foreshadowing
hints or clues that suggest what may happen later in a story
fiction
a literary work based on the imagination and not necessarily on fact
mood
the overall feeling or atmosphere created by a work of literature
protagonist
the main character in a story
setting
the time and place of a story
point of view
the perspective from which a story is told
antagonist
the person (or force) in conflict with the protagonist
tone
the attitude a writer takes towards the subject or the reader
theme
a truth about life that is revealed in a story
motivation
the reason(s) for a character's actions
dialogue
the words spoken aloud between characters in a piece of literature
internal conflict
a struggle between opposing needs, desires, or emotions within a character
external conflict
a struggle between a character and an outside force. man vs. man. man vs.
man vs nature
(external) a struggle between a character and mother nature
man vs man
(external) a struggle, mental or physical, between two characters
man vs society
(external) a struggle between a character and the laws or beliefs of a group; could involve poverty, politics, social norms, expectations, or values
man vs self
(internal) a struggle between a character and his feelings, conscience, or fear
plot
what happens in a story; the chain of events that make up a story
exposition
where the setting, characters, and basic situation are revealed
inciting incident
event that introduces the central conflict
rising action
the main part of the story where complications arise
climax
the most exciting or intense part of the story for the protagonist; a turning point in the story
falling action
events that follow the climax and lead to the resolution
resolution
the end of the story where the main conflict is resolved
simile
a comparison of two things using like or as
simile
It's slipping away like sand through my fingers.
allusion
a reference to a person, place, or event from literature, sports, history, movies, or the arts
allusion
It was evil when Eve listened to the snake and ate from the tree of knowledge.
hyperbole
an exaggeration that cannot possibly be true
hyperbole
I hated camping, and now there were a billion mosquitoes in our tent
metaphor
a comparison of two unlike things by saying one thing is a dissimilar object or thing
metaphor
max was a starving hyena, devouring everything in sight
personification
giving human qualities to nonhuman things
personification
the ancient car wheezed its last breath and refused to move another inch
idiom
a group of words whose collective meaning is quite different from their individual, literal meaning
idiom
while walking the dog, I stopped to shoot the breeze with our neighbor