Show:
Narrative Elements
Analyzing Figurative Phrase
Story Arc
Figurative Language
Key Terms
100
The time and place where the events of a story take place.
What is the setting
100

Analyze the following figurative phrase. What does the author really mean:

“The opportunity slipped through his fingers like grains of sand.”

He lost his chance because he could not hold onto it in time. The comparison emphasizes how quickly chances can disappear.

100
The moment of highest drama and tension in a narrative, in which the main conflict is confronted fully.
What is the climax
100
A type of speech or writing that breaks away from the literal meaning in order to create a special effect or meaning.
What is figurative language
100
The term we use to describe the main character or principle actor in a narrative, the person with whom the reader most closely relates.
What is the protagonist
200
The process that involves letting a reader know who the people in the story are and what they are like.
What is character development
200

Lena was famished after the long hike, so she devoured her sandwich in seconds.”

What does famished mean?

Extremely hungry.

200
The first part of a story arc where the setting is established and characters are introduced.
What is the exposition
200
A comparison that is made between two unrelated things using the words "like" or "as."
What is a simile
200
A character in a narrative who is opposed to the protagonist or protagonists; a villain.
What is the antagonist
300
The central struggle or tension within a narrative that shapes the plot and drives the action forward.
What is conflict
300

Analyze the following figurative phrase. What does the author really mean:

“Hope flickered like a candle in the storm.”

Hope is fragile and in danger of being lost, but it still exists.

300
The point in the story arc where the main conflict is introduced and the tension begins to build.
What is the rising action
300
A comparison that is made between two unrelated things that does not use the words "like" or "as."
What is a metaphor
300
The emotional voice that an author brings to a narrative.
What is the tone
400
The angle or perspective from which a story is told.
What is point-of-view
400

What does arduous mean as it is used in a sentence.

“Though the path was arduous, the hikers continued climbing the steep, rocky trail.”

Difficult and requiring effort.

400
The point in the story arc where the characters have faced the main conflict and events begin falling into place.
What is the falling action
400
A figure of speech in which human characteristics are given to an animal or an object. (Example: "The wind whispered through the window.")
What is personification
400
The emotions that a narrative makes a reader feel.
What is the mood
500
A main idea or message that is presented by the author in various ways throughout a narrative.
What is theme
500

Analyze the following figurative phrase. What does the author really mean:

“Her words were sugar-coated, but they left a bitter aftertaste.”

She sounded polite, but her message was actually hurtful or insincere.

500
The final step in the story arc in which all loose ends of the narrative are tied up and the story concludes.
What is the resolution or denouement
500
An exaggeration that is so dramatic that no one would believe the statement is literally true.
What is hyperbole
500

If a character is kind, brave, or funny, these words describe their ____.

What is a character trait.