Basic Details
Word: Impromptu
Part of Speech: Adjective
Meaning: Done or said without any planning or practice beforehand.
Synonyms: unplanned, unrehearsed, spontaneous, off-the-cuff
Antonyms: planned, rehearsed, prepared
How to Spell Impromptu
Syllables: im - promp - tu
Tricky part: There is a p after the m (prompt), which students drop because it is hardly heard. The word ends in u, not o.
Watch out for: impromtu, imprompto, impromptoo
Memory tip: Find prompt inside it: im + prompt + u. A prompt answer comes quickly; an impromptu speech comes with no warning at all.
Usage Examples
Example 1: The boys started an impromptu cricket match in the parking lot.
Example 2: When the power went off, Grandma gave an impromptu concert of old film songs.
Example 3: Our class held an impromptu farewell for the watchman on his last day.
Fun Fact
The composer Franz Schubert wrote a famous set of short piano pieces called Impromptus, meant to sound as if they were made up on the spot.
Practise the CREST Way
Word Cookie
Fill in the missing letters to complete the word:
im_ro_ptu
a) p, n
b) p, p
c) p, m
d) b, m
Show answer
c) p, m. Prompt is spelt p-r-o-m-p-t, so the gaps take p and then m.
Word Connection
Choose the antonym of the word impromptu as used in the sentence:
Grandpa gave an impromptu speech at the wedding when the chief guest failed to turn up.
a) rehearsed
b) funny
c) spontaneous
d) short
Show answer
a) rehearsed. An impromptu speech is not practised, so rehearsed is its opposite; spontaneous means the same.
Spell-o-Spell
Only one of these words is spelt correctly. Choose its meaning:
1. audiance 2. spontanious 3. impromptu 4. rehersal
a) happening naturally without being planned
b) the people watching a show
c) a practice before a performance
d) done without planning or practice
Show answer
d) done without planning or practice. Rehearsal has hear inside it, audience ends in -ence and spontaneous ends in -eous.
Multiple Choice Questions
1. You would most likely give an impromptu speech when ____.
a) you have practised for a whole week
b) you are asked to speak without warning
c) your teacher wrote it for you earlier
d) you are reading from a printed script
Show answer
b) you are asked to speak without warning
2. An impromptu answer in a debate is one given ____.
a) in writing
b) on the spot
c) after a week
d) by a teacher
Show answer
b) on the spot
