Meaning & use
preface
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Meanings
nouncountable
A short section at the start of a book, written by the author, saying why and how the book came to be.
Grammar: Countable: a preface, the preface to the second edition.
Patterns
- the preface to something
- preface by someone
In the preface, the author thanks her editor and explains why she wrote the book.
The preface to the new edition mentions several corrections.
I usually skip the preface and begin at chapter one.
verbtransitiveformal
To begin a speech or piece of writing with a few opening remarks that prepare the audience for what follows.
Grammar: Takes an object, often with with or by: he prefaced his talk with a joke.
Patterns
- preface something with something
- preface something by doing something
She prefaced her criticism with a compliment.
The speaker prefaced his talk by thanking the organizers.
He prefaced every answer with a long sigh.
Word forms
| plural | prefaces |
|---|---|
| third person singular | prefaces |
| past tense | prefaced |
| past participle | prefaced |
| -ing form | prefacing |
Common combinations
- write a preface
- The professor agreed to write a preface.
- preface to the book
- The preface to the book is only two pages.
- preface with
- Preface your request with a polite greeting.
- author's preface
- The author's preface explains the method.
- preface by saying
- He prefaced his speech by saying he was nervous.
Synonyms and how they differ
- foreword
- A foreword is usually written by someone other than the author, whereas a preface comes from the author.
- introduction
- An introduction is often part of the main argument, but a preface sits outside it and talks about the book.
- prologue
- A prologue belongs to a story, setting up events, while a preface speaks about the book itself.
Opposites
Word family
Commonly confused: preface or foreword? preface or prefix?
preface vs foreword
Foreword is written by a person other than the author, usually a famous one, to recommend the book.
preface vs prefix
A prefix is a letter group added to the beginning of a word, unrelated to books.
Practice
Who normally writes the preface of a book?
Choose one answer.
A preface is traditionally the author's own note about the book. A famous friend would write a foreword, which is the tempting wrong choice.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “preface”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.