Literary Elements

A comparison of two unlike things without using "like" or "as"

• simile
• metaphor
• theme
• alliteration

A story is told from the perspective of the main character referring to himself/herself as ”I”

• foreshadowing
• second person
• first person point of view
• third person point of view

The message about life or human nature that the story expresses; a universal truth

• theme
• plot
• setting
• moral

Descriptive language that paints a picture in the reader's by appealing to the five senses

• flashback
• foreshadowing
• plot
• imagery

Giving human traits to something that is nonhuman

• simile
• metaphor
• idiom
• personification

The story of a person’s life written by another person

• biography
• autobiography
• historical fiction
• fiction

A character's problem or struggle such as jealousy, anger, or fear

• characterization
• flashbask
• internal conflict
• mood

 When and where the story takes place

• plot
• characters
• setting
• narration

An interruption in the present action of a story to tell what happened at an earlier time

• flashback
• foreshadowing
• personification
• imagery

An account that is made up rather than true; usually refers to novels and short stories

• nonfiction
• fiction
• biography
• autobiography