Short Story Vocabulary
Across
- 2. Something that stands for something else more meaningful.
- 5. the process that the author uses to reveal the personality of a character.
- 7. an introduction to the characters, conflicts, setting, and basic information about the story
- 8. a character who is complex, realistic, and fully developed. They have multiple personality traits, emotions, strengths, and flaws, just like real people. Readers learn a lot about their thoughts, motivations, and struggles.
- 10. ______ irony is when a reader/audience knows information that one or more of the characters do not know.
- 11. the ending of the story; tells where characters leave off; the final details of the story
- 12. ______ irony is when someone says the opposite of what they mean or feel.
- 15. A character whose traits are very different from another character’s traits, usually the main character. These differences help highlight or emphasize the main character’s personality or choices.
- 16. When the narrator addresses the audience or readers directly.
- 17. the attitude of the speaker or narrator.
- 18. the adversary of the hero or protagonist of a drama or other literary work.
- 22. a character who changes in an important way during the story. The change usually happens because of events, challenges, or lessons the character experiences.
- 23. a struggle that takes place between a person and some outer force.
- 24. _________ vs. Character: two characters that verbally or physically have a conflict
- 25. ______ irony is when something occurs that is completely opposite of what is expected.
- 28. The narrator tells the story without revealing or describing any of the characters’ thoughts or feelings. The narrator is like a camera recording what happens. We see what characters do and say, but we do not know their thoughts.
- 32. a character who has one or two simple traits and does not change much during the story. They usually represent one clear idea or personality and are not very complex.
- 33. _________ vs. Character: a character has a conflict with the way a society functions; they can be against its laws or social norms that most others live by; for example, if a character is anti-slavery during a period of slavery
- 34. when and where a story takes place.
- 35. _________ vs. Character: when a character is trapped by an inevitable destiny or fate that they must fulfill.
- 37. Hints or clues the author gives about what might happen later in the story.
- 38. A ______ character is a character who does not change during the story. Their personality, beliefs, and behavior stay the same from the beginning to the end.
- 39. ______ Action: the conflicts start to heat up; tensions build and readers discover more interesting, in-depth details about characters and the story
- 41. Type of characterization when readers make inferences based off information in the story.
Down
- 1. the turning point of the story; the point of highest tension; the conflict reaches its peak (some cliff hangers will end on the climax)
- 3. the feeling the reader gains from the story and describes the overall atmosphere of the story.
- 4. used to create suspense, humor, or tension for a reader/audience.
- 6. The narrator only knows the thoughts and feelings of one character, usually the main character.
- 9. _________ vs. Character: the character is faced with a struggle against technology that has become too powerful.
- 13. the sequence of most significant events in a story; plot lines develop how the characters behave, interact, and details the main events that make a story whole
- 14. a struggle that takes place in someone’s mind. Example: make a tough decision.
- 19. the central idea of a work of literature that depicts a message from the author.
- 20. _________ vs. Character: when a character faces resistance from a supernatural force, such as magical forces, ghosts, or something that it unknown to the natural world.
- 21. the pivotal event in a story that disrupts the protagonist's ordinary life, sets the main conflict in motion, and compels them to take action
- 26. The narrator tells the story using “he,” “she,” or “they,” and knows the thoughts and feelings of all characters.
- 27. Type of characterization when the narrator explicitly states the type of person a character is.
- 29. ______ Action: conflicts calm down and readers are exposed to the aftermath of the climax where loose ends begin to get tied up
- 30. The narrator is inside the story and is telling the reader their own experiences and thoughts.
- 31. the leading character, hero, or heroine of a drama or other literary work.
- 36. A moment in a story that takes the reader back to an earlier event to give important background information.
- 40. _________ vs. Character: a character is conflicted by a natural force, such as weather or an animal