Mysterious Circumstances Vocabulary Terms

Character za person marked by notable or conspicuous traits zone of the persons of a drama or novel zthe personality or part which an actor recreates

Detective zone employed or engaged in detecting lawbreakers or in getting information that is not readily or publicly accessible zSynonym - Sleuth

Witness zone that gives evidence; specifically : one who testifies in a cause or before a judicial tribunal zone who has personal knowledge of something

Suspects zA person or persons believed to be guilty without having proof of their guilt.

Foil zto prevent a person from attaining an end goal zA character in the story can also be a foil by acting as a contrast to another character. Example: Watson vs. Holmes

Narrator zA person who tells a story or relates the events from a story

Conflict zA fight, struggle, direct opposition or disagreement zConflict can be internal or external.

Setting zThe time and place of a story

Atmosphere zthe air of a locality za surrounding influence or environment

Mood zA state of mind or a feeling zThe feeling that the author wishes to create for the reader. The mood can be created by the use of setting, situation or a separate description or by using any of these elements in combination with each other.

Motive zsomething (as a need or desire) that causes a person to act

Means zWhat a thing is done by zthe agency or method by which something happens

Opportunity za favorable juncture of circumstances za good chance for advancement or progress

Alibi zthe plea of having been at the time of the commission of an act elsewhere than at the place of commission; also : the fact or state of having been elsewhere at the time of a crime zan excuse usually intended to avert blame or punishment (as for failure or negligence)

Clue za piece of evidence that leads one toward the solution of a problem

Evidence zsomething legally submitted to a tribunal to ascertain the truth of a matter

Deduction zthe deriving of a conclusion by reasoning; specifically : inference in which the conclusion about particulars follows necessarily from general or universal premises

Suspense zmental uncertainty zexcitement as to a decision or outcome

Confession za written or verbal acknowledgment of guilt by a party accused of an offense

Solution zThe explanation of a problem

Irony zA method of expression in which the ordinary meaning of the words is the opposite of the thought in the speaker’s mind zEvents contrary to what would be expected and can result in a dramatic situation

Poetic Justice zan outcome in which vice is punished and virtue rewarded usually in a manner peculiarly or ironically appropriate

Red Herring zSomething that distracts attention from the real issue zComes from the practice of drawing a red herring across a trail to confuse hunting dogs