Characters
Plot & Sequence
Setting & Mood
Figurative Language
Author & Voice
100

This is a fictional person who plays a part in a story

Who is a character?

100

The chain of events in a story that leads to its ending.  

What is plot?

100

Where and when a story happens.

What is the setting?

100

Words spoken by characters, shown with quotation marks.

What is dialogue or a quotation?

100

The person who writes a book, story, or article. 

Who is the author?

200

The reason a character does something; it can be what the character wants or feels.

What is motive?

200

The first event or thing that happens; a specific occurrence in a story. 

What is an event?

200

The overall feeling or atmosphere the author creates (for example: happy, scary, sad).

What is mood?

200

Words or phrases that help the reader picture characters or settings (pictures in words).

What is imagery?

200

The author’s specific reason for writing a book — to inform, entertain, or persuade.

What is the author's purpose?

300

The person who tells the story in his or her own words; sometimes also a character in the story.

Who is the narrator?

300

The struggle between characters or forces at the center of the story.

What is conflict?

300

A long story that often has a complex plot and many characters; often has a setting that changes.

 What is a novel?

300

When an author writes so something seems real and not romanticized; shows life as it really is.

What is realism?

300

The feeling given by the author's voice; the attitude the author uses in writing (for example: humorous or formal).

What is tone?

400

The personality or way a character speaks and acts that makes them different from other people in the story.

What is character voice or traits?

400

The outcome of the novel’s main conflict; the turning point toward the end.

What is the climax?

400

The speed at which a story moves forward — how fast or slow events happen.

What is pace?

400

A word or object that stands for or represents something else (e.g., a heart for love).

What is a symbol?

400

A short reading at the start of a book that presents or explains the story or sets the scene.

What is an introduction?

500

A short description in the text that helps the reader imagine how a character looks or acts.

What is description?

500

The order in which story events happen; putting events in the right order.

What is sequence or chronological order?

500

A short part of a book you might read aloud that shows a scene, idea, or event — often used to show setting or mood.

What is a passage?

500

The special way a writer uses language to share ideas and emotions; the writer’s personal style. 

What is style or voice?

500

 The central meaning or main idea of a story — the lesson or message the story shows.

What is the theme or moral?