Translating and Comprehending the Prescribed Text
What you must know
Translation in this section rewards precision, not fluency. Learn the set text clause by clause, noting for each: the head verb (person, number, tense, mood, voice), the case and function of every noun, and how particles and connectives link clauses. Build a personal glossary of repeated vocabulary and idioms (e.g. impersonal verbs, genitive of comparison, dative of means), because examiners test the same words across passages.
Comprehension questions
These ask for facts, motives, and relationships, not paraphrase. Answer in English, in your own words, and cite the Greek only to justify a point. If asked why a character acts, give the reason the text supplies, not a guess from general myth knowledge.
Traps
- Leaving a participle or infinitive untranslated: every Greek verbal idea needs an English equivalent.
- Ignoring tense/aspect: aorist is normally simple past, imperfect ongoing or habitual, present often historic or vivid.
- Confusing middle and passive in the same form; use context and the presence of an agent (ὑπό + genitive) to decide.
- Over-translating particles as full words; render them by tone or punctuation.
- Answering comprehension in Greek when English is required, or vice versa.
Worked rule of thumb
When a sentence defeats you, find the main verb first, then its subject (nominative, often implied in the ending), then ask which clauses are subordinate (introduced by ὅτι, εἰ, ἐπεί, ὡς, relative pronouns). Translate the main clause, then attach subordinates. For example, in a sentence with a genitive absolute, translate that phrase as a separate clause ('when X had happened...') before the main verb. Always reread your English sentence: if it lacks a subject or verb, you have missed a Greek element.