English Terms

Protagonist

The main character in a story, often facing conflicts and challenges.

Climax

The point of highest tension or drama in a narrative, where the main conflict reaches a turning point.

Conflict

The struggle between opposing forces, which drives the plot of a story.

Point of View

The perspective from which the story is told, such as first person, second person, or third person.

Symbol

An object, character, figure, or color used to represent abstract ideas or concepts.

Theme

The central idea or message that runs through a literary work.

Foreshadowing

A literary device used to give an indication or hint of what is to come later in the story.

Antagonist

The character or force in conflict with the protagonist, which creates tension in the narrative.

Motif

A recurring element, theme, or idea that has symbolic significance in a story.

Setting

The time and place in which the story occurs.

Plot

The sequence of events that make up a story, including the exposition, rising action, climax, falling action, and resolution.

Irony

A literary technique in which the intended meaning is opposite of the actual meaning; often involves contradictions.

Dialect

A particular form of a language specific to a region or social group, which includes unique vocabulary and grammar.

Characterization

The process by which an author introduces and develops characters in a story.

Denouement

The final resolution or outcome of the story after the climax, where the plot strands are drawn together.

Bildungsroman

A literary genre that focuses on the psychological and moral growth of the protagonist from youth to adulthood.

Flashback

A narrative technique that interrupts the chronological flow of a story to revisit an earlier event.