Vocabulary Word Review Elements of Fiction Vocabulary Word Review

characters actors in the plot

Setting: Where and when the story takes place

Plot: the action of the story, the events

Conflict: The struggle between opposing forces; man vs. man, himself, nature, society, or God

Climax: The turning point in the plot; a moment where the tension is at its peak

Denouement: The untangling of the conflict; the resolution

Epiphany: moment of truth

Round Characters: Developed completely and we have a complete picture of the character described

Flat Character: Underdeveloped and the reader knows very little about their personality. We see only one side; a minor character

Protagonist: The central or main character who is the center of most of the action; often the hero

Antagonist: A character representing the force which is opposed to the hero; usually the villain

Foil Character A character designed to a mirror opposite of another character

Theme: the author’s central message or purpose in writing

Style: the characteristic way authors express themselves in language

Foreshadowing: The writer drops hints at the outcome of the plot

Image Mental pictures that writers create by using sensory details

Point of View The manner in which the author narrates the story; who is telling the story and how much they know

All Knowing Narrator Omniscient narrator; like a god looking down from above; this narrator knows everything

Limited All-Knowing only knows about ONE character ONLY

observer Tells the story as if that individual were seeing it on the stage

Symbolism: A character, object, or event which stands for something else and has a deeper or wider meaning

Public symbols: Everybody recognizes this object that stands for something

private symbols: Symbols not easily recognized because it is specific to the story dust = poverty

metaphor: A comparison of two unlike objects not using the words like or as Rock Solid

Simile A comparison between unlike objects using like or as as sly as a fox

Hyperbole: Involves extensive exaggeration and is chiefly used for effect (usually humor) Dave was so conceited that he developed a head as big as a barn.

personification: To give inanimate objects life-like characteristics

Irony Opposite of what expects

verbal irony: The speaker actually means the exact opposite of what is said

Situational irony: The situation or action is opposite of what one would expect

Tone: The attitude the writers have toward the subject matter they have written about (bitter, honest, realistic, ironic, etc.) M*A*S*H

mood The emotional response of readers toward what they have read