9th Grade Lit Terms

Time, day, or place of a story

• conflict

• theme

• setting

• falling action

The struggle between opposing forces

• conflict

• theme

• setting

• falling action

Action occurring after the climax to the tie up loose ends

• symbol

• falling action

• setting

• theme

A person, place, object, or idea that represents something other than itself

• theme

• setting

• falling action

• symbol

The main idea or message in a literary work

• flashback

• simile

• inference

• theme

The highest point of interest or action / turning point

• climax

• rising action

• plot

• exposition

An episode or event that occurred in the past

• flashback

• exposition

• plot

• rising action

The events that lead up to the climax

• allusion

• rising action

• point of view

• antagonist

Gives background information that is necessary to understand what is going on

• protagonist

• inference

• exposition

• metaphor

The chain of related events that takes place in a story

• conflict

• plot

• point of view

• antagonist