Narrative Voice
This narrative point of view uses pronouns like "I" and "we" because the speaker is a character in the story.
1st Person
This element establishes the exact time and place in which a story occurs.
Saying "he screeched like an owl" uses "like" or "as" to create this specific type of comparison
Simile
Stepping into a snowstorm and saying "What fantastic weather we're having!" is an example of this type of irony.
Verbal Irony
The main character driving the action of the plot is the protagonist, while the character creating obstacles for them is this.
Antagonist
This point of view features an all-knowing narrator who can see inside the minds of multiple characters across the story.
3rd Person Omniscient
Known as "Character vs. Self," this type of conflict involves a mental or emotional struggle within a single individual.
Internal Conflict
Saying "I've told you ten thousand times" uses deliberate extreme exaggeration to make a point.
Hyperbole
This type of irony occurs when the audience or reader knows a critical secret that the characters on stage do not know.
Dramatic Irony
Telling the reader "Sam was a greedy boy" is direct characterization, while showing Sam refusing to share his lunch requires the reader to do this.
Infer or Indirect Characterization
This rarely used perspective uses the pronoun "you" to directly address the reader as if they are the main character.
2nd Person
Authors use this technique to drop subtle hints or clues about events that will happen later in the story.
Foreshadowing
Saying "the old engine groaned in protest" assigns human characteristics to an inanimate object.
Personification
A fire station burning down while firefighters are out on lunch is a classic example of this type of irony.
Situational Irony
The universal message or lesson about life that an author conveys
Theme
This person tells the story within the text, whereas this real person actually wrote the physical book.
Narrator and Author
This critical part of the plot structure serves as the main turning point, where the story reaches its highest tension.
Climax
Describing a difficult task as a "Herculean effort" serves as this type of reference to a well-known historical or mythical story.
Allusion
An object that maintains its literal meaning while simultaneously representing an abstract idea—like a flag representing a nation.
Symbol or Symbolism
Language that appeals directly to the five senses (sight, sound, taste, touch, smell) to create visual pictures in the reader's mind.
Imagery
In this point of view, the narrator uses pronouns like "he" or "she" but can only see inside the mind of one single character.
3rd Person Limited
Man vs. Nature, Man vs. Man, and Man vs. Society are all subcategories of this broader type of conflict.
External Conflict
Saying "Juliet is the sun" creates a direct comparison between two unlike things without using "like" or "as."
Metaphor
While Tone reflects the author's attitude toward the subject, this term refers to the overall emotional atmosphere the reader feels.
Mood
Speech, physical appearance, inner thoughts, and the reactions of other characters are all methods used in this type of characterization.
Indirect Characterization