| A | B |
|---|
| exposition | background information about characters, conflict, and setting |
| rising action | events which lead up to a point at which a decision or change must be made |
| climax | the turning point of the story - a moment of decision or change |
| falling action | the conflict lessens; usually a rather short part of the story that happens as a result of the decision or change |
| resolution | the conflict concludes and loose ends get tied up |
| foreshadowing | hints given in a story about events yet to come |
| external conflict | man v. nature; man v. super-natural; man v. man; man v. society |
| internal conflict | man v. self |
| plot | the sequence of events in a story |
| flashback | an interruption in the chronological order of a narrative to show an event that happened earlier |
| static character | a character that stays the same |
| dynamic character | a character that changes during the story |
| flat character | a character that reveals only one character trait |
| round character | a character who shows varied and sometimes contradictory traits |
| antagonist | a person or a force in society or nature that opposes the protagonist, or central character |
| protagonist | the central character |
| hero | the main character, typically a character whose admirable qualities or noble deeds arouse admiration |
| narrative | writing or speech that tells a story |
| narrator | the person who tells a story |
| point of view | the perspective from which a story is told |
| theme | the main idea or message of a story, often expressed as a general statement about life |
| tone | an author's attitude toward his or her subject matter |
| situational irony | the actual outcome of a situation is the opposite of what is expected |
| verbal irony | a person says one thing and means another |
| dramatic irony | the audience or reader knows information that characters do not |
| first person point of view | the narrator is a character in the story, referred to as "I" |
| third-person limited point of view | the narrator reveals the thoughts, feelings, and observations of only one character, referring to that character as "he" or "she" |
| third-person omniscient point of view | the narrator is not a character in the story but rather someone that stands outside the story and comments on the action |
| setting | the time and place in which the events of a literary work occur |
| suspense | a feeling of curiousity, uncertainty, or even dread about what is going to happen next in a story |
