VOCABULARY DETECTIVE
What word suggests the rain is loud and violent?
hammered
What literary technique is used in:
“The house shivered.”?
Personification.
What atmosphere does the writer create?
A tense, mysterious or frightening atmosphere.
Who is the main character?
Ava
What should a suspense story include?
Mystery, tension, danger or unanswered questions.
What does the word furiously suggest about Jasper’s barking?
The dog is angry, frightened or alarmed.
Why was a semi-colon used in:
“But tonight felt different; the storm seemed heavier somehow.”
To connect two distinct ideas.
How does the weather help create suspense?
The storm, wind and lightning make the setting feel dangerous and unsettling.
How are the girls at school unkind to Ava?
They laugh at her shoes and insult her grandmother.
Name one way to build tension in writing.
Short sentences, storms, strange sounds, cliffhangers.
Find one word that suggests the house is old and eerie.
creak / groan / shivered.
Why does the writer use short sentences:
“Ava sat upright. Jasper never barked without a reason.”?
To create suspense and tension.
Why is Jasper’s barking important?
It suggests danger or that something unusual is happening.
Why do Ava’s brothers react the way they do?
They think she should ignore the bullying and stop causing trouble.
Why are rhetorical questions or beginning a sentence with an adverb of time such as "Suddenly" or beginning a sentence with the/a subject / name / pronoun useful in stories?
They make the reader curious and build suspense.
Why does the writer use the word whispered when describing the girls?
To show they are being secretive, cruel or unkind.
What effect does this question create?:
“Who would visit Willow Hill during a storm?”
Builds mystery and makes the reader curious.
How does the writer make Grandma Edith seem mysterious?
People gossip about her and believe strange things happen around her house.
How is Grandma Edith presented as calm?
She smiles politely and ignores the gossip.
What kind of vocabulary improves suspense writing?
Powerful descriptive verbs and sensory language.
What does the phrase “Ava’s stomach tightened” suggest?
She feels nervous, worried or afraid.
How does the writer use repetition in:
“The house shivered. Ava shivered too.”?
To connect Ava’s fear with the frightening atmosphere.
Why is the final sentence effective?
“Then came three slow knocks at the front door.”
It creates a cliffhanger and makes the reader want to know who is outside.
What evidence suggests Ava feels isolated?
She is bullied at school and feels different from others.
Continue the story in ONE suspenseful sentence.
eg. “As Ava crept downstairs, the knocking suddenly stopped.”