a word used to describe an action, state, or occurrence

a word that describes a verb, an adjective, another adverb or even a whole clause; often ends in '-ly'

suggesting the presence of danger; threatening

Using vocabulary effectively in fiction writing

English

In 'Malevolent Characters', pupils focus on a range of writing skills including how to describe the setting through action, create shifts in tone, paragraph effectively and use punctuation purposefully. In 'Science Fiction Writing', pupils further develop these writing skills, with a particular focus on the science fiction genre and how to write in this style. 

In 'Myths and Legends Re-Told', pupils explore the importance of narrative structure, looking at ways in which they can manipulate the traditional five-act structure. In 'Malevolent Characters', pupils delve deeper into the differences between narrative and descriptive writing, honing in on the skills needed to describe characters inspired by famous villains. 

In this unit, pupils create and write malevolent characters. They first look at the conventions of malevolent characters, before learning about the techniques they can use to present their malevolent characters. They finally plan and write their fiction with a malevolent character in it.

Malevolent characters: fiction writing

Match each key term to the correct definition.

Which verb and adverb pair best describes a character moving suspiciously in a dark alleyway?

What does the verb 'creeping' imply about a character’s movement?

Why is it important to choose precise verbs and adverbs in descriptive writing?

Which verb best completes the following sentence: 'As she stepped onto the stage, she __________ across it with a graceful ease.'

Being clear what your {{}} is before writing will help you make more effective word choices.

a conclusion reached on the basis of evidence and reasoning

"She helped an elderly neighbour carry groceries."

Which of the following is a good example of describing a character's personality through their actions?

by linking their appearance to their emotions or traits

How can physical traits be used to enhance a character's personality when writing a description?

it provides methods directly to the reader

it allows readers to draw their own conclusions

it makes the writing easier to understand

What is a key benefit of using 'show not tell' in fiction writing?

'Show-not-tell' is a method which allows the reader to {{}} information.

Introduction

What will you need for this lesson?

Are you ready to learn?

Equipment

Worksheet