Story Devices (flashback, foreshadowing, suspense)

Marlo laughed when they thought about how scared they were in the haunted house at the carnival last year. He had no way of knowing what frights he was about to face...

• Foreshadowing

• Flashback

• Suspense

Answer explanation

Foreshadowing!

Hints or clues about what will happen later in the story.

Tags

CCSS.RL.9-10.5

Cassie poised at the end of the diving board, ready to plunge into the water. Suddenly, she was 5 years old again, falling off of a dock, into a lake, and unable to swim.

• Foreshadowing

• Flashback

• Suspense

Answer explanation

Flashback!

The plot is interrupted to recreate an event that happened in the past.

Tags

CCSS.RL.9-10.5

Suddenly, Jax noticed that all the birds had stopped singing. The air was very still and not a single tree branch moved. He looked into the distance and saw a funnel cloud forming. Jax began to run. He could hear the wind beginning to howl behind him and feared he wouldn't make it.

• Foreshadwoing

• Flashback

• Suspense

Answer explanation

Suspense!

Giving the reader a sense of anxiety about what will happen next.

Tags

CCSS.RL.9-10.5

As the old man watched the neighborhood baseball game in the nearby sandlot, he thought back to his own boyhood and the friends with whom he had played ball. He remembered the feeling of standing on the mound, exchanging signals with the catcher, and winding up to pitch.

• Foreshadowing

• Flashback

• Suspense

Answer explanation

Flashback!

The plot is interrupted to recreate an event that happened in the past.

Tags

CCSS.RL.9-10.5

Carly felt relieved. She had finally finished her homework and completed her chores. She couldn't wait to relax! Her relief wouldn't last for long, though. Carly heard a knock on the door, and her mother walked in.

• Flashback

• Foreshadowing

• Suspense

Answer explanation

Foreshadowing!

Hints or clues about what will happen later in the story.

Tags

CCSS.RL.9-10.5

Emma skipped down the stairs, where she saw her mother at the kitchen table, wringing her hands. "I don't know about this. What's the worst thing that could happen?" Her mother sighed. "Just be home before midnight."

• Foreshadowing

• Flashback

• Suspense

Answer explanation

Foreshadowing!

Hints or clues about what will happen later in the story.

Tags

CCSS.RL.9-10.5

Lee heard a scratching at the door. As they walked down the hall, the scratching seemed to get louder. The sound became more insistent and urgent. They rushed to the door and swung it open, expecting it to be something horrible. It was a branch, blown by the wind and scratching the door.

• Foreshadowing

• Flashback

• Suspense

Answer explanation

Suspense!

Giving the reader a sense of anxiety about what will happen next.

Tags

CCSS.RL.9-10.5

As their bumped down the dirt road towards the lake cabin, Kim was transported back to last summer. She remembered the hard work it took to get the cabin back in shape. "We always have to work before we have to play."

• Foreshadowing

• Flashback

• Suspense

Tags

CCSS.RL.9-10.5