What does placard mean?
Word: Placard
Part of Speech: Noun
Meaning: Placard means a large notice, often on a stick, carried or put up in a public place.
How do you spell placard?
Syllables: plac - ard
Tricky part: The k sound in the middle is made by a plain c, with nothing added to help it.
Watch out for: plackard, placcard, plakard
Memory tip: One board on one stick, one c in the word: no k and no second c.
Placard in a sentence
Example 1: A placard at the gate reminded visitors to switch off their phones.
Example 2: Tara painted her placard in green and white for the clean-city walk.
Example 3: The fans held up a huge placard with the team's name on it.
Fun Fact
Placard came into English from French, where it grew from a verb meaning to lay flat or stick on. That suits a notice pasted to a wall.
Practise the CREST Way
Spell-o-Spell
Three of these words are misspelt. Choose the meaning of the one spelt correctly.
1. manafesto 2. brocher 3. pamflet 4. placard
a) a written statement of a party's aims
b) a big public sign held up or fixed to a wall
c) a thin printed booklet on one topic
d) a glossy booklet advertising a product
Show answer
b) a big public sign held up or fixed to a wall. Manifesto has an i after the n, pamphlet spells its f sound ph, and brochure ends in ure.
Word Cookie
Find the misspelt word in the sentence:
Every pupil on the green walk carried a bright placerd that asked the people of the town to keep their lake clean.
a) bright
b) placerd
c) people
d) pupil
Show answer
b) placerd. The ending of this noun has the same vowel as the word part.
Mingle-Mangle
Rearrange the jumbled letters in the sentence to form a word:
Each student carried a laradcp asking the council to protect the old banyan tree.
a) postcard
b) placard
c) pennant
d) petition
Show answer
b) placard. Two a's and an l appear in the jumble, and no other choice has them.
Word Connection
Choose the synonym of the word placard as used in the sentence:
The shopkeeper put a placard in the window announcing the Saturday sale.
a) envelope
b) receipt
c) poster
d) ledger
Show answer
c) poster. The item is displayed for passers-by to read, so only one choice will do.
Multiple Choice Questions
1. Where are you most likely to see a placard?
a) folded inside a birthday envelope
b) tucked between pages of an atlas
c) held up by marchers at a clean-air rally
d) stitched into a school blazer
Show answer
c) held up by marchers at a clean-air rally
2. Why is the writing on a placard usually large?
a) so that it fits neatly on a small page
b) so that it lasts longer in heavy rain
c) so that it costs less to print or paint
d) so that it can be read from a distance
Show answer
d) so that it can be read from a distance
