Plot & Story Structure
The turning point or moment of highest emotional intensity and suspense in a narrative.
WHAT IS... The Climax?
The primary reason an author writes a text—traditionally to persuade, inform, or entertain.
WHAT IS... Author's Purpose?
A sentence structure made of one independent clause and at least one dependent clause.
WHAT IS... A Complex Sentence?
A comparison between two unlike things saying one is the other, without using "like" or "as" (e.g., "Time is a thief").
WHAT IS... A Metaphor?
Use these punctuation marks around a speaker's exact words when writing dialogue in a story.
WHAT ARE... Quotation Marks?
A narrative device that interrupts the chronological order of a story to show events that happened at an earlier time.
WHAT IS... A Flashback?
Point of view where the narrator is a character in the story and uses pronouns like I, me, and we.
WHAT IS... First-Person Point of View?
An incomplete sentence that lacks either a subject, a verb, or a complete thought.
WHAT IS... A Sentence Fragment?
An object, person, situation, or color that represents a deeper meaning beyond its literal definition (e.g., a dove representing peace).
WHAT IS... A Symbol / Symbolism
This punctuation mark is used to show ownership or possession or to form a contraction.
WHAT IS... an Apostrophe?
A struggle between a character and an outside force, such as nature, society, or another character.
WHAT IS... an External Conflict?
The overall feeling or atmosphere created for the reader through setting, descriptive language, and imagery.
WHAT IS... Mood?
A sentence containing two independent clauses joined by a comma and a coordinating conjunction (FANBOYS).
WHAT IS... A Compound Sentence?
A subtle hint or clue placed earlier in a narrative that suggests an important event that will happen later in the plot.
WHAT IS... Foreshadowing?
Use this punctuation mark to introduce a formal list, an explanation, or a quotation after a complete independent clause.
WHAT IS... A Colon?
The opening section of a story that introduces the main characters, setting, and basic situation.
WHAT IS... the Exposition?
A narrator whose credibility or honesty is compromised, making the reader question their version of events—such as Greg Heffley in Diary of a Wimpy Kid or Nick Carraway in The Great Gatsby.
WHAT IS... an Unreliable Narrator?
A modifying phrase that begins with words like in, on, under, or through and ends with a noun object (e.g., "under the table" or "after school").
WHAT IS... A Prepositional Phrase?
A figure of speech that combines two contradictory words side-by-side to create a dramatic or humorous effect (e.g., "deafening silence" or "jumbo shrimp").
WHAT IS... an Oxymoron?
Use this punctuation mark after an introductory phrase or dependent clause that comes at the beginning of a sentence.
WHAT IS... A Comma?
A literary technique where an author builds excitement or anxiety in the reader about what will happen next in the plot.
WHAT IS... Suspense?
Point of view where the narrator focuses on the thoughts, feelings, and actions of only one character using he, she, or they.
WHAT IS... Third-Person Limited?
A verb form that acts as a noun in a sentence, always ending in -ing (e.g., "Swimming is great exercise").
WHAT IS... A Gerund?
A statement or situation that seems contradictory on the surface, but reveals a deeper truth upon closer examination (e.g., "Deep down, he's really shallow" or "This is the beginning of the end").
WHAT IS... A Paradox?
This punctuation mark is used to connect two related independent clauses without using a coordinating conjunction (FANBOYS).
WHAT IS... A Semicolon?