Monologue — A Vocabulary Story
Mina and the Talking Parrot
Mina was halfway through her school play rehearsal when the rain swept across Kovalam Beach, sending the cast scrambling under a striped umbrella. She groaned. Her monologue, the longest speech in the entire production, still felt wooden in her mouth.
Monologue means a long speech by one person during a conversation or performance, often expressing their thoughts aloud.
"Try it again," said Fernando, the drama teacher's assistant, balancing a script on his knee. "A monologue isn't shouting at the audience. It's thinking out loud, only louder."
Mina took a breath and began. Halfway through, a green parrot landed on the umbrella's edge and squawked, "Again! Again!"
She burst out laughing. "Even the bird's a critic."
"Possibly your best audience," Fernando grinned. "Pretend the parrot is your only listener. A monologue works when one person truly hears you."
She tried once more, softer this time, watching the waves curl onto the sand. The words about a girl missing her older brother suddenly felt like her own words, because her brother was studying in Delhi and the house felt quieter without him. The monologue stopped sounding like homework.
The parrot tilted its head. Fernando didn't interrupt.
When she finished, a few fishermen mending nets nearby clapped politely, surprising her.
"One more run," Fernando said, "and then mango lassi."
Mina nodded, rolling the script into a tube. The rain eased. Somewhere down the beach, the parrot was already rehearsing its own monologue.
Word Definition
monologue
meaning
a long speech by one person during a conversation or performance, often expressing their thoughts aloud
synonyms
speech · soliloquy · address · lecture · oration
antonyms
dialogue · conversation · discussion
example sentence
The actor delivered a powerful monologue that left the audience speechless.