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| Genre | refers to the category in which a work of literature is categorized. The major genres in literature are fiction, nonfiction, poetry, and drama. |
| Short Story | a work of fiction that centers on a single idea and can be read in one sitting. Generally, a short story has one main conflict that involves the characters and keeps the story moving. |
| Novel | is a long work of fiction. A novel is a product of a writer's imagination. It is longer than a short story so a novelist can develop the characters and storyline more thoroughly. |
| Novella | is a short prose tale, or short novel. It is longer than a short story and often teaches a moral, or satirizes a subject |
| Fiction | is prose writing that tells an imaginary story. The writer might invent all the events and characters or might base parts of the story on real people and events. The basic elements of fiction are plot, character, setting, and theme. It includes stories, novellas, and novels |
| Plot | the series of events in the story. Most plots have 5 stages: exposition, rising action, climax, falling action, and resolution. It usually centers on a conflict, or struggle, faced by the main characters. |
| Conflict | is a struggle between opposing forces. Almost every story has a main conflict - a conflict that is the story's focus |
| Characterization | the way a writer creates and develops characters. The writer may use: direct comments, physical appearance, the character's own thoughts, speech and actions, or thoughts, speech and actions from other characters. |
| Setting | of a story, poem or play is the time and place of the action. |
| Theme | is a message about life or human nature that the writer shares with the reader |
| Point of View | refers to how a writer chooses to narrate a story |
| First-person point of view | the narrator is a character in the story and uses first-person pronouns, such as I, me, and we. |
| Third-person-limited | is not a character in the story and tells the thoughts and feelings of only one character |
| Third-person-omniscient | is not a character in the story and reveals the thoughts and feelings of all the characters. Also known as all-knowing. |
| Structure | is the way in which a piece of literature is put together |
| Academic vocabulary | the language you use to talk and write about the subject matter that you are studying |
| External conflict | involves a character who struggles with a force outside him- or herself, such as nature, a physical obstacle, or another character |
| Internal conflict | is a conflict that occurs within a character |
| Foreshadowing | occurs when a writer provides hints that suggests future events in the story. It creates suspense and makes readers eager to find out what will happen next. |
| Exposition | is the first stage of a typical story plot. It provides background information and introduces the setting and important characters. |
| Rising action | is the stage of the plot that develops the conflict, or struggle. During this stage, events occur that make the conflict more complicated. The events build toward a climax, or turning point |
| Climax | is the point of greatest interest in a story or play. It usually occurs at the end of a story after the conflict and the reader has become emotionally involved |
| Falling action | is the stage of the plot in which the story begins to draw to a close. It comes after the climax and before the resolution |
| Resolution | is the stage of the plot that ties up the loose ends. It sometimes offers an unexpected twist before the story ends. |
| Mood | the feeling or atmosphere that a writer creates for the reader. |
| Fact | a statement that can be proved |
| Opinion | a statement that reflects the writer's belief |
| Cause and Effect | two events are related by cause and effect when one event brings about, or causes, the other. The event that happens first is the cause; the one that follows is the effect. It helps writers show a relationship between events or ideas. |
| Dialect | a form of language spoken in a particular place or by a particular group of people |
| Idiom | is an expression that has a meaning different from the meaning of its individual words. For example, "to go to the dogs" is an idiom meaning "to go to ruin." |
