| A | B |
|---|
| short story | brief work of fiction intended to be read in a single sitting |
| characters | the people, or the animals who take part in the action |
| characterization | what an author uses to help you get to know a character |
| character traits | a character's qualities, attitudes, and values |
| character motives | the reasons for a character's actions |
| setting | the time and place of the story's action also includes the cultural context-the society in which the character lives |
| mood | the story's atmosphere |
| dialogue | a conversation between characters |
| chronological order | the chain of events as in unfolds in time order |
| flashback | shows events from before the present of the story, often to reveal a character's motives |
| plot | the sequence of events in a story |
| conflict | a struggle between opposing forces, calls on characters to act and so drives the plot |
| internal conflict | takes place in the mind of a character, when the character struggles with opposing feelings |
| external conflict | takes place between a character and an outside force, such as nature |
| theme | a central message or insight about life |
| direct characterization | the narrator makes direct statements about a character's personality |
| indirect characterization | a writer shows what characters are like by providing details about what they say and do, what others say about them, and how they respond |
| irony | an intended contradiction between outcome and expectations or appearance and reality |
| plot structure | the way in which story events are organized for dramatic effect |
| exposition | introduces the characters and their situation |
| rising action | develops the conflict |
| falling action | sets up the story's ending |
| resolution | the conclusion, usually shows how the conflict is settled |
| climax | the turning point at which the story's outcome is determined. Point of greatest intensity. |
| point of view | the perspective from which a story is told |
| First-person point of view | presents the story from the perspective of a character in the story. Uses I, me, and my |
| Third-person point of view | tells the story from the perspective of a narrator outside the story |
| omniscient third-person narrator | knows everything that happens and reveals what each character thinks and feels |
| limited third-person narrator | reveals the thoughts and feeliings of a single character |
