1.   Everyone worked in tense silence, concentrating on their own particular task.

2.   In the tense silence that followed, the boys fidgeted uneasily.

3.   Inside the room, tense silence reigned.

4.   Laura and I sat in tense silence, listening to the creak of the stairs.

5.   Marion spoke, eager to break the tense silence.

6.   The meal was held virtually in tense silence.

7.   There was a tense silence, and then everyone began to laugh.