What does colonnade mean?
Word: Colonnade
Part of Speech: Noun
Meaning: Colonnade means a long row of evenly spaced stone columns, usually holding up a roof or a line of arches.
How do you spell colonnade?
Syllables: col - on - nade
Tricky part: The n is doubled. Pupils hear only one n and write colonade, and some double the l as well.
Watch out for: colonade, collonnade
Memory tip: Picture two pillars standing side by side at the entrance: they are the two n's in the word.
Colonnade in a sentence
Example 1: We sheltered from the sudden shower under the colonnade of the town hall.
Example 2: Pigeons nest on the ledges above the museum's long colonnade.
Example 3: The architect added a colonnade to the new library to keep the reading rooms cool.
Fun Fact
Connaught Place in New Delhi, built about ninety years ago, is known for the white colonnades that curve around its central circle.
Practise the CREST Way
Word Cookie
Insert the correct letters to form a word:
c_l_nnad_
a) o, o, a
b) o, a, e
c) o, o, e
d) a, o, e
Show answer
c) o, o, e. The first vowel is the o of olive, the weak second vowel is written o as well, and a silent e closes the word.
Word Cookie
Find the extra letter in the word:
colonnaide
a) i
b) n
c) a
d) d
Show answer
a) i. No i belongs before the d; the long vowel sound there is written with just one letter.
Mingle-Mangle
Unjumble the letters to find the word that fits the sentence:
Stalls of brass lamps lined the cool ndoacloen of the old market in Jaipur.
a) balcony
b) colonnade
c) corridor
d) courtyard
Show answer
b) colonnade. Count the n's: the jumble has two, and no other option does.
Spell-o-Spell
Three words in the list are spelt correctly and one is misspelt. Choose the meaning of the misspelt word.
1. architect 2. masonary 3. pedestal 4. colonnade
a) a line of pillars along a walkway
b) a person who designs buildings
c) the base on which a statue stands
d) stonework or brickwork in a building
Show answer
d) stonework or brickwork in a building. Masonry has no a after the n.
Multiple Choice Questions
1. You are most likely to walk through a colonnade ____.
a) beside a grand old public building
b) in the engine room of a ship
c) on the deck of a fishing boat
d) in a modern underground car park
Show answer
a) beside a grand old public building
2. Why might a town with hot summers build a colonnade along its main street?
a) to give walkers some shade
b) to make the road much wider
c) to carry water to the houses
d) to store grain for the winter
Show answer
a) to give walkers some shade
