What does succession mean?
Word: Succession
Part of Speech: Noun
Meaning: Succession means a number of things coming one after another. It also means the passing of a title or throne to the next person.
Synonyms: sequence, chain
How do you spell succession?
Syllables: suc - ces - sion
Tricky part: Students often keep only one c and write sucession. The two c's are said differently: the first like k and the second like s.
Watch out for: sucession, sucsession, successian
Memory tip: Say suk-sesh-un: the first c gives the k sound and the second gives the s sound, so both are needed.
Idioms and Phrases
- in quick succession: one after another with very little time between Example: "Three buses came in quick succession after a long wait."
Succession in a sentence
Example 1: A succession of rainy days kept us indoors during the holidays.
Example 2: The old maharaja named his eldest daughter as next in the line of succession.
Example 3: The bowler took two wickets in succession.
Fun Fact
Ecologists use the word succession for the slow change of plant life in a place, as bare rock becomes moss, then grass, then forest.
Practise the CREST Way
Spell-o-Spell
Three of these words are spelt correctly. Choose the meaning of the misspelt word:
1. monarky 2. succession 3. dynasty 4. hereditary
a) rule by a king or queen
b) the order in which rulers follow one another
c) passed down from parent to child
d) a line of rulers from one family
Show answer
a) rule by a king or queen. Monarchy writes its k sound as ch, as school does.
Word Cookie
Insert the correct letters to form a word:
succe__ion
a) s, h
b) c, s
c) s, s
d) t, s
Show answer
c) s, s. The middle is the double s of success.
Mingle-Mangle
Unjumble the letters in the sentence and choose the word they make:
The museum gallery shows the nssoiccues of Mughal emperors from Babur to Aurangzeb.
a) successive
b) secession
c) succession
d) accession
Show answer
c) succession. Count the c's: the jumble has two, which rules out secession; successive needs a v, and accession an a.
Word Connection
Choose the synonym of the word 'succession' as used in the sentence:
A succession of visitors kept the shopkeeper busy all morning.
a) shortage
b) silence
c) handful
d) series
Show answer
d) series. A succession of visitors is one visitor after another, which is a series.
Multiple Choice Questions
1. Which event is an example of succession to a throne?
a) a queen building a palace by the lake
b) a princess crowned after her mother
c) a king visiting the kingdom next door
d) a prince learning to ride a white horse
Show answer
b) a princess crowned after her mother
2. Which word names the person who held a post before someone else?
a) ancestor
b) predecessor
c) sponsor
d) successor
Show answer
b) predecessor
