Literary Terms

A story that is true.

A story that is made up or imaginary.

a light story that is funny and has a happy ending

A daily written record of personal experiences and observations.

an account of the series of events making up a person's life

a biography of yourself

play: a dramatic work intended for performance by actors on a stage

A play where many characters die.

writing that expresses meaning through sound, and language choices so the reader has an emotional reaction.

The people in the story.

A character that stays the same throughout the story.

A character that goes through changes.

A struggle between two opposing forces.

Man v. Man

Man v. Himself

Man v. Nature or Man v. Wild

The reasons why a character does what they do.

The time and place of a story.

The main idea or lesson of a story.

The character dealing with a problem.

The character creating the problem.

Representing things by the use of symbols.

The feeling you get from a story.

Using "I" in the story.

Using "you" in the story.

Using "he" "she" or "it" in the story.

Using he or she but knowing all the thoughts of all the characters.

Describing a character, what they look like, and how they act.

A comparison using the words "like" or "as."

Comparing two things without using like or as.

Ex. "His legs were rubber after the soccer game."

Giving human characteristics to something that is non-human.

A break in the story when the narrator goes back in time to discuss something that already happened

Hints predicting future events in the story.

When something happens that you don't expect.

When the author describes something so well it appeals to one of your five senses.

A plot diagram.

The beginning part of the story that introduces the conflict.

Develops the conflict where the protagonist deals with the problem.

The high point of interest or suspense of the story. The most tense moment.

Sequence of events following the climax

The ending of the conflict and solving the problem.