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Literature vocabulary · Plot and Structure

Foreshadowing

Meaning in literature, with examples

/fɔːˈʃædəʊɪŋ/nounCore term

In literature, foreshadowing means: A technique in which the writer gives early hints or warnings about events that will happen later in the story.

In Turkish: önceden sezdirme, ön işaret, ipucu verme

How it is used

Common in essays on plot and suspense. Critics point out subtle or heavy foreshadowing; the verb is foreshadow (the storm foreshadows the murder). Chekhov's well-known principle says a gun shown early in a play should be fired later.

Example sentences

  1. The broken mirror in chapter one is a clear piece of foreshadowing.

  2. Good foreshadowing feels obvious only when you read the book a second time.

Common collocations

  • subtle foreshadowing
  • heavy foreshadowing
  • an example of foreshadowing
  • foreshadow events
  • flashbackA scene that interrupts the main story to show events that happened earlier, often to explain a character's past or motives.
  • plotThe series of connected events in a story and the way the writer arranges them, especially how one event causes another.
  • moodThe general feeling or atmosphere that a text creates in the reader, such as tension, sadness, peace or fear.
  • climaxThe most intense and important moment of a story, when the main conflict reaches its turning point and the outcome is decided.

More terms: Plot and Structure

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