| A | B |
|---|
| short story | a brief work of fiction |
| plot | the sequence of events in a work of fiction |
| setting | the time and place of a story |
| exposition | the opening of a work of fiction where the reader finds out about the characters, the setting, and the basic situation |
| conflict | a struggle between opposing forces (types include man vs. man, man vs. self, etc.) |
| rising action | all the events that occur before the climax |
| climax | the high point of interest or suspense; from here, you can see the end of the story |
| falling action | all the events that occur after the climax |
| suspense | a feeling of anxious uncertainty about the outcome of events |
| characterization | how the author describes the character |
| protagonist | the main character |
| point of view | the perspective from which a story is told |
| motivation | the reasons for a character's behavior or actions |
| irony | the opposite of what is expected |
| foreshadowing | hints or clues of what is to come later |
| theme | the message the author intends for the reader to take away from the story/work of fiction |
| symbol | anything that stands for or represents something else |
