Page 21 - Year 8 Spring 2026 Knowledge Organiser

English: Detective Fiction: 3 of 3

Key Vocabulary: Detective Fiction
Model paragraph
Non-negotiables In the clandestine depths of a seemingly ordinary house stood the

1 Foreshadowing An event or situation that hints that something will happen dissolute Richard Irving, a formidable figure draped in obsidian robes that
later in the text.
seemed to absorb the very light around him. His countenance, etched
2 Simile Comparing something to something else using ‘like’ or ‘as’
with the scars of arcane knowledge, bespoke a mind steeped with the

3 Tension a feeling of worry or anxiety. darkest malevolence. A master manipulator, his eyes glinted with a chilling
intellect that danced between shadow and sinister intent, a steely gaze
4 Metaphor saying something is something else.
that ensnared the unwary in its depths. His chilling laughter echoed

5 Narrative a story or account of a series of events. through the annals of time, a harbinger of impending doom to those who

6 Personification giving an object human qualities. dared challenge his voracious ambition.

Grow your vocabulary
Behind the slaughter lay desolation, despondency and despair. Despair.
7 Malevolent when someone deliberately tries to cause harm or pain.

8 Slaughter When someone is killed in a cruel or needless way. Descriptive writing techniques

9 Odious someone or something that is extremely unpleasant. What techniques can we identify in detective fiction? Complete this as we
progress through the term.
10 Intriguing something that is interesting or strange.

11 Villainous someone that is very bad and willing to cause harm or break
the law to get what they want.

12 Remarkable unusual in a special way that makes people notice someone
or something.

13 Dissolute someone that does not care at all about morals and lives in a
way considered wicked.
14 Livid extremely angry.