3.1.5

Foreshadowing

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Foreshadowing

Foreshadowing is when an author gives a clue or warning about a future event before it has happened in the prose. Here are some common examples in literature:

Guns

Guns

  • Guns are often symbols of bad things to come in literature.
    • E.g. murder.
Predictions/omens

Predictions/omens

  • Predictions and omens can foreshadow events.
    • E.g. In Shakespeare's Macbeth, the witches' prophecies all come true.
Worry

Worry

  • When characters start to worry a lot about other characters, this can sometimes foreshadow bad events to come.
    • E.g. When Little Red Riding Hood's mother starts to worry about her daughter after she leaves the house, this foreshadows her encounter with the wolf.
Pre-scenes

Pre-scenes

  • Sometimes, a scene that happens early on in a story foreshadows events to come.
    • E.g. At the start of Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone, we see Harry being delivered to Privet Drive. This hints that he will be reconnected with the wizarding world later on in the novel.
Symbolism

Symbolism

  • Things like animals and the weather can foreshadow events to come.
    • E.g. The intense heat in Act 3, Scene 1 of Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet foreshadows the fight to come.
Jump to other topics
1

Key Terms

1.1

Key Terms

1.1.1Key Terms - Nouns, Verbs & Sentences1.1.2Key Terms - Sentence and Clause Types1.1.3Key Terms - Words, Sounds & Language1.1.4Key Terms - Types of Language1.1.5Key Terms - Images, Symbols & Mood1.1.6Key Terms - Mood & Feelings1.1.7Key Terms - Other Techniques1.1.8End of Topic Test - Key Terms
2

Language Devices

2.1

Language Devices

2.1.1Metaphors2.1.2Similes2.1.3Metaphors & Similes HyperLearning2.1.4Personification2.1.5Pathetic Fallacy2.1.6Puns & Oxymorons2.1.7Hyperbole & Emotive Language2.1.8Alliteration2.1.9Sibilance2.1.10Onomatopoeia2.1.11Recap: Language Devices2.1.12End of Topic Test - Language Devices
3

Writing Structure

3.1

Writing Structure

3.1.1Narrators3.1.2Paragraphs3.1.3Tense3.1.4Present vs Past vs Future Tense3.1.5Foreshadowing3.1.6Structure3.1.7End of Topic Test - Writing Structure
4

Section B: Reading & Writing

4.1

Writing Formats

4.1.1Letter4.1.2Reports & Essays4.1.3Journal/Diary Entry4.1.4Speech4.1.5Newspaper Article4.1.6Leaflet4.1.7Review4.1.8Travel Writing4.1.9End of Topic Test - Writing Formats
4.2

Writing to...

4.2.1Writing to Inform4.2.2Writing to Inform - Example4.2.3Writing to Explain4.2.4Writing to Explain - Example4.2.5Writing to Persuade4.2.6Writing to Persuade - Example4.2.7Writing to Argue4.2.8Writing to Argue - Example4.2.9Writing to Persuade vs Writing to Argue4.2.10Writing to Advise4.2.11Writing to Advise - Example4.2.12End of Topic Test - Writing to...
4.3

Acronym of Techniques - DAFORESTAR

4.3.1Direct Address4.3.2Alliteration4.3.3Facts4.3.4Opinions4.3.5Repetition4.3.6Exaggeration (Hyperbole)4.3.7Statistics4.3.8Triple (Rule of 3)4.3.9Emotive Language4.3.10Rhetorical Questions4.3.11End of Topic Test - DAFORESTER
5

Section C: Writing

5.1

Writing Task

5.1.1Discursive Writing5.1.2Narrative Writing5.1.3Descriptive Writing5.1.4End of Topic Test - Writing Task

Practice questions on Foreshadowing

Can you answer these? Test yourself with free interactive practice on Seneca — used by over 10 million students.

  1. 1
    What could the presence of a gun foreshadow?Multiple choice
  2. 2
    Which of these symbols is likely to forewarn that a King is going to be murdered?Multiple choice
  3. 3
    Which of these is a common form of foreshadowing in literature?Multiple choice
  4. 4
    Which of these are common instances of foreshadowing in literature?True / false
  5. 5
    In the story you are reading, a boy leaves his house. His father starts to worry irrationally. What might this foreshadow?Multiple choice
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Present vs Past vs Future Tense

Structure