LC Ancient Greek common mistakes
LC Ancient Greek · Understand the traps and how to avoid them.
When translating an unseen Greek prose passage, the candidate renders a participle as a finite verb, producing a string of main clauses (e.g., 'He arrived. He saw the enemy. He fled.') instead of subordinating the participle (e.g., 'On arriving and seeing the enemy, he fled').
The candidate recognises the participle's lexical meaning but does not check its syntactic function (attributive, circumstantial, supplementary) or its tense/aspect relative to the main verb. Under time pressure, the default is to treat every verb form as a main verb.
What to do instead
Before writing the translation, bracket every participle and decide its function from context: does it have an article (attributive)? Does it agree with a noun but lack an article (circumstantial or supplementary)? Then translate with an appropriate English structure (relative clause, 'when/after/because + -ing', or 'having + past participle'). Practise by translating ten short Greek sentences containing participles and labelling each participle's function before rendering it.
In unseen Greek verse, the candidate translates a word according to its common prose meaning and ignores the poetic or contextual sense demanded by the metre and imagery, e.g., rendering θυμός as 'spirit' when the context requires 'life' or 'anger', or translating a Homeric epithet literally and nonsensically.
Vocabulary lists are often learned from prose authors, and poetic diction (Homeric formulae, tragic compounds, lyric metaphor) is less familiar. The candidate also fails to use the immediate context and the demands of the metre as checks on meaning.
What to do instead
Build a separate verse vocabulary list organised by author and genre, noting words with different prose and verse senses. When translating a verse passage, first scan the metre to identify word boundaries and possible elisions, then read the whole sentence before assigning meanings. After drafting, check that each translated word makes sense with its epithets and with the surrounding image; if not, consult the context and a lexicon for a secondary sense.
When answering comprehension questions on a prescribed Greek text, the candidate paraphrases the English translation or summarises the plot without quoting or closely analysing the Greek wording, so answers remain general and miss the specific linguistic evidence the question targets.
The candidate prepares the set text from a translation and learns the storyline, not the Greek. Under exam pressure, it feels safer to restate the narrative than to engage with the Greek, and the candidate may not know how to integrate short quotations into an answer.
What to do instead
Reread the prescribed text in Greek with a commentary, and for each section write down two or three key Greek words or phrases that carry the meaning. Practise answering comprehension questions by beginning with a direct answer, then quoting the relevant Greek (with line reference) and explaining how the wording supports the answer. Learn to use short quotations (one to four words) rather than long block quotations.
In grammar and syntax questions, the candidate identifies a form by its ending alone without checking the stem, accent, or context, e.g., calling a second aorist participle a present participle, or misidentifying a subjunctive as an indicative because the ending looks similar.
The candidate has memorised paradigm tables in isolation but has not practised parsing forms in context, where accent, augment, reduplication, and agreement with other words are decisive. Time pressure encourages pattern-matching on the most visible ending.
What to do instead
Adopt a fixed parsing routine: (1) find the stem and check for augment/reduplication; (2) identify tense and voice from the stem and endings; (3) identify mood from the ending and from any preceding particle or conjunction; (4) check person and number against the subject; (5) check accent. Apply this routine to every form in a short passage, and compare ambiguous forms (e.g., λύσῃς vs λύσεις) in minimal pairs.
When translating an unseen passage, the candidate translates word by word in Greek order, leaving the English unidiomatic and sometimes incomprehensible, e.g., 'The general the soldiers to the city sent' or 'Having been sacrificed the girl the wind stopped'.
The candidate treats translation as a code-substitution exercise and does not restructure the sentence according to English syntax. Anxiety about missing a word encourages keeping the Greek order.
What to do instead
Use a two-stage method: first, write a literal 'working translation' with brackets around subordinate clauses and mark the main verb; second, rewrite the sentence in natural English, moving the verb to its English position and converting Greek structures (genitive absolute, dative of agent, participle phrases) into their English equivalents. Practise by translating five Greek sentences and then rewriting each twice, once literally and once idiomatically.
In essay questions on theme and style, the candidate offers a list of literary devices ('Homer uses similes, epithets, and speeches') without analysing how a specific device works in a specific passage to create meaning or effect.
The candidate has learned device names as labels but has not practised close reading. Essays are often planned as a series of general statements because the candidate fears running out of material.
What to do instead
For each prescribed text, prepare a bank of five to eight key passages with brief notes: the device, the exact Greek words, and the effect on the audience. In the exam, structure each paragraph as point–evidence–analysis: state the device, quote the Greek, then explain how the wording shapes tone, character, or theme. Avoid device lists; aim for depth over breadth.
In classical civilisation and context questions, the candidate makes sweeping claims about Greek society (e.g., 'Women had no rights', 'Slavery was unimportant') without grounding them in the prescribed text or in specific historical evidence, and ignores chronological and generic differences.
The candidate relies on general background knowledge from introductions and documentaries, which is often oversimplified, and does not connect context to the specifics of the set text or period.
What to do instead
For each context topic, build a fact sheet with dates, places, and named sources (e.g., a law court speech, a comedy, an inscription). When writing, anchor every general claim to a specific example from the prescribed text or a named source, and qualify statements by genre and period (e.g., 'In fifth-century Athenian tragedy...' rather than 'The Greeks believed...').
In personal response questions, the candidate writes a purely emotional reaction ('I found this passage very moving and relevant today') without supporting it by reference to the Greek text, and fails to consider alternative interpretations.
The candidate misreads 'personal response' as 'opinion only' and does not realise that the examiner expects a response grounded in textual evidence and awareness of other readings.
What to do instead
Use a three-part structure for personal response: (1) state your response precisely (e.g., 'The passage makes the reader sympathise with X because...'); (2) support it with a short Greek quotation and analysis of the wording; (3) acknowledge an alternative response and explain why you find it less persuasive. Practise by writing one such paragraph for each prescribed text.
When translating an unseen passage, the candidate ignores particles, connective particles, and word order that signal argument or tone (e.g., μέν... δέ, γάρ, οὖν, ἀλλά, δή), producing a translation that misses logical contrasts and emphasis.
Particles are often treated as untranslatable fillers and are skipped, because their meaning is subtle and context-dependent. The candidate may not have learned a systematic list of particle functions.
What to do instead
Learn a core list of particles with their common functions (μέν... δέ for contrast, γάρ for explanation, οὖν for inference, ἀλλά for strong contrast, δή for emphasis). In every unseen passage, underline each particle and decide its function before translating; then render it with an appropriate English connective or, where English does not require it, note the emphasis in your translation (e.g., by word order or 'indeed').
In essay questions, the candidate writes a narrative summary of the prescribed text or a general introduction to the author, rather than answering the specific question asked, and runs out of time before reaching a conclusion.
The candidate has prepared plot summaries and author background and relies on them because they feel safe. Without planning, the essay drifts into description, and time is lost on a long introduction.
What to do instead
Before writing, spend three minutes decoding the question: underline the key terms (e.g., 'how far', 'to what extent', 'discuss the role of') and write a one-sentence thesis that directly answers it. Plan three or four paragraphs, each with a point, evidence, and link back to the question. Keep the introduction to two sentences and reserve five minutes for a conclusion that restates the thesis with the weight of evidence.