Heartbeats quickened, as suspense gripped readers tight.

Meaning: The story was so suspenseful that it made readers' hearts beat faster.

Choice of Words: Quickened means to become faster. Suspense is a feeling of excitement and uncertainty about what will happen next. Gripped means to hold something tightly.

Alternative Expressions

Readers' hearts raced as suspense held them captive.

Meaning: This sentence means that the reader's hearts were beating very fast because they were so engrossed in the story and couldn't wait to see what happened next.

Choice of Words: The writer uses the word raced to describe the reader's hearts beating very fast. The word captive means that the suspense had the reader's full attention and they couldn't look away.

Hearts pounded in readers' chests as suspense kept them on the edge of their seats.

Meaning: This sentence means that the reader's hearts were beating very hard and fast because they were so excited and nervous about what was going to happen next in the story.

Choice of Words: The writer uses the word pounded to describe the reader's hearts beating very hard and fast. The word chests refers to the part of the body where the heart is located. The phrase on the edge of their seats means that the reader was so excited and nervous that they were sitting on the edge of their seat, ready to jump up at any moment.

Related Expressions