Crash Course: Foreshadowing/flashback

Crash Course:

Foreshadowing/Flashback​

Year 8 English (Crime & Mystery Short Story Genre Study)

Foreshadowing is the use of hints to set the stage for a story or to build suspense that something is about to happen.

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Foreshadowing can hint at a happy or a sad ending.

Great authors can use foreshadowing to hint at future events that will happen in the story.

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If you finish reading a story and realise you kind of knew the ending all along, it might be due to the author's use of foreshadowing!​

Foreshadowing can be positive (hinting at something good or exciting about to happen) or negative (hinting that something bad is about to happen).​

Multiple Select

Which of these are examples of positive foreshadowing?

(Hint: There are two correct answers)

• What could possibly go wrong?

• Don’t worry, this gets better.

• The sun began to emerge from behind the grey clouds.

• As she waved goodbye, something just didn't seem right...

Multiple Select

Which of these are examples of negative foreshadowing?

(Hint: There are two correct answers)

• "There is no way this can't work!" Georgie exclaimed.

• Maddy's luck was about to improve.

• Billy noticed a rainbow appearing through the grey clouds.

• Do you ever get that feeling like something bad is about to happen?

Open Ended

Write a sentence that shows positive foreshadowing about the following event:

- The best day ever

Open Ended

Write a sentence that shows negative foreshadowing about the following event:

- Entering a haunted house

Open Ended

Write a sentence that shows positive or negative foreshadowing about the following event:

- Going to the beach

Open Ended

Write a sentence that shows positive or negative foreshadowing about the following event:

- Riding on a rollercoaster

A flashback recounts stories from the past to provide background information about specific events, places or characters.

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A flashback can be used to provide more background information a character.

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It might even help explain the decisions they make in your story!​

Multiple Choice

Which of these examples of flashback provide information about a place?

• This takes me back to my 18th birthday...

• Kind and gentle, just like grandma

• Harry was reminded of his first job at the cracker factory

• Just like mum used to make them...

Multiple Choice

Which of these examples of flashback provide information about an event?

• This takes me back to my 18th birthday...

• Kind and gentle, just like grandma

• Harry was reminded of his first job at the cracker factory

• Just like mum used to make them...

Multiple Select

Which of these examples of flashback provide information about a person?

(Hint: There are two correct answers)

• This takes me back to my 18th birthday...

• Kind and gentle, just like grandma

• Harry was reminded of his first job at the cracker factory

• Just like mum used to make them...

Open Ended

Write a sentence that provides a flashback for the following event:

- Last winter

Open Ended

Write a sentence that provides a flashback for the following place:

- The old house

Open Ended

Write a sentence that provides a flashback for the following person:

- Uncle Mick