Literary Elements
The struggle between two characters or forces in a story.
What is conflict?
One of the three main reasons authors write; this one is to teach or explain.
What is to inform?
Word meaning “to fix something that is broken.”
What is repair (repaired)?
The sentence that tells the main idea of a short paragraph or passage.
What is the topic sentence or main idea?
The time and place where a story happens.
What is setting?
If an author wants to make you feel happy, sad, or excited, they are using this to affect readers.
What is tone?
Word meaning “to imagine or form a picture in your mind.”
What is imagine (imagined)?
These are short details that support the main idea.
What are supporting details?
The person who tells the story; may be first, second, or third person.
What is narrator (or point of view)?
The author writes an article arguing that students should get more recess time. This purpose is called _____.
What is to persuade?
Word meaning “an empty space or unfilled building.”
What is vacancy?
To make a prediction while reading, you use this skill (thinking about what might happen next).
What is making inferences or predicting? (accept either)
A message or lesson the author wants readers to learn from a story.
What is theme?
A short phrase describing the author’s attitude (e.g., hopeful, critical, humorous).
What is mood or tone? (accept either)
Word meaning “to encourage growth or activity” (used for economy, interest, or excitement).
What is stimulate?
When you compare two characters and show how they are different, you are analyzing their _____.
What is traits or characteristics? (accept either)