Study Review Reading Terms

Genres Biography? The story of a person’s life as told by someone other than the person. Click Here

Autobiography The story of a person’s life as told by the person. Genres Click Here

Genres Fable A type of fairy story with talking animals as characters which is meant to teach a lesson or moral. Click Here

Genres Fairy Tale A story that is set long ago and far away, usually does not have a known author, and it has an element of magic. Click Here

Trickster Tale A type of story from Africa in which one of the characters tricks another of the characters. The trick usually resolves the story. Genre’s Click Here

Genres Historical Fiction A fictional story that has people from history as characters or is set during actual historical events. Click Here

Genres Tall Tale A funny story that uses many exaggerations about an American hero. This type of story was invented in the United States. Click Here

Genres Short Story A story with characters and a plot that is completely resolved within 20 pages or less. Click Here

Literary Devices Simile A comparison of two unlike things using like or as to create an image (word picture). Is like Click Here

Literary Devices Metaphor A comparison of two unlike things in which one of them is described as the other. The description is meant to create an image (word picture.) Jesus is the good shepherd! Click Here

Literary Devices Onomatopoeia Words that sound like what they mean such as bang, clang, clank, clamor, ring, etc. Click Here

Literary Devices Irony The written words mean something other than their actual or literal meaning. Spoken irony usually is expressed as sarcasm. Click Here

Literary Devices Foreshadowing Foreshadowing is when the narrator (person telling the story) gives clues or hints to later story events early in the story. Click Here

Literary Devices Flashback In a flashback the action of a story goes back to a previous time to explain something that is happening in the present. Click Here

Literary Devices Idiom An idiom is a simile or metaphor that is commonly used in every day speech. Usually the people who live in a area recognized the meaning of the idiom when they hear it. For example, “Don’t cross your bridges before you come to them!” or “Between a rock and a hard place!” Tied himself in knots! Click Here

Literary Devices Personification Personification is giving human characteristics to an object or an animal. Click Here

Literary Devices Dialect Dialect is writing the dialogue in a story as if a person is speaking it. Dialect reflects a characters’ regional accent and word choices. Click Here

Literary Devices Exaggerations Exaggerations are when the author purposely makes a characters abilities or accomplishments larger than life for comic effect. Click Here

Plot Elements Plot The events that happen in the story in the order that they happen. Click Here

Plot Elements Name the elements of a plot. Exposition, rising action, climax, falling action, resolution. Click Here

Plot elements Exposition Exposition introduces the characters, the setting and background information which makes the plot understandable. Click Here

Plot Elements Rising Action Rising Action introduces the conflict. Click Here

Plot Elements Climax Climax is the most exciting thing that happens in a story or it is the turning point for the main characters story. Click Here

Plot Elements Falling Action Falling Action resolves the conflict of the story. Click Here

Plot Elements Resolution Resolution is the end of the story. It ties up all loose ends in the story and gives the reader a sense of what will happen after the story. Click Here

Plot Elements Theme Theme is the lesson that the reader or the protagonist (main character) learns from the story. Click Here

Universal Theme The universal theme is a value held by many people in many different cultures. Plot Elements Click Here

Plot Elements Conflict Conflict is the problem between the protagonist (main character) and the antagonist in the story. Click Here

Plot Elements Background Information Background information is information given in the story about a character’s backstory or events that led up to the conflict between the protagonist (main story) and the antagonist. Background information does not take place in the story itself. Click Here

Plot Elements Mood or tone Mood or tone is the feeling of a story. Click Here

Characters Protagonist The protagonist is the main character in the story. Click Here

Characters Antagonist Antagonist is the character, object or event that has a conflict with the main character or protagonist. The antagonist can be a character, an event or the protagonist if the conflict is internal. Click Here

Characters Pivotal characters Pivotal characters are not the protagonist or antagonist in a story but are important to the plot of a story. Click Here

Characters What is the character’s motivation? A character’s motivation is the reason a character behaves the way he does. Click Here

Characters Dialogue Dialogue is what a character says in a story. A dialogue occurs between two or more characters. If a character is talking to himself it is a monologue. Click Here

Characters Direct Characterization In Direct characterization the leader learns about the character’s looks, abilities, hopes, dreams, etc. through a direct description in the story. Click Here

Character Indirect Characterization In indirect characterization the reader learns about a character’s abilities, dreams, hopes, etc. by what the character says and does and by what other characters say about him. Click Here

Point of View Narrator The narrator is the person telling the story. Click Here

Point of View Point of view Point of view is the viewpoint or perspective from which the story is told. Click Here

Point of View Three points of view The three points of view are first person, third person limited and third person omniscient. Click Here

Point of View First person point of view First person point of view is when the narrator (person telling the story) is a character in the story. First person point of view is easily recognized because the narrator will use first person pronouns such as: I, me, my, we, and us. Click Here

Third Person Limited Third person limited point of view is when the person telling the story (narrator) is outside the story but the narrator only tells the story from a single character’s point of view. Point of View Click Here

Point of View Third Person Omniscient Third person omniscient point of view is when the person telling the story is outside the story but he knows what every character is thinking and what will happen in the end of the story allowing the narrator to give hints (foreshadow) what will happen later in the story. The narrator is god-like or omniscient which means all-knowing. Click Here