Helpful Vocabulary for a Ghost Story

Words That Set the Mood

A truly horrifying story establishes an eerie atmosphere right from the beginning. An effective
writer will send signals to the reader that the story will be scary and depressing using such
vocabulary as gloomy, somber, dreary, forbidding and creepy. You can also ascribe
scary characteristics to inanimate objects to heighten the mood. Buildings can appear
intimidating and a forest can look menacing.ve Senses
A tale is even scarier when readers can see, hear, touch, taste and smell things in the story. A
place can exude an acrid, pungent or choking stench. The protagonist can hear strange
clanking sounds or a scary character can speak in a dark, steely, sepulchral, sibilant
or guttural voice. Use hues such as pitch-black and ebony to describe things that are
dark. A drink or item of food can taste sour, fetid, foul or rancid. Objects can feel
slimy or grimy.spense
H. P. Lovecraft, a famous American horror novelist, wrote that the strongest kind of fear is
fear of the unknown. A writer can increase fear in a reader by not giving away every detail of
a monster, ghost or place. Establishing something as mysterious builds suspense, as the reader
fills in the blanks with his own imagination and desires to continue reading to find out more.
Ambiguous descriptions, such an amorphous creature, hazy air, opaque waters,
tenebrous valley or unintelligible sound create a disturbingly unfamiliar atmosphere for
the reader.
A scary story needs a protagonist frightened out of her wits. Words like horrified, horrorstruck, petrified, panic-stricken, appalled, witless and aghast will do; however,
representing the signs of a protagonist fears are even better. Perhaps she has droplets of
sweat on her forehead, her knees are knocking or she is trembling, quivering,
shuddering, quailing or quaking. You can describe her as transfixed or paralyzed in
place.
elpful Vocabulary for a murder / crime
HELPFUL VOCABULARY FOR MURDER / CRIME
Source :
http://www.englishclub.com/english-for-work/police-crime.htm
http://www.englishclub.com/english-for-work/police-vocabulary.htm

Vocabulary

Vocabulary
part of speech

Meaning

Example sentence

arrest
verb

take into police control

My partner arrested the man who set

fire to the building.

assailant
noun

person who assaults or

attacks

Did you see theassailant run away?

at large (on the

loose)
preposition +
adjective

not caught, running free

Im afraid that the man who robbed

the bank is still at large.

armed and
dangerous
adjective

is carrying a weapon and

has a violent background

Do not approach the thief if you see

him. He is considered armed and
dangerous.

back-up
noun

police that are called in to

support or help

Were calling for back upnow that we

know she has a gun.

bail
noun

large amount of money that

someone pays as a promise
to appear in cour

Your husbands bail is posted at 20,

000 dollars.

baton (night
stick)
noun

heavy stick that police use

for controlling crowds or
defending themselves

No, we dont carry guns. We only

have batons.

book someone
verb

register someone as a
criminal

Were taking your brother down to the

station to book him.

break into
verb

enter a residence, car, or

business illegally

Do you have any idea who would

have broken into your car?

burglar
noun

a person who breaks into a

We think the burglar got in through
home or business and steals
your chimney.
items

cell
noun

individual room in a
jail/prison

Well have to keep you in a cell until

someone comes to pay your bail.

convict
noun

a person who is doing (or

supposed to be doing)
jailtime

Please be aware that there is

a convict on the loose.

cop/copper
noun

police officer (common

slang)

Did somebody here call the cops?

criminal record
noun

a file that lists all of the

crimes a person has
committed

We dont allow anyone with a criminal

recordinto our country.

crime scene
noun

the place where a crime

happened

Please stay outside the yellow tape.

This is acrime scene.

cruiser (squad
car)
noun

police car

Please step out of your vehicle and get

into the police cruiser.

(in) custody
noun

under police control

You will be happy to know that we

have taken the kidnapper intocustody.

DUI/DWI

(Driving Under the

Influence/Driving while
Intoxicated). Driving after
drinking too much alcohol

Your record says that you have two

previousDUIs.

detective
noun

police officer responsible for

solving crime

The detective is going to ask you a

few questions about the mans
appearance.

do time
verb + noun

receive punishment for a

crime by spending time in
jail

You wont be required todo any

time but you will have to pay a fine.

domestic dispute
adjective + noun

argument/trouble in the
home(often leads to
violence)

Weve had a number of calls reporting

adomestic dispute in your hotel room.

escape
verb

get away from a holding

place

If you try to escape we will have to

restrain you with handcuffs.

felony
noun

a major crime (e.g. murder)

Murder is considered afelony and is

punishable by life in prison.

fine
noun

money that a person pays

for breaking a law

You can get charged a large fine

for speedingin a school zone.

fingerprints
noun

marks left by fingers that

identify a person

Were going to have to check your

personal belongings forfingerprints.

firearms
noun

weapons that shoot

It is illegal to carry
unregistered firearmssuch as rifles and

pistols.

gang
noun

a group of people often

associated with crime and
drugs

Stay away from this area at night as

there is a lot of gang activity.

guilty
adjective

responsible for a crime,

deserving of punishment

You will be considered innocent until

you are proven guilty.

handcuffs
noun

metal rings that attach to

wrists to keep criminals (or
the accused)from escaping

We put your boyfriend

inhandcuffs, because we saw him
climbing through your window and
thought he was an intruder.

innocent
adjective

not responsible for the

crime

Well believe you areinnocent when

you show us your receipt for the items
in the bag.

intruder
noun

a person who enters a home Someone called to report

or business illegally
an intruder on the third floor.

jail (prison)
noun

a place where criminals are

confined

The guards will be patrolling

the prison all day long.

misdemeanor
noun

a minor crime (punishment

is usually a fine or less than
one year in jail)

Stealing a road sign is considered

amisdemeanor,but is punishable by a
large fine.

noise complaint
noun

a call to the police to

complain of disturbing noise
(usually music or a party)

Two of your neighbours have made

a noise complaint tonight.

partner noun

another officer that a

policeman drives and works
with

Im going to get you to tell your story

to mypartner.

patrol (on patrol)

verb

observe and protect an area

We always patrol the downtown core

on the weekends.

perpetrator
noun

person who committed the

crime

The perpetrator is still at large.

pickpocket
noun

a thief who steals from

peoples pockets in transit
or in crowds

Beware of pickpocketson the subway.

pistol
noun

a hand held firearm

Our local cops carrypistols but rarely

use them.

pursuit
noun

the act of searching for

We are in pursuit of a man in a green

jacket and orange pants.

radar
noun/adjective

radio wave transmission

that helps police track cars
and map crime scenes

According to our radaryou were

driving well above the speed limit.

robbery
noun

theft; taking something that

does not belong to you,
often with force

We have twenty officers investigating

the bankrobbery.

speeding ticket
noun

a fine given to a driver who

gets caught driving beyond
the speed limit

Your license shows a clean driving

record except for one speeding
ticket from five years ago.

steal
verb

to take something that does

not belong to you

Do you know who stoleyour wallet?

street crime
noun

crime such as drugs and

prostitution

Dont give the beggars any money.

You will only be promoting street
crime.

thief
noun

somebody who steals

We have found the thiefwho stole your

car.

walkie-talkie
noun

hand held radio each

partner carries

My partner told me your license plate

over hiswalkie-talkie.

wanted
adjective

being searched for by police

A man from your hotel iswanted for his

involvement in a murder.

witness
verb

to see something happen

Three people witnessedthe murder but

they are afraid to speak.

young offender
(juvenile
delinquent)
noun

a minor who commits a

crime (usually under age of
18)

Your punishment will be less severe

because you are a young offender.

Types of crime
Crime

Definition

abduction/kidnappin
g

taking a person to a secret location using force

armed robbery

using a weapon to steal

arson

setting fire to a place on purpose

assault

hurting another person physically

attempted murder

trying to kill someone (but failing)

burglary,
breaking and
entering

going into another persons home or business with force

child abuse

injuring a child on purpose

domestic violence

physical assault that occur within the home

drug trafficking

trading illegal drugs

drunk driving

driving after having too much alcohol

fraud

lying or cheating for business or monetary purposes

hijacking

holding people in transit hostage (usually on a plane)

murder/homicide

taking someones life through violence

shoplifting

stealing merchandise from a store

smuggling

bringing products into a country secretly and illegally

speeding

driving beyond the speed limit

terrorism

acts of crime against a group (political/religious) or another

country

theft

stealing

torture

extremely cruel and unfair treatment (often towards prisoners)

vandalism

damaging public or private property (for example with spray

paint)
white collar crime

breaking the law in business

Types of punishment
Punishment
(example offence)

Definition

traffic ticket
(speeding, parking)

leaves marks on driving record/involves paying a fine

license suspension
(drunk driving)

driving rights are removed for a certain period of

time

fine
(hunting out of season)

pay money as punishment for minor/petty crime

house arrest
(a young offender who is waiting remain in ones home for a certain period of time
to go to court)
community service
(a youth that steals a car for the
first time)

do volunteer work such as teaching children about

crime or cleaning up garbage

jail time
(man who assaults his wife)

spend a certain amount of months or years locked

away from society

life in prisowho commits

homicide)

spend the rest of ones life in prison with no chance

of going back into society