| A | B |
|---|
| foreshadowing | the use of clues to suggest events that will happen later in the plot |
| direct characterization | when the author tells the reader directly about a character |
| external conflict | when a character struggles against some outside force (such as society, nature, or another person) |
| motivation | any force that drives or moves the character to behave in a particular way |
| exposition | background material about the characters, setting, and dramatic situation with which the author introduces the essentials of the story to the reader |
| complication | Any obstacle that increases the tension of the story conflict |
| climax | the moment when the action of a story comes to its highest point of dramatic conflict |
| theme | the story's main ideas; the "message" that the author intends to communicate by telling the story; often universal truths |
| resolution | the conclusion of the story; includes the story's action after the climax until the end of the story |
| falling action | the part of the story, following the climax and leading to the resolution, in which there is a sharp decline in dramatic tension |
| indirect characterization | when the author shows the character in action and lets readers draw their own conclusions |
| internal conflict | when a character struggles within his/her mind between opposing needs, desires, or emotions |
| protagonist | the central character of the story |
| antagonist | the character in the story who struggles against the protagonist |
| prologue | the preface or introduction to a literary work |
| epilogue | a concluding chapter/section that rounds out the design of a literary work and often provides a future glimpse of the characters' lives |
| rising action | the part of the story, including exposition, in which the tension rises |
| imagery | the use of selected details to describe one item in comparison to another |
| crisis | a small peak of dramatic tension within a chapter that is like the more dramatic climax within the story as a whole |
| simile | a figure of speech which is a comparison of two items, using like or as |
| metaphor | a figure of speech which is a direct comparison of two items |
| personification | a figure of speech in which human characteristics are given to an animal or inanimate object |
