NAME: ______________________ CLASS: 6 ___ DATE: ______
SUSPENSE WRITING WORKSHEET
ENGLISH, GRADE 6
SUSPENSE STORY FEATURES
• Typical weather / atmosphere: weather outside, atmosphere inside, setting
• Sensory words to create images: words, phrases that appeal to our 5 senses
• Figures of speech: most common - metaphors, similes, onomatopoeia,
personification
• Show, Don’t Tell: detailed description of a character’s feelings, appearance, place
setting, etc.
• Well-chosen, precise verbs and adjectives: very specific descriptive words
• Character’s thoughts / monologue: represent the character’s state of mind; can be
written without speech marks
• Short sentences for impact: short sentences with no more than 5 words used to
create the effect of suspense, fear, anxiety, etc. It can be a phrase or even a single
word, but it must start with a capital letter and end with a full stop.
• Ellipsis: a type of punctuation (…) used for a dramatic pause in a story and /or to
represent an unfinished storyline.
• Cliff-hanger or a twisted ending: considered to be more effective in suspense than
a happy or sad ending
Most of the features can combine several of them in one.
1
READ THE PASSAGE BELOW AND ANALYZE THE FEATURES USED.
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Dennis reached the stream where mist floated above the bushes,
and the slim trees dipped their fingers in the cold water. The sun
has set, and all the greenery looked grey in the twilight. Glancing
quickly around, Dennis picked up a stick and moved forwards,
his boots sinking into the soft red mud.
He froze. Beside his right boot was the track of a bear. A front
paw, twice the size of his own head and so fresh that he could
see the points where the long vicious claws had bitten deep into the mud. Nervously,
he tightened his hand on the handle of a small metal bucket.
Look behind you, Dennis. He spun around. No bear. A raven flew down on to a
nearby branch, making him jump. The bird folded its stiff black wings and fixed its
gaze on Dennis, with eyes like polished black beads. Then it jerked its head, croaked
once and flew away. Dennis stood, staring in the direction it flew, listening to the
silence around him.
The wood in front of him was a fence - dense, impenetrable. But deeper within,
may be just ten steps away, the branches moved. Something was in there…
Something huge.
He tried not to panic, but he remembered his father’s words. “The thing about a
bear is that it can move as silently as a breath. It could be watching you from ten
steps away, and you would never know. Against a bear, you have no defenses. You
can’t run faster. You can’t climb higher. You can’t fight it.”
Dennis forced himself to stay still. Don’t run. Don’t run. Maybe it doesn’t know you
are here.
A low growl. Again the branches moved. Then he heard a rustle of the dry leaves
on the ground as the creature moved towards the camp. Towards Dennis’s father!
Dennis froze, breathless. Cold chill ran down his spine. He hated himself for being a
coward, for not trying to save his father. But what could you do? he asked himself.
Father knew this would happen. That’s why he sent Dennis to get water. He knew
it was coming for him…
“Dennis!” came his father’s wild cry. “Run!”
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2
A. Understanding the text
Answer the following questions from the text.
1. Why are Dennis and his father in the woods?
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2. Why is Dennis alone by the stream? What evidence do you have for your answer?
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3. What makes Dennis suddenly stop as he reaches the stream?
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4. Say True or False and explain your answer. ‘Dennis knew he could outrun the
bear.’
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5. How does the father protect Dennis from being attacked by the bear at the
campsite?
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3
B. Looking at the text in detail
Analyze the text and complete the assignments.
1. Find a verb in the first paragraph that means ‘to move slowly above the surface’.
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2. Find the onomatopoeia that describes the sound of
a) raven _____________________________________
b) bear ______________________________________
c) dry leaves__________________________________
3. Find an example of
a) personification ________________________________________________________
b) metaphor ________________________________________________________
c) simile ________________________________________________________
4. Find 3 examples of short sentences for impact.
a) ___________________________________________________
b) ___________________________________________________
c) ___________________________________________________
5. How does the author use the weather / atmosphere around to create suspense?
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6. Write one example of ‘Show, don’t tell’ used to express the main character’s fear.
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7. Write one example of the character’s thoughts / monologue.
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