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maintain suspense
/meɪnˈteɪn səˈspɛns/
maintenir le suspense
The director uses slow pacing to maintain suspense throughout the movie.
Le réalisateur utilise un rythme lent pour maintenir le suspense tout au long du film.
littérairecinematicnarrative
Continuer à créer ou renforcer une tension dramatique ou une incertitude chez le public ou le lecteur.
The thriller writer carefully crafts each chapter to maintain suspense until the final revelation.
L'auteur de thriller soigne chaque chapitre pour maintenir le suspense jusqu'à la révélation finale.
To maintain suspense, the magician never reveals his trick too soon.
Pour maintenir le suspense, le magicien ne révèle jamais son tour trop tôt.
Commonly used in storytelling, filmmaking, and performance arts to describe the deliberate pacing of information to keep the audience engaged.
Collocations
maintain suspense throughmaintenir le suspense parmaintain suspense untilmaintenir le suspense jusqu'à
Expressions liées
Conseil pro
Pair with pacing verbs
Use 'maintain suspense' with verbs like 'build,' 'sustain,' or 'prolong' to describe how tension is created. Example: 'The author builds suspense by withholding key details.'
Règle d'or
Show, don’t tell
To maintain suspense effectively, reveal information gradually rather than explaining everything upfront. Use subtle hints, delays, and partial revelations.
Origine du mot
From the verb 'maintain' (Latin 'manu tenere', to hold in the hand) and 'suspense' (from Latin 'suspensus', past participle of 'suspendere', to hang up). The phrase emerged in English in the mid-19th century, initially in literary criticism, then expanded to film and narrative contexts.
Notes d'usage
Used in both formal (literary analysis) and informal (casual conversation about books/films) contexts. Often paired with 'throughout' or 'until the end' to emphasize duration.
Décomposition du mot
maintain
to keep in a particular state or condition
verbsuspense
a state of mental uncertainty or excitement, as in awaiting a decision or outcome
nounDictionnaire Anglais-Français