Everyone else has gone inside the walls. Hector hasn’t.
The Iliad · C2+
Book Twenty-Two: The Death of Hector
So + adjective + inversion, intensifying collocations (bitterly regret, sorely tempted, utterly alone, sheer terror, flatly refuse, dead set on), nowhere to be seen, fraught with and lie / lay: C2+ language for the death of Hector.
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SOPHIA
DEMETRIA
I don’t want to.
The story
After Homer’s Iliad, Book Twenty-Two
The Trojans fled into the city, but Hector stayed outside the Scaean Gate. He bitterly regretted not listening to Polydamas, and though he was sorely tempted to go inside, he was ashamed. Soon he was utterly alone.
When Achilles came, Hector ran, out of sheer terror. So swift was Achilles that Hector could never escape, and so swift was Hector that Achilles could never catch him. They ran three times round the city, past the two springs where the Trojan women used to wash their clothes in peace: a scene fraught with tragedy.
Athena tricked Hector into standing, disguised as his brother Deiphobus. Hector offered an oath to return the loser’s body, and Achilles flatly refused: he was dead set on revenge. When Hector turned for another spear, Deiphobus was nowhere to be seen. He charged, and Achilles killed him. Hector lay dead in the dust; Achilles laid his spear down and stripped the armour.
There are no oaths between lions and men.
So + adjective + inversion
PHILO
So swift was Achilles that Hector could never escape.
SOPHIA
So + adjective + be + subject + that…: literary emphasis. Normal order: Achilles was so swift that…
Intensifying collocations
DEMETRIA
He bitterly regretted it. He was sorely tempted, and utterly alone, and he ran out of sheer terror. Achilles flatly refused: he was dead set on revenge.
SOPHIA
C2+ English depends on collocations: words that naturally go together. bitterly regret, sorely tempted, utterly alone, sheer terror, flatly refuse, dead set on.
Nowhere to be seen; fraught with; lie / lay
MARCOS
Deiphobus was nowhere to be seen. The scene was fraught with tragedy. Hector lay dead; Achilles laid his spear down.
SOPHIA
nowhere to be seen. fraught with = full of (something bad). lie – lay – lain (be flat); lay – laid – laid (put down).
Sophia’s summary
| Form | Use | From the story |
|---|---|---|
| So + adj + be + subject + that… | literary emphasis | So swift was Achilles that… |
| bitterly regret; sorely tempted; utterly alone | intensifying collocations | He was utterly alone. |
| sheer terror; flatly refuse; dead set on | more collocations | Achilles flatly refused. |
| nowhere to be seen; fraught with | C2+ phrases | Deiphobus was nowhere to be seen. |
| lie / lay / laid | a classic confusion | Hector lay dead in the dust. |
Practice
Answer all the questions, then press “Check my answers”. You can try again as many times as you like.
A · Choose
Choose the correct form.
1. So swift ___ Achilles that Hector could never escape.
2. He ___ regretted not listening to Polydamas.
3. He was ___ tempted to go inside.
4. He ran out of ___ terror.
5. Deiphobus was ___ to be seen.
6. Hector ___ dead in the dust.
B · Write
Write the correct form of the word in brackets, or the missing word.
7. Everyone was inside. He was alone.
8. Achilles refused the oath.
9. Achilles was dead on revenge.
10. The scene was with tragedy.
C · Right or wrong?
Is it correct?
11. “Achilles lay the spear on the ground.”
12. “So great was the noise that nobody heard.”
13. “He ran out of mere terror.”
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