Read along with the three podcasts, or open the full dictionary entry for Prologue for the definition, Arabic meaning, synonyms and example sentences.
Narrator: Today's word is "Prologue" — noun, pronounced /ˈprəʊlɒɡ/, with the stress on "pro".
Narrator: A prologue is an introductory section at the beginning of a book, play or film.
Narrator: In plain English, it sets the scene before the main story.
Narrator: It comes from the Greek prologos, from pro, before, and logos, speech.
Narrator: A common collocation is "the prologue of the play", which describes its opening speech.
Narrator: It differs from "preface", because a preface is the author speaking, while a prologue is part of the story.
Narrator: In a figurative sense, an event can be a prologue to something bigger.
Narrator: Literature, theatre, film and gaming all rely on the word.
Narrator: So remember: a prologue comes before the story begins.
Speaker A: Why does Romeo and Juliet have a prologue?
Speaker B: To tell us the ending first! PROLOGUE comes from the Greek for speech before.
Speaker A: So no surprises?
Speaker B: Just tragedy.
Speaker A: Example sentences?
Speaker B: "The novel opens with a prologue", literature. "The chorus speaks the prologue", theatre. "The riots were a prologue to revolution", figurative.
Speaker A: Common mistakes?
Speaker B: British English spells it prologue; American English sometimes uses prolog.
Speaker A: Close relatives?
Speaker B: Preface is its cousin, introduction is its twin, and overture is the musical alternative, but prologue keeps its curtain-raising charm!
Speaker B: Let's use "prologue" in AI prompts — useful for creative writing and game design.
Speaker A: How would creative writing use it?
Speaker B: Hook readers.
Prompt: Write a two-hundred-word prologue for a fantasy novel that hints at a lost crown.
Speaker A: And game design?
Speaker B: Tutorial levels.
Prompt: Design a prologue level that teaches movement and jumping in under three minutes.
Speaker A: Could it help editing?
Speaker B: Yes, structure.
Prompt: Decide whether this prologue is necessary or should become chapter one, with reasons.
Speaker A: One more?
Speaker B: Podcasts.
Prompt: Write a short prologue for the first episode of a true crime podcast.
Prologue — meaning in Arabic & definition More P courses GL Dictionary