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 meter. You will find materials for all of these options below. :-)
VERSE MACRONS. Here is the verse text with macrons:
Lānigerae Cornix Ovis involat improba tergō,
Facta dolēns fert haec impatienter Ovis.Quā dīcente Canem, forsan sī tālia fīant,
Nolle patī, nōvī quid sequar, inquit avis.Quōs impūne mihī vexārī, quōsque cavērī
Conveniat, mē nōn ista latēre putēs.Crēde mihī nōn hunc iniūria rāra sequētur,
Quī sē tūtandī vīribus orbus erit.PROSE MACRONS. Here is the same text with macrons written out in prose word order:
Cornix improba tergō Ovis lānigerae involat. Ovis dolēns haec facta impatienter fert. Quā dīcente: Canem nolle patī, sī forsan tālia fīant, avis inquit: nōvī quid sequar, quōs impūne vexārī mihī conveniat et quōs cavērī; nōn putēs ista mē latēre. Crēde mihī: iniūria nōn rāra hunc sequētur, quī orbus erit sē tūtandī vīribus.
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):
Cornix ímproba tergo Ovis lanígerae ínvolat. Ovis dolens haec facta impatiénter fert. Qua dicénte: Canem nolle pati, si forsan tália fiant, avis inquit: Novi quid sequar, quos impúne vexári mihi convéniat et quos cavéri; non putes ista me latére. Crede mihi: iniúria non rara hunc sequétur, qui orbus erit se tutándi víribus.
ELEGIAC COUPLET METER. Below I have used an interpunct dot · to indicate the metrical elements in each line, and a double line || to indicate the hemistichs of the pentameter line.
Lānige·rae Cor·nix Ovis· involat ·improba ·tergō,
Facta do·lēns fert ·haec || impati·enter O·vis.Quā dī·cente Ca·nem, for·san sī· tālia ·fīant,
Nolle pa·tī, nō·vī || quid sequar, ·inquit a·vis.Quōs im·pūne mi·hī vex·ārī, ·quōsque ca·vērī
Conveni·at, mē ·nōn || ista la·tēre pu·tēs.Crēde mi·hī nōn· hunc in·iūria· rāra se·quētur,
Quī sē ·tūtan·dī || vīribus ·orbus e·rit.IMAGE. Here is an illustration for the story (image source):
What follows is an unmarked version of the prose rendering to faciliate word searches: Cornix improba tergo Ovis lanigerae involat. Ovis dolens haec facta impatienter fert. Qua dicente: Canem nolle pati, si forsan talia fiant, avis inquit: novi quid sequar, quos impune vexari mihi conveniat et quos caveri; non putes ista me latere. Crede mihi: iniuria non rara hunc sequetur, qui orbus erit se tutandi viribus.
