Vocabulary for Mysteries Reading Mystery Elements Vocabulary for Mysteries Reading

alibi noun An excuse that an accused person uses to show that he/she was somewhere else other than the scene of a crime “You must believe me, sir, I was not there on the night in question.”

breakthrough noun an advance or discovery that helps to solve a crime synonym: discovery, find, insight Eureka! The mystery has been solved!

clue noun a fact or object that helps solve a mystery synonym: hint, evidence, sign We need look no further. The evidence is right in front of us.

crime noun an act committed in violation of the law synonym: offense, wrong doing The robber would be punished for his crime.

deduce verb to infer by logical reasoning synonym: infer, conclude, deduct She would deduce who was guilty from the information she had gathered.

detective noun a person who investigates crimes and gathers information Synonym: gumshoe, investigator, sleuth The detective put all his efforts into solving the crime.

evidence noun something, such as a witness statement or object, that is used as proof in a crime synonym: clue, indication The woman burned the evidence so she would not be accused of the crime.

hunch noun a guess or feeling not based on known facts synonym: suspicion I have a hunch you are going to solve the mystery soon.

motive noun An inner drive that causes a person to do some thing or act in a certain way synonym: rationale His motive for robbing the bank was his need for more money to pay off his debt.

mystery noun something that is secret and unknown With the help of the detective, the mystery would soon be solved.

plot noun the arrangement or incidents in a story Dr. Dixon was a source of conflict in the plot of the story.

purloin verb to steal or filch synonym: swipe, lift A pirate might purloin an object he really wanted.

red herring noun something that is used to divert attention from the basic issue synonym: diversion, distraction A diversion to the detective would be a red herring.

setting noun the time, place, environment and surrounding circumstances of a story Cinderella went to the ball at the castle one special night.

sleuth noun another name for a detective synonym: detective, investigator A sleuth never gives up until the clues have all been investigated.

solution noun an answer to a problem synonym: explanation

suspect noun a person who is suspected of a crime The policeman caught the suspect.

victim noun someone who is harmed or suffers some loss The victim never knew he was being robbed.

witness noun Someone who saw or can give a firsthand account of something The witness swore to tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth.