice passages, will be provided. The earlier lectures, in particular, are recommended for undergraduates. Graduate students are also invited to attend throughout, who may find the later lectures, which will acquaint them with the less familiar metres, particularly beneficial.