What does marquee mean?
Word: Marquee
Part of Speech: Noun
Meaning: Marquee means a very large tent put up for a special outdoor event, such as a fair or a garden party.
How do you spell marquee?
Syllables: mar - quee
Tricky part: The 'k' sound in the middle is the trap, because this word has no k at all. French gave it a q, and the q brings a u along with it.
Watch out for: markee, markuee, marcquee
Memory tip: Picture q and u walking into the big tent arm in arm. The 'k' sound here belongs to that pair, and there is no k on the guest list.
Marquee in a sentence
Example 1: The school hired a marquee for prize day because the hall was too small.
Example 2: The band played on a little stage at the far end of the marquee.
Example 3: Workers spent the morning putting up a white marquee for my cousin's engagement party.
Fun Fact
English is thought to have taken marquee from the French word marquise, once used for a grand tent. The final sound was mistaken for a plural, so speakers dropped it and the spelling changed.
Practise the CREST Way
Spellacadabra
Choose the correct option to make a meaningful word:
marqu_ _
a) ee
b) ay
c) ey
d) ie
Show answer
a) ee. The tent word closes with the same pair of letters as tree.
Sound Check
Which word does not rhyme with marquee?
a) quay
b) plea
c) bouquet
d) ski
Show answer
c) bouquet. Bouquet finishes on an 'ay' sound, while ski, plea and quay all finish on the sound of the word key.
Jumble Tumble
What is the meaning of the word that can be formed from the given letters?
qemurea
a) a long formal meal served to hundreds of guests
b) a raised wooden floor for actors at an open-air show
c) a canvas shelter big enough to seat hundreds of guests
d) a wide path lined with trees that leads to a house
Show answer
c) a canvas shelter big enough to seat hundreds of guests. The seven letters rearrange into the word for this shelter.
Word Tally
You get 2 marks for each correctly spelt word in the list. How many marks do you get?
marquee, banquet, pavillion, carnivel, awning
a) 6
b) 2
c) 8
d) 4
Show answer
a) 6. Three words are right, worth 2 marks each; pavilion needs one l and carnival ends in al.
Multiple Choice Questions
1. Why might a family hire a marquee for a garden party?
a) to keep all the food frozen
b) to light the garden after dark
c) to carry guests to the venue
d) to keep the guests dry if it rains
Show answer
d) to keep the guests dry if it rains
2. A notice in a hotel says, 'Lunch will be served in the marquee.' Where should the guests go?
a) down to the basement
b) along the upstairs corridor
c) up to the top floor
d) out across the lawn
Show answer
d) out across the lawn
