READ OUT LOUD. Choose which marked text you prefer to practice with - macrons in verse form, or macrons in prose order, or accent marks in prose order, or focusing on the iambic meter. You will find materials for all of these options below. :-)
VERSE MACRONS. Here is the verse text with macrons:
Puerī ad inertem stagnī vēnerant aquam,
Rānīs refertam: simul in rīpā cōnsīdent,
Simul, bacillīs īnstructī ut longīs erant,
Modo hanc, modo illam, sī caput forte efferat,
Rānam iocantēs mulcant ac dedunt necī.
Tum procul exclāmat ūna: Ō barbarī, quibus
Haec tanta clādes nostra, dulcis est iocus!
Ad hōs fābella pertinet, quōrum procax
Saepe dominātus miserōs lūdendō opprimit.
PROSE MACRONS. Here is the same text with macrons written out in prose word order:
Puerī vēnerant ad stagnī aquam inertem, Rānīs refertam: simul in rīpā cōnsīdent, simul, ut bacillīs longīs īnstructī erant, modo hanc, modo illam, Rānam, sī caput forte efferat, iocantēs mulcant ac necī dedunt. Tum procul ūna exclāmat: Ō barbarī, quibus haec tanta clādes nostra iocus dulcis est! Fābella pertinet ad hōs, quōrum dominātus procax saepe miserōs opprimit lūdendō.
STRESS (ACCENT) MARKS. Here is the prose text with accents, plus some color-coding for the words of three or more syllables (blue: penultimate stress; red: antepenultimate stress):
Púeri vénerant ad stagni aquam inértem, Ranis refértam: simul in ripa cónsident, simul, ut bacíllis longis instrúcti erant, modo hanc, modo illam, Ranam, si caput forte éfferat, iocántes mulcant ac neci dedunt. Tum procul una exclámat: O bárbari, quibus haec tanta clades nostra iocus dulcis est! Fabélla pértinet ad hos, quorum dominátus procax saepe míseros ópprimit ludéndo.
IAMBIC METER. Here is the verse text with some color coding to assist in the iambic meter. The disyllabic elements (iambs/spondees) are not marked, but the trisyllabic elements are color-coded: dactyls are red, anapests are purple, and tribrachs are green (as is any proceleusmaticus, although that is a rare creature); for more information, here are some Notes on Iambic Meter.
Puer~ ad· iner·tem stag·nī vē·nerant· aquam,
Rānīs· refer·tam: simul· in rī·pā cōn·sīdent,
Simul,· bacil·līs īn·struct~ ut· longīs· erant,
Mod~ hanc,· mod~ il·lam, sī· caput· fort~ ef·ferat,
Rānam· iocan·tēs mul·cant ac· dedunt· necī.
Tum procul· exclā·mat ū·n~: Ō bar·barī,· quibus
Haec tan·ta clā·des nos·tra, dul·cis est· iocus!
Ad hōs· fābel·la per·tinet,· quōrum· procax
Saepe do·minā·tus mise·rōs lū·dend~ op·primit.
IMAGE. Here is an illustration for the story (image source) showing some frogs in a pond:
What follows is an unmarked version of the prose rendering to faciliate word searches:
Pueri venerant ad stagni aquam inertem, Ranis refertam: simul in ripa consident, simul, ut bacillis longis instructi erant, modo hanc, modo illam, Ranam, si caput forte efferat, iocantes mulcant ac neci dedunt. Tum procul una exclamat: O barbari, quibus haec tanta clades nostra iocus dulcis est! Fabella pertinet ad hos, quorum dominatus procax saepe miseros opprimit ludendo.
