EXAMPLE: Romeo predicts that going to the Capulets' ball will have “some consequence” that will end in “untimely death.”

Presenting past events to better explain and provide background about current events in a story. Usually presented through a character's remembering.

EXAMPLE: In The Odyssey, Odysseus has a flashback about his 10 year trip and he tells his story.

A long and narrative poem celebrating the heroic achievements of its hero.

EXAMPLE: The Iliad

Intentional extreme exaggeration used as a figure of speech for comedy or emphasis.

EXAMPLE: I'm so hungry I could eat a horse.

A phrase comprised of seemingly contradictory (opposite) terms.

EXAMPLE: jumbo shrimp

The part of the plot that tells how the story begins. Gives background information about the characters, events, and setting of a novel, play or movie.

EXAMPLE: A little girl lost her mother and father and lives with her mean step-mother in a castle long, long ago.

The main character or hero in a work of literature. EXAMPLE: Cinderella

The main opponent of the main character in a work of literature.EXAMPLE: Darth Vader

The highest point or most exciting point in the story. It is the turning point in the action. In a plot line, the climax occurs after the rising action and before the falling action.

EXAMPLE: Cinderella tries on the glass slipper and it fits!

The part of the story's plot line in which the problem of the story is resolved or worked out. This occurs after the falling action and is typically where the story ends.

EXAMPLE: Cinderella and the prince live happily ever after.