| A | B |
|---|
| Setting | the time and place of the action of a story |
| Protagonist | main or central character in the story, the one who initiates or drives the action |
| Antagonist | the character who blocks the protagonist or causes problems for the protagonist |
| direct characterization | the author tells the reader directly what the character is like |
| motivation | reasons behind a character’s actions or behavior |
| Plot | the series of related events in a story or sequence of events in a story |
| Exposition | the basic situation (introduces the reader to the situation) |
| Rising action | where conflict emerges and builds |
| Climax | moment of great emotional intensity or suspense in a plot; high point of the action; turning point |
| Falling action | where characters face the consequences of the decision made in the climax |
| Resolution (denouement) | the conclusion of the story, where all or most of the conflicts have been settled |
| Conflict | the struggle between opposing forces that is the basis of plot in dramatic or narrative literature |
| Internal conflict | conflict that takes place inside a character’s mind and/or being |
| External conflict | conflict that involves other characters, society, and nature, where a character struggles against an outside force |
| Narrator | the teller of the story |
| omniscient point of view | an all-knowing narrator tells the thoughts and actions of everyone in the story |
| Theme | the main idea in a work of literature |
| Symbol | a person, place, or object that represents itself and something beyond itself |
| Irony | a contrast between appearance and actuality |
| Verbal Irony | the difference between what people say and what they mean |
| Situational Irony | contrast between what is expected and what actually happens |
| Dramatic Irony | irony where a character in a play or story thinks one thing is true, but the audience/reader knows better |
| Allusion | a reference to something in literature that the author expects the reader to know |
| Flashback | a conversation, a scene, or event that happened before the beginning of a story or at an earlier point in the narrative |
| Foreshadowing | a hint of beforehand of what is to happen later in the story |
| Metaphor | implies a comparison between two unlike things that have something in common |
| Suspense | the reader’s uncertainty about what will happen in a story |
| Mood | evokes certain feelings or vibes in readers through words and descriptions |
| Tone | the writer’s attitude toward the reader, the subject, or the characters of his story |
