Story Skills
This is the main problem or struggle in a story.
Conflict
“I stepped into the room and held my breath.” Name the point of view.
First Person
“My backpack is as heavy as a boulder.” What type of figurative language is this?
Similie
A nonfiction narrative tells about real experiences or imaginary experiences?
Real experiences
A group of lines in a poem is called this.
Stanza
A summary should include the most important events and leave out these: the reader’s personal ________.
Opinions.
“You open the door and notice everyone staring.” Name the point of view.
Second Person
My little brother is a tornado.” What type of figurative language is this?
Metaphor
For our first-person nonfiction narrative, which pronouns should the narrator use? Name two.
I,me, my, mine, we, us, or our
The voice speaking in a poem is called this. It is not automatically the poet.
Speaker
A character wants to tell the truth but worries about losing a friend. Is this an internal or external conflict? Explain.
Internal conflict, because the struggle happens within the character.
A narrator uses she and they but reveals only one character’s thoughts. Name the point of view.
Third-Person Limited.
“I needed a fairy godmother to help me finish my chores.” What do we call this reference to a familiar story?
Allusion
Which sentence shows nervousness more clearly? A. I was nervous. B. My hands shook as I unfolded my speech. Explain.
B, because it uses a specific physical detail to show the feeling.
“Warm cinnamon floated through the kitchen.” These sensory details create this poetic element.
Imagery
Which is a theme rather than a topic? A. Growing up B. Family C. Accepting your heritage can help you understand yourself.
C. because it expresses a message about life.
A narrator reveals both Maya’s worries and her brother’s secret plans. Name the point of view.
Third-person omniscient
“Learning to write is like training for a race: both require practice and patience.” What device uses a comparison to explain an idea?
Analogy
A narrative ends, “That experience taught me that independence also means knowing when to ask for help.” What does this reflection explain?
What the narrator learned and how the experience changed them.
A poem describes hope as a seed, then develops the comparison through roots, sunlight, and growth. What type of metaphor continues across these lines?
Extended Metaphor
A student initially refuses help. After struggling, she asks her teacher for support. Explain how her change could develop a theme.
She learns that asking for help shows maturity. Accept a reasonable theme connected to her change.
A narrator believes her friends forgot her birthday. The friends are secretly planning a surprise. Explain how telling the story only from her perspective affects the reader.
Readers share her uncertainty and disappointment because they do not know the friends’ plans. This can create suspense or surprise.
“Ugh, another assignment. Just what I needed.” Identify the speaker’s tone and explain which words reveal it.
Sarcastic or annoyed. “Ugh” signals frustration, and “just what I needed” expresses the opposite of what the speaker means.
Your narrative describes your first time taking responsibility for a younger sibling. What must you explain to connect the event to our essential question about growing up?
How the experience became a milestone: what responsibility or challenge you faced, how you responded, and what you learned or how you changed.
Read: “At the doorway, / I held my words. / Then— / I spoke.” Explain one effect of placing “I spoke” on its own line.
It emphasizes the action and suggests a turning point as the speaker gains courage. Accept another explanation supported by the structure.