I need help finding conventional phrases in the Ballad of Birmingham by Dudley Randall that could add to the mood of suspense and tragedy.

I don't know what is meant by "conventional phrases", for one thing. And I'm not familiar with this work.

We're still not clear on how you are defining "conventional phrases," but here's the poem:

http://www.poetryfoundation.org/poems-and-poets/poems/detail/46562

To find conventional phrases in a specific poem like "Ballad of Birmingham" by Dudley Randall, you can follow these steps:

1. Read the poem: Start by reading the entire poem to get a full understanding of its theme, mood, and narrative. In this case, "Ballad of Birmingham" is a poem about the 1963 bombing of a church in Birmingham, Alabama, during the civil rights movement.

2. Identify the mood: Determine the predominant mood or emotions conveyed in the poem. In this case, you mentioned "suspense" and "tragedy," so look for phrases that evoke these emotions.

3. Look for descriptive language: Pay attention to lines in the poem that describe specific objects, settings, or events. Descriptive language often sets the tone and contributes to the overall mood.

4. Search for conventional phrases: Look for phrases that use well-known literary devices like metaphors, similes, personification, symbolism, or alliteration. These devices often create a sense of suspense or tragedy.

5. Consider context: Analyze how the phrases fit into the broader context of the poem and contribute to the theme. Sometimes a conventional phrase can convey suspense or tragedy based on its surrounding lines.

By following these steps, you should be able to identify conventional phrases in "Ballad of Birmingham" that add to the mood of suspense and tragedy.