WRITING A MYSTERY STORY

Most of you already know what a MYSTERY is; It is something secret or unknown that needs to be solved. When cooking up a mystery, authors use this tasty recipe:

BEGINNING: SETTING, CHARACTERS (SUSPECTS, WITNESSES, DETECTIVE)

MIDDLE: PLOT (A CRIME HAS BEEN COMMITTED OR A PROBLEMS NEEDS TO BE SOLVED) CLUES, RED HERRINGS

END: THE MYSTERY IS SOLVED

Task 1 Match each word with its correct definition. 

1 ALIBI

2 CLUE /EVIDENCE

3 CRIME

4 PLOT

5 SETTING

6 DETECTIVE

7 RED HERRING

8 SLEUTH

9 SUSPECT

10 VICTIM

11 WITNESS

12 HUNCH

a. AN ACT THAT VIOLATES THE LAW

b. A GUESS ABOUT SOMETHING

c. AN EXCUSE THAT SUSPECTS USE TO SHOW THAT HE OR SHE WAS SOMEWHERE OTHER THAN AT THE SCENE OF THE CRIME

d. A FALSE LEAD THAT THROWS THE INVESTIGATOR OFF TRACK

e. A PERSON WHO GATHERS INFORMATION AND INVESTIGATES CRIMES

f. A STATEMENT OR OBJECT THAT PROVES A SOLUTION TO A MYSTERY

g. A PERSON WHO IS HARMED BY A CRIME

h. THE ARRANGEMENT OF EVENTS IN A STORY

i. THE TIME AND PLACE OF A STORY

j. ANOTHER NAME FOR A DETECTIVE

k. A PERSON WHO IS BELIEVED TO HAVE POSSIBLY COMMITTED THE CRIME

l. SOMEONE WHO SAW THE CRIME BEING COMMITTED AND CAN PROVIDE SOME INFORMATION

Task 2 

Watch this video and make sure that the story contains all of the ingredients needed in a Mystery. Who was the murderer?