Figurative Language
An implied comparison of two different things, accomplished by saying that one thing is the other thing.
Metaphor
A character or force in the story in opposition to the main character
Antagonist
A reference, within a text, to another famous text or historical event/person
The turning point or the zenith in a story; the point of “no turning back”
Climax
A conversation between characters
Dialogue
Words that give human qualities to non-human things
Personification
A struggle between two opposing forces or characters in a story; this drives the plot.
Conflict
A category of literature (fiction, poetry, drama, epic, short story, etc.)
Genre
The end of the central conflict
Resolution
Copying something (words) without giving credit to the author
Using a word whose sound imitates or suggests its meaning.
Onomatopoeia
A story acted out, usually on a stage, by actors who take the parts of characters
Drama/Play
The person telling the story who is actually in the story; uses me, mine, my, me, we, us, our, and ours pronouns
1st Person Narrator
Action that occurs in the plot after the climax
Falling Action
The perspective from which a story is told
Point of view
A deliberate exaggeration in order to make a point.
Hyperbole
A storytelling technique that jumps to a reference of a previous incident in order to explain the present
Flashback
The process by which the author reveals the personality of a character
Characterization
The background information given (time, place, past actions) to readers which help in understanding of the story
A series of conflicts in the story which leads to the climax
Rising Action
A commonly used expression that has meaning other than the literal one. Ex: I’m fit as a fiddle.
Idiom
A poem that tells a story
Narrative Poem
Like a simile or metaphor, but it goes further (in length) to compare one thing or event to another to another thing or event
Analogy
A beginning speech or introduction to a literary work (play, novel, short story, etc.)
Prologue
A statement of the central idea in a work; often found in the last sentence of the introduction paragraph
Thesis Statement