What does precede mean?
Word: Precede
Part of Speech: Verb
Meaning: Precede means to come or happen before something or someone else.
How do you spell precede?
Syllables: pre - cede
Tricky part: The ending sounds like seed, so children copy the double e of proceed and exceed. This word ends in ede instead.
Watch out for: preceed, precead
Memory tip: Write proceed and precede side by side. Proceed keeps its two e's together at the end; precede keeps them apart.
Precede in a sentence
Example 1: A short welcome song will precede the prize-giving every year.
Example 2: In the alphabet, the letter m comes just before n, so m precedes n.
Example 3: Dark clouds often precede a heavy shower in July.
Fun Fact
It comes from a Latin verb meaning to go before, and English speakers have used it for more than 600 years.
Practise the CREST Way
Word Cookie
Find the misspelt word in the sentence:
On our school sports day, the march past will presede the first race.
a) race
b) presede
c) march
d) first
Show answer
b) presede. The s sound in the middle is spelt with a c, as in recent.
Spell-o-Spell
Choose the correctly spelt word:
a) begining
b) precede
c) recieve
d) arguement
Show answer
b) precede. Receive puts e before i after the c, beginning doubles the n, and argument drops the e of argue.
Word Connection
Choose the antonym of the word:
precede
a) begin
b) follow
c) start
d) lead
Show answer
b) follow. To precede is to come before, so to follow is its opposite.
Word Makeup
Choose the prefix that completes the word:
____cede
a) pre
b) pri
c) pra
d) pro
Show answer
a) pre. This verb is about coming before, and that is just what this prefix means.
Multiple Choice Questions
1. In the parade, the band will precede the dancers. Who will the crowd see first?
a) the band
b) the judges
c) the chief guest
d) the dancers
Show answer
a) the band
2. Which sentence uses precede correctly?
a) Lunch will precede the afternoon games.
b) We will precede to the hall after lunch.
c) The floodwater began to precede at last.
d) Please precede with your work quietly.
Show answer
a) Lunch will precede the afternoon games.
