Text Analysis Murder Mystery Worksheets

There’s been a murder in the sleepy town of Dictionary-on-Sea! The resident wordsmith, Ivor
Longbook, has been found dead, and it’s obvious that foul play was involved. Can you solve
the mystery before the culprit strikes again?
You need to work out:

• The name of the murderer.

• The weapon they used.
• The day of the murder.
• The time of the murder.
• The location of the murder.
Try each of the tasks in turn to solve the case.
The Murder Weapon
To work out the weapon, match the examples (and their numbers) to the correct terms.

Buckingham Palace refused to comment.

The chair groaned as he sat down

The sky was like a blanket of stars.

This statement is false.

Bang!

It was a deadly murder.

The sky was a blanket of stars.

Icy fire.

He was the best.

She said that she wanted to leave.

1. Oxymoron If your combination is 10, 3, 2, 6, 5, 7, 8, 4, 3, 1 then the weapon

2. Paradox was an axe.
3. Metonymy
If your combination is 3, 9, 6, 5, 7, 2, 10, 1, 4, 8 then your weapon
4. Indirect speech was a gun.
5. Tautology
If your combination is 9, 10, 6, 2, 7, 3, 5, 1, 8, 4 then your weapon
6. Simile
was poison.
7. Onomatopoeia
If your combination is 3, 10, 6, 2, 7, 5, 9, 1, 8, 4 then your weapon is
8. Superlative
a piece of lead pipe.
9. Metaphor
10. Personification Murderer’s weapon:
Text Analysis Murder Mystery Worksheets-
Answers
Buckingham Palace refused to comment. 3: Metonymy

The chair groaned as he sat down 10: Personification

The sky was like a blanket of stars. 6: Simile

This statement is false. 2: Paradox

Bang! 7: Onomatopoeia

It was a deadly murder. 5: Tautology

The sky was a blanket of stars. 9: Metaphor

Icy fire. 1: Oxymoron

He was the best. 8: Superlative

She said that she wanted to leave. 4: indirect speech

Murder weapon: A PIECE OF LEAD PIPE