English Literary Terms

The environment or surrounding in which an event or story takes place.

• mood
• external conflict
• setting
• plot

Tags

CCSS.L.8.6

CCSS.L.9-10.6

CCSS.W.8.2D

CCSS.W.9-10.2D

CCSS.W.7.2D

An educated guess drawn from evidence or reasoning.

• clue
• textual evidence
• motivation
• inference

Tags

CCSS.RL.9-10.1

CCSS.RI.8.1

CCSS.RI.9-10.1

CCSS.RL.7.1

CCSS.RL.8.1

Actions, dialogue, and narrative description that reveal a character's personality to the reader.

• Setting

• Characterization

• Personalization

• Flashback

Tags

CCSS.RL.7.3

CCSS.RL.8.3

CCSS.RL.9-10.3

CCSS.RL.6.3

CCSS.RL.11-12.3

The struggle between a character and an outside force.

• the dark side
• internal conflict
• external conflcit
• life

Tags

CCSS.L.8.6

CCSS.L.9-10.6

CCSS.W.8.2D

CCSS.W.9-10.2D

CCSS.L.7.6

The struggle occurring within the character's mind.

• Internal Conflict
• External Conlict
• Mind Conflict
• Decision Conflict

Tags

CCSS.L.8.6

CCSS.L.9-10.6

CCSS.W.8.2D

CCSS.W.9-10.2D

CCSS.W.11-12.2D

_{A universal life lesson about life or human nature. The message of the story.}

• Plot
• Summary
• Central Idea
• Theme

Tags

CCSS.L.8.6

CCSS.L.9-10.6

CCSS.W.8.2D

CCSS.W.9-10.2D

CCSS.W.7.2D

An atmosphere created by a writer's word choice and the details selected; the emotions of a scene; how it makes the reader feel.

• tone
• monotone
• mood
• foreshadowing

Tags

CCSS.RL.7.3

CCSS.RL.8.3

CCSS.RL.9-10.3

CCSS.RL.6.3

CCSS.RL.11-12.3

Where a writer/narrator gives an advance hint of what is going to happen later on in the story. Any event, action, dialogue or thought that gives a clue to what is going to happen.

• irony
• flashback
• foreshadowing
• theme

Tags

CCSS.RL.7.3

CCSS.RL.8.3

CCSS.RL.9-10.3

CCSS.RL.6.3

CCSS.RL.11-12.3

When an author interrupts the chronological sequence of a story by inserting past events. 

• flashback
• foreshadowing
• flashshadowing
• foreback

Tags

CCSS.RL.7.3

CCSS.RL.8.3

CCSS.RL.9-10.3

CCSS.RL.11-12.5

CCSS.RL.9-10.5

The series of events consisting of characters, actions and conflict in a story.

• setting

• theme

• plot

• mood

Tags

CCSS.L.8.6

CCSS.L.9-10.6

CCSS.W.8.2D

CCSS.W.9-10.2D

CCSS.L.11-12.6