What does prologue mean?
Word: Prologue
Part of Speech: Noun
Meaning: Prologue means a short section at the very start of a play, book or film, placed ahead of the main story to prepare the audience or reader.
Synonyms: preface
How do you spell prologue?
Syllables: pro - logue
Tricky part: The word sounds as if it stops at the g, but two silent letters, u and e, follow it. Leaving one off, or moving the u in front of the g, is the slip to guard against.
Watch out for: prologe, prolouge
Memory tip: Picture u and e standing silently behind the g, like two stagehands the audience never hears.
Prologue in a sentence
Example 1: Our English teacher asked us to read the prologue of the novel before class on Monday.
Example 2: The film's prologue shows the two friends as small children in Paris.
Example 3: In the prologue, a lone actor walks out before the curtain rises and speaks to the audience.
Fun Fact
Shakespeare gave this word a famous line in The Tempest: what's past is prologue, meaning that everything so far is only the opening of what comes next.
Practise the CREST Way
Word Cookie
Insert the correct pair of letters to form a word:
pr_l_gue
a) o, a
b) a, o
c) e, o
d) o, o
Show answer
d) o, o. Both gaps hold the same vowel.
Spell-o-Spell
Choose the incorrectly spelt word:
a) anthology
b) prollogue
c) manuscript
d) narrative
Show answer
b) prollogue. A single l is all this word needs; the other three are spelt correctly.
Mingle-Mangle
Form a meaningful word from the jumbled letters:
lugoproe
a) prolonged
b) prolific
c) protocol
d) prologue
Show answer
d) prologue. Only one option uses exactly these eight letters, with no n, c, f or d.
Word Connection
Choose the synonym of the word:
prologue
a) introduction
b) conclusion
c) summary
d) appendix
Show answer
a) introduction. Both name the part that comes first and prepares you for what follows.
Multiple Choice Questions
1. Which of these could serve as the prologue to a school play about a young sailor?
a) The stage crew packs away the painted scenery.
b) The principal thanks the parents for coming.
c) A narrator sets the scene at a busy harbour.
d) The whole cast bows while the audience claps.
Show answer
c) A narrator sets the scene at a busy harbour.
2. Why might a novelist add a prologue?
a) to explain the hard words used in the book
b) to thank the people who helped with the book
c) to show an event from years before chapter one
d) to list the other books the author has read
Show answer
c) to show an event from years before chapter one
