Tone / Mood
What is Mood?
What is a cliffhanger?
An ending that leaves an important event or question unresolved to encourage the audience to continue
What is personification?
Giving human qualities or actions to something nonhuman.
A character gets soaked in a storm and says, 'Perfect weather for a picnic!' What type of irony is this? and why?
Verbal irony: the character says the opposite of what they mean, likely sarcastically.
Name the five senses an author might appeal to through imagery.
Sight, sound, smell, taste, or touch
What is Tone?
The author's attitude toward the subject. The atmosphere / vibe being created.
A chapter ends with a character hearing their own voice whisper, 'Don't turn around.' Why is
this an effective cliffhanger?
It introduces a disturbing mystery and leaves the reader unsure what will happen next
Identify the figurative language in: 'The wind clawed at the shutters.' AND explain why is it this.
Personification: the wind is given the human-like action of clawing
What is dramatic irony?
When readers or the audience know something important that a character does not know.
Why would Limited POV build suspense?
Readers generally know only what the narrator experiences, observes, remembers, or believes, etc.
An author describes a house as 'ominous,' 'menacing,' and 'sinister.' What kind of tone do these words help create?
Threatening, Unsettling, Tense, etc.
How can short, choppy sentences increase suspense during a frightening scene?
They can speed up the pace, mimic panic, and make events feel sudden or urgent.
Comparing two unlike thing using "like" or "as"
Simile
A burglar sets an alarm to protect the house from intruders, but the alarm traps him inside.
What type of irony is this, and why?
Situational irony: the outcome is the opposite of what would reasonably be expected.
How does Setting build suspense? Explain.
A suspenseful or eerie setting can automatically develop a desired tone. Unexpected details, unusual events, darkness, or isolation can transform a familiar safe place into something threatening as well. Answers vary.
A narrator calmly describes a figure standing motionless beside a child's bed at midnight.
Why might this calm tone make the scene more frightening than an openly panicked description?
The calm delivery contrasts with the disturbing event, making it feel unnatural or ominous and leaving
readers to feel the danger themselves.
I walked to the closet.
Another scratch.
I took another step.
The scratching stopped.
The door slowly started to open...
What tool is this called? Look at how it is written.
Style / Form
"Fear was a cage around her heart"
What figurative language is this?
Metaphor
Readers know a monster is hiding behind the curtain, but the character walks toward it, believing the room is empty. Explain how dramatic irony builds suspense.
Readers anticipate the character discovering the monster and may feel dread because the character is unaware of the danger.
An author describes a room as smelling of wet soil, feeling unnaturally cold, and echoing with a faint scratching sound. How do these sensory details build fear?
They make the setting vivid and uncomfortable while suggesting an unexplained presence or danger.
How does Tone help build suspense?
Varies.
Write an example of a cliffhanger and style / form.
Varies...
A story repeatedly describes cracked glass, broken mirrors, and splintered windows. Explain
how this recurring imagery could contribute to a theme or atmosphere.
The repeated images may create an atmosphere of danger or instability and symbolize brokenness,
damaged identity, or a fractured sense of reality, depending on the story.
Compare the effect of the words 'walked' and 'crept' in a horror scene. What is this author's word choice called AND how does this tool change the reader's understanding of the action?
'Crept' suggests slow, cautious, secretive movement and may create tension; 'walked' is more neutral and less suspenseful.
A story takes place in a bright, crowded hospital, but the main character feels watched and notices that every person stops speaking when she enters. Explain how the setting and its details work together to create suspense.
The normally safe, busy setting contrasts with the unnatural silence and suspicious behavior, making the familiar place feel threatening and raising questions about what is happening