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Literary Terms
Terms and definitions
| Term | Definition | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Plot | A series of events that make up the action in a story. | John argued with his mother, ran away from home, realized he was homesick, and went back home. |
| Conflict | A struggle between two opposing forces. | John argued with his mother. |
| Internal conflict | A struggle within a person that does not involve an outside force. | Tom was trying to decide where to go to college. |
| External conflict | A struggle between a person and an outside force. | Tom and his parents argued over his choice of college. |
| Rising action | Complications that arise throughout the story. | John gets cold and hungry when he runs away from home. |
| Climax | The high point of action or suspense in a story. | John falls down and scratches his knee and realizes he misses his mother. |
| Resolution | The point of the story when the conflict is resolved. | John's mother welcomes him home and fixes him a good supper. |
| Point of view | The perspective from which a story is told. | First or third person. |
| First person point of view | A character tells the story. | Uses I, me, we, or us. |
| Third person point of view | An outside narrator tells the story. | Uses he, she, him, her. |
| Dynamic character | A character who changes throughout the story. | Ebenezer Scrooge changes from being mean and stingy to kind and charitable. |
| Static character | A character that does not change. | Scrooge's nephew Fred is kind and cheerful throughout the story. |
| Foreshadowing | Hints or clues the author gives to suggest events that will happen later. | Dickens mentions that Marley is dead in the first line of the story and the reader thinks this may be important later. |
| Metaphor | A comparison between two unlike things that does not use "like" or "as." | Scrooge was the ogre of the family. |
| Simile | A comparison between two unlike things that does use the words "like" or "as." | He was as quick as lightning. |
| Personification | Giving human qualities to nonhuman things. | The bony fingers of the tree limbs tore at their clothing as the riders passed. |
| Theme | The lesson about life an author wants to teach through a story. | The author wants the reader to learn that love and kindness are more valuable than money and possessions. |
| Setting | The time and place of the action of a story. | 1800's in London, England |
| Historical fiction | A made-up story that includes some true history. | The novel Or Give Me Death |
| Science fiction | A made-up story that takes place in the future. | A novel about aliens or outer space. |
| Realistic fiction | A made-up story that could possibly really happen. | A novel about a teenager moving to a new school. |
| Nonfiction | A true story that is not made up. | A biography or autobiography. |
| Fantasy fiction | A made-up story that has magic and dragons. | Eragon |
Created by:
dcloninger
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