Short Story Vocabulary (Unit 2)

an interruption in the sequence of events to relate events that occurred in the past

a writer’s central idea or main message about life

the end of a play, story, or novel in which the main conflict is finally resolved

the use of hints or clues in a narrative to suggest future action

people, animals, or imaginary creatures that take part in the action of a story

the events in a play, story, or novel that follow the climax and lead to the resolution

events that give a reader background information needed to understand a story

the movement of a plot toward a climax or moment of greatest excitement

the central character in a work of literature, the one who is involved in the main conflict

the point at which the action reaches its peak; the greatest interest or suspense in a story

the verbal expression of sensory experience; descriptive or figurative language

a reference made to a well-known person, event, historical place, music, art, or literary work

imaginative language or figures of speech not meant to be taken literally

a character who is not as complex, but whose thoughts, words, or actions move the plot along

an object, animal, event, person, or place that represents itself but also something else

a literary device that exploits readers’ expectations

the perspective from which a narrative is told