What does prelude mean?
Word: Prelude
Part of Speech: Noun
Meaning: Prelude means an event or action that comes just before a bigger one and leads into it. It is also a short piece of music played before a longer work.
Synonyms: opening
How do you spell prelude?
Syllables: prel - ude
Tricky part: Pupils who hear the end as the oo of food or the ue of glue write prelood or prelued.
Watch out for: prelood, prelued
Memory tip: Include, conclude and prelude all finish the same way, which suits a word about how things begin.
Prelude in a sentence
Example 1: The opening chapter is a prelude to the adventure that follows.
Example 2: The pianist began the evening with a short prelude.
Example 3: For Rohan, the junior chess tournament was a prelude to bigger competitions.
Fun Fact
Frederic Chopin wrote a famous set of 24 Preludes for piano, one in each of the 24 major and minor keys.
Practise the CREST Way
Word Connection
Choose the synonym of the word prelude as used in the sentence:
The headteacher's short welcome speech was a prelude to the prize-giving.
a) summary
b) interruption
c) conclusion
d) introduction
Show answer
d) introduction. The speech came first and led into the prizes, which is what an introduction does.
Spell-o-Spell
Three of these words are spelt correctly. Choose the meaning of the misspelt one:
1. orchestra 2. prelude 3. overture 4. symphany
a) a large group of musicians playing different instruments
b) a short piece of music that leads into something longer
c) a piece of music played at the start of an opera or ballet
d) a long piece of music for a full orchestra, usually in several parts
Show answer
d) a long piece of music for a full orchestra, usually in several parts. The vowel after the ph in symphony is an o, so symphany is the wrong one.
Word Cookie
Find the misspelt word in the sentence:
As a prellude to the main concert, the junior choir sang two songs while latecomers tiptoed into the darkened hall and found their seats.
a) prellude
b) choir
c) latecomers
d) tiptoed
Show answer
a) prellude. A single l follows the short e of prel-, so prellude has one l too many.
Multiple Choice Questions
1. If a friendly chat is a prelude to a business deal, the chat
a) comes before the deal and helps it along
b) happens after the deal has been signed
c) stops the deal from going ahead
d) takes the place of the deal completely
Show answer
a) comes before the deal and helps it along
2. Which of these is most like a prelude to a football match?
a) the trophy handed out
b) the replay on the news
c) the final whistle
d) the warm-up on the pitch
Show answer
d) the warm-up on the pitch
