Revised as of
18 Dec 2022
I find myself pausing every time before I type out precede or proceed just to make sure I’m using the right word.
My trick is that pre-. It’s easy enough as it means before, so obviously if I want to come before anything, I definitely want to precede it.
Pro-, and don’t ask me why, always feels like a positive, that I’m going forward with something. It works, since proceed is exactly that, continuing on, moving forward.
So my suggestion for writers, is to proceed with your ambitions, but precede them with a good proofreading before you publish!
You may also want to explore “Precedent versus President“.
Word Confusions . . .
. . . started as my way of dealing with a professional frustration with properly spelled words that were out of context in manuscripts I was editing as well as books I was reviewing. It evolved into a sharing of information with y’all. I’m hoping you’ll share with us words that have been a bête noire for you from either end.
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| Precede | Proceed |
|---|---|
Samuel Johnson’s Preface, 1709-1784, is in the public domain via Wikimedia Commons. — This particular preface precedes Shakespeare’s plays. |
Traffic Light Green is TheGoTeam’s own work and is in the public domain via Wikimedia Commons. — Green indicates that you can proceed. |
| Part of Grammar: | |
| Noun; Verb, intransitive & transitive
Plural for the noun: precedes Third person present verb: precedes |
Verb, intransitive
Third person present verb: proceeds |
| Noun: [Journalism] Copy printed at the beginning of a news story presenting late bulletins, editorial notes, or prefatory remarks Verb, intransitive: To come before in time, order, or position Verb, transitive: To come ahead To be in front of To be earlier than To surpass in dignity, rank, or importance To come before something in time
|
To come forth from a source
To continue after a pause or interruption
To begin and carry on an action, process, or movement
To move along a course |
| Examples: | |
| Noun: It’s too late to change the article, go ahead and do a precede. Verb, intransitive: Breakfast was preceded by some leisurely morning sex. This evening’s talk will be preceded by a brief introduction from Mr. Appleby. Verb, transitive: Take time to read the chapters that precede the recipes, you’ll see what I mean. He let her precede him through the gate. As you’ll note from the preceding pages, the formula was transposed here and again in this paragraph. He preceded the book with a collection of poems. |
Strange sounds proceeded from the room.
I think the work is proceeding well. The parade proceeded at a stiff march down the street. We can proceed with our investigation. The ship could proceed to Milwaukee. Opposite the front door was a staircase, which I proceeded to climb. He may still be able to proceed against the contractor under the common law negligence rules. Negotiations must proceed without delay. As the excavation proceeds, the visible layers can be recorded and studied. His claim that all power proceeded from God was ridiculous. |
| Derivatives: | |
| Adjective: precedent, preceding Noun: precedence, precedent |
Adjective: procedural Adverb: procedurally Noun: procedural, procedure, proceeding, proceeds, procession |
| History of the Word: | |
| The first known use was in the 15th century.
Late Middle English from the Old French preceder, from the Latin praecedere, which is from prae (before) + cedere (go). |
The first known use was in the 14th century.
Late Middle English from the Old French proceder, from the Latin procedere, from pro- (forward) + cedere (go). |
C’mon, get it out of your system, bitch, whine, moan . . . which words are your pet peeves? Also, please note that I try to be as accurate as I can, but mistakes happen or I miss something. Email me if you find errors, so I can fix them . . . and we’ll all benefit!
Satisfy your curiosity about other Word Confusions on its homepage or more generally explore the index of self-editing posts. You may also want to explore Book Layout & Formatting Ideas, Formatting Tips, Grammar Explanations, Linguistics, Publishing Tips, the Properly Punctuated, Writing Ideas and Resources, and Working Your Website.
Resources for Precede versus Proceed
Apple Dictionary.com
Dictionary.com: precede
Merriam-Webster: precede, proceed
Pinterest Photo Credits
The cropped and lightened Pope Benedictus XVI Blessing After Messe by Alberto Luccaroni User:Luccaro (done on my own) is under the GFDL, CC-BY-SA-3.0, or CC BY-SA 2.5 license, via Wikimedia Commons.
