2c. Content of Prose Composition or Comprehension (H443/02) - Learners will be required to: — OCR A-Level Latin
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2c. Content of Prose Composition or Comprehension (H443/02) - Learners will be required to: explained
2c. Content of Prose Composition or Comprehension (H443/02) - Learners will be required to: covers 2 specification points, including Or demonstrate their understanding of a… and Either translate unseen material from English….
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or demonstrate their understanding of a passage of unseen prose text through comprehension, translation and questions on syntax and accidence
This criterion asks you to show understanding of an unseen prose passage in three connected ways. Comprehension questions test whether you grasp what happens and why, so answer in clear English using the passage as evidence. Translation requires you to render the Latin into natural English: keep the sense and sequence of events, and express Latin constructions such as indirect statement in idiomatic English (for example, 'he said that the enemy had fled') rather than copying Latin word order or an accusative-plus-infinitive pattern. Syntax and accidence questions ask you to identify and explain forms and constructions, naming the case, tense, mood or construction and stating its function in that sentence.
either translate unseen material from English into Latin
This is the prose composition option: you turn a short passage of unseen English into correct Latin. The skill is controlled production, not free writing. Work sentence by sentence. First identify the main verb and decide its tense, person and number, then decide whether the clause needs a subjunctive because of a conjunction, a purpose, a result or an indirect command. Next sort the nouns into their cases by asking what job each does: subject, object, possessor, means, agent or place. Choose vocabulary you can decline and conjugate accurately rather than reaching for an ambitious word you cannot control. Check agreement of adjectives with nouns, and check that prepositions take the right case. Finally reread your Latin against the English to confirm nothing has been dropped or added.
Your focus
- Answer comprehension questions accurately using evidence from the passage
- Translate unseen prose into natural English preserving sense and sequence
- Identify and explain the function of grammatical forms and constructions in context
Show all 6 objectives
- Translate a short unseen English passage into grammatically accurate Latin sentence by sentence.
- Analyse each English clause to select the correct Latin mood, tense, case and agreement.
- Check a completed Latin version against the English original for accuracy and completeness.
2c. Content of Prose Composition or Comprehension (H443/02) - Learners will be required to: exam tips
Marking Points
- Answers comprehension questions in English with the relevant detail from the passage
- Renders the Latin into fluent English that preserves the sense and sequence of events
- Expresses Latin constructions such as indirect statement in idiomatic English rather than mirroring Latin syntax
- Identifies the grammatical form of a named word, giving case, number, tense, mood or person as appropriate
- Explains the function of a form or construction within its sentence, not merely its label
- Identifies the main verb of each English sentence and renders it in Latin with the correct tense, person, number and voice.
- Assigns the correct case to each noun by analysing its grammatical function in the clause.
- Uses a subjunctive in subordinate clauses where the English construction requires it, such as purpose, result or indirect command.
- Matches every adjective to its noun in gender, number and case.
- Selects vocabulary that can be declined and conjugated accurately rather than an uncontrolled ambitious word.
- Reproduces the sense of the English without omitting clauses or adding material not present in the original.
Examiner Tips
- 💡Read the whole passage once for sense before translating sentence by sentence
- 💡Match the number of points in a comprehension question to the detail you supply
- 💡For syntax questions, name the form and then say what it does in that sentence
- 💡Read the whole English passage once before writing anything, so you know the tense and subject of each sentence.
- 💡Annotate the English lightly, marking main verbs and the function of each noun, before you write the Latin.
- 💡Write one sentence at a time and check agreement and case endings immediately, rather than saving all checking for the end.
- 💡Keep a short personal list of constructions you find hard, such as purpose clauses and indirect commands, and rehearse them before the exam.
Common Mistakes
- Translates indirect statement with an accusative subject and infinitive verb in English; use a that-clause with a finite verb
- Gives only a grammatical label without explaining its function; state how the form works in the sentence
- Leaves gaps or untranslated words in the passage; attempt every clause to secure partial credit
- Translates word by word in English order; analyse each clause and place the Latin verb where Latin requires it.
- Leaves every subordinate verb in the indicative; check each conjunction and use the subjunctive where the construction demands it.
- Chooses a noun's case by its position rather than its function; decide the job the noun does and then assign the case.
- Uses a preposition with the wrong case; learn which case each preposition governs and check it before moving on.
- Reaches for an unfamiliar word and garbles its endings; prefer a simpler word you can decline or conjugate correctly.