prefatory

«prefatory» in Mova's school dictionary: coming at the beginning as an introduction, like a… — its meaning for a pupil, its sense in the lessons and examples.

part of speech

adjective (prefatory) — formal

meaning for a pupil

(formal) Prefatory means coming at the beginning as an introduction, like a preface to a book or a short speech before the main one. tree →

sense in the lessons

It belongs to the stiff, formal voice of books, exams and official speeches: «prefatory remarks», «a prefatory note». Everyday English says «introductory» or «opening». It tells the reader that what follows is only a starter before the main part.

examples

• (formal) The author wrote a prefatory note explaining the book. tree →
• (formal) After some prefatory remarks, the head teacher announced the winners. tree →
• The prefatory chapter is short. tree →
• (formal) Read the prefatory instructions before answering. tree →
• Her prefatory words thanked the parents. tree →
• The report begins with a prefatory summary. tree →
• (everyday) Before the main talk, he said a few opening words. tree →
• (formal) The prefatory pages are numbered i, ii, iii. tree →

note

Formal and rare. Pronounced PREF-a-tor-ee. Related noun: preface (PREF-iss). Synonyms: introductory, opening, preliminary.

Trees and pragmatics

Every meaning and example of «prefatory» parsed by Mova, each sentence with its dependency tree and frames.