Listed below are the basic steps for scanning latin poetry, along with an example.

1. Mark all elisions- This is when a word ends in a vowel or the letter M and begins in a vowel or the letter H. You can only pronounce the vowel starting on the second word

   Ex: “atque altae”, “multum ille”, “virum hunc”

2. Mark all syllables containing a long vowel long

   ā is pronounced like the a in father

   ē is pronounced like the e in they

   ī is pronounced like the ee in sheep

   ō is pronounced like o in amore

   ū is pronounced like the oo in english root

3. Mark all syllables containing a dipthong long

   Dipthong vowel combinations may be: ae, au, oe, ui, eu, ei

   Ex: “meī”, “audēo”, “deīnde”

4. Mark all syllables that are followed by 2 consonants

   Ex: “āggerat”

5. Mark everything else short, make sure there are 6 feet of dactyls and spondees.

   The fifth foot is almost always a dactyl and the sixth foot is almost always a spondee.