What does critique mean?
Word: Critique
Part of Speech: Noun
Meaning: Critique means a careful judgement of something such as a book, a play or an idea, looking at what is good and bad in it.
How do you spell critique?
Syllables: cri - tique
Tricky part: The k sound at the close comes from que, a spelling that English took from French.
Watch out for: critik, critick, critike
Memory tip: Unique and antique end in the same way, with que for the k sound.
Critique in a sentence
Example 1: The art teacher gave a friendly critique of every painting.
Example 2: Aditi wrote a sharp critique of the new novel for the school magazine.
Example 3: A fair critique points out what works as well as what does not.
Fun Fact
The great book that the philosopher Immanuel Kant published in 1781 is known in English as the Critique of Pure Reason.
Practise the CREST Way
Word Connection
Choose the synonym of the word critique as used in the sentence:
Her critique of the school play praised the acting but found the ending rather slow.
a) preview
b) review
c) diary
d) summary
Show answer
b) review. A review weighs up a play, while a summary only retells it and a preview comes before it.
Word Cookie
Insert the correct pair of letters to form a word:
c_i_ique
a) r,t
b) r,d
c) r,c
d) l,d
Show answer
a) r,t. Cr opens the word, and a t follows the i.
Mingle-Mangle
The jumbled letters in the sentence hide a word. Choose it.
Our English teacher asked each pupil to write a short teciqiru of the film.
a) circuit
b) cricket
c) creature
d) critique
Show answer
d) critique. A q in the jumble settles the matter, since no other option has one.
Spell-o-Spell
Only one of these words is spelt correctly. Choose its meaning:
1. nuisence 2. aquaintance 3. critique 4. dilemna
a) a person you know slightly
b) a detailed look at a work's merits
c) a situation with a hard choice
d) a person or thing that annoys you
Show answer
b) a detailed look at a work's merits. Nuisance takes an a, dilemma has a double m, and acquaintance needs a c before the q.
Multiple Choice Questions
1. Which sentence would most likely appear in a critique of a novel?
a) The author lives by the sea with her two pet cats.
b) The plot races along, but the hero never feels real.
c) The novel costs eight pounds at most large bookshops.
d) The novel has twenty-four chapters in all.
Show answer
b) The plot races along, but the hero never feels real.
2. Someone who gives a critique is doing a job most like that of a ____.
a) cook in a canteen
b) judge at a painting contest
c) cashier at a bookshop
d) driver of a school bus
Show answer
b) judge at a painting contest
