Short Story Definitions Flashcards
What is a short story?
A short story organizes the actions of its characters into the pattern of a plot. It is a single episode that begins, develops, and ends in a limited space.
What is the plot?
The structure of actions and events. Short stories only have one plot because they’re so short.
What are the five parts of a plot.
Exposition, rising action, climax, falling action, and denouement.
What is the exposition?
It establishes the setting, characters, and plot.
What is the rising action?
When the main conflict is developed with suspenseful events.
What is the climax?
The peak of the conflict or suspense and the most exciting part.
What is the falling action?
The action/reaction(s), leading towards a conclusion.
What is the denouement?
The resolution/conclusion, where all loose ends are tied up.
What is the setting?
The physical location of the story.
What is the atmosphere?
The mood of the story.
What is the theme?
The main idea/message, which is usually a thought or observation on life.
What should a thematic statement be?
Thematic statements are rarely just one word as it’s meant to be the sentence summary of the story’s controlling idea.
How can themes be interpretive?
Themes can be interpretive, which means the author expects the reader to think when they read to find his or her message through actions/dialogue of the story.
What are characters?
When the main action and theme revolves around them.
What is a protagonist?
The ‘hero’.
What is an antagonist?
The ‘villain’.
What is the conflict?
The main struggle in the short story.
What are the five types of conflict?
Person vs Person, Person vs Self, Person vs Nature, Person vs Society, and Person vs God.
What is Person vs Person?
The antagonist vs the protagonist.
What is Person vs Self?
The personal inner struggles of a character.
What is Person vs Nature?
Weather and animals.
What is Person vs Society?
Teens, rules, and authority.
What is Person vs God?
Religious beliefs and world problems.
What is suspense?
The uncertainty of what is going to happen.
What is foreshadowing?
When the author provides clues to indicate future events.
When is foreshadowing exhibited through?
Dialogue, the inner thoughts of characters, descriptions of setting, the weather, and flashbacks.
What are the three types of irony?
Situational irony, verbal irony, and dramatic irony.
What is situational irony?
When the opposite of what expected occurs.
What is verbal irony?
When what is said is the exact opposite of what the person really feels/thinks.
What is dramatic irony?
When the reader knows things the characters do not.
What is a symbol?
A character, action, setting or object that represents something else.
Can characters’ names be symbolic?
Yes.
Where are symbols often referred to and often emphasised at?
The beginning or ending of a story.
What is a declarative sentence?
A sentence that makes a statement and ends with a period.
What is an interrogative sentence?
A sentence that asks a question and ends with a question mark.
What is an exclamatory sentence?
A sentence that shows strong feeling and ends with an exclamation mark.
What is an imperative sentence?
A sentence that gives a command and is sometimes the subject of an imperative sentence is understood.
What is the descriptive paragraph?
It describes the object, person, place, event or whatever the topic is in full detail.
What is the narrative paragraph?
I tells a story and the writer is the narrator of this story.
What is the expository paragraph?
It explains something or proves something as it persuasively explains the writer.
What is the topic sentence in a paragraph?
It embodies the main idea and sets up what the paragraph is about.
What is the body of the paragraph?
The main part of the paragraph and the reason the paragraph exists. It can be anywhere to 5 sentences long to 50. The body of the paragraph includes sufficient evidence, details, examples, definitions, or explanations.
What is the concluding sentence of a paragraph?
What summarises the main point of the paragraph.
What are transition words?
They are like the bridges between sentences that help connect ideas and allow ideas to run smoothly and coherently.
What is a comma?
A punctuation mark that is used for a range of purposes.
What is the point of view?
It affects the events and the character of development of the story. A story can be told by one (or several) of any characters involved in the story, or it may be told by a narrator not involved in the story.
What is first person narration?
When the narrator that tells the story is involved in the story as the story is told from the inside. First person narration uses the word ‘I’ to identify his/her actions and thoughts.
What are the advantages and disadvantages of first person narration?
Advantages: See through their eyes.
Disadvantages: Bias - only hear their opinions.
What is third person limited narration?
When the narrator is outside of the story as he is watching, describing, and reacting to the events and characters of the story.
What are the advantages and disadvantages of third person limited narration?
Advantages: Person gets to play the roles of both narrator and main character.
Disadvantages: Bias - don’t get into all the characters’ heads.
What is third person omniscient narration?
The narrator is outside the story, but he is almost god-like because he knows the characters’ thoughts and feelings.
What are the advantages and disadvantages of third person omniscient narration?
Advantages: No surprises - nothing hidden
Disadvantages: No suspense, foreshadowing
What is internal conflict?
A struggle within a person between opposing thoughts, desires, or values.
What is external conflict?
A problem, antagonism, or struggle that takes place between a character and an outside force.
What is direct characterisation?
When the author or characters tell us about characters.
What is indirect characterisation?
When words, thoughts, actions, or descriptions of characters allow us to learn about characters by drawing our own conclusions/inferences.
What are flat characters?
Characters who we only know a little about.
What are round characters?
Characters who we know lots about.
What are stock characters?
Characters who are stereotypical/predictable.
What are static characters?
Characters who do not grow/develop during the story, but stay the same.
What are dynamic characters?
Characters who grow and develop during a story and are different at the end due to their experiences.
How does a sentence with an active voice work?
The subject does the action.
How does a sentence with a passive voice work?
The subject is acted upon.
Why is it best to avoid the passive voice?
Sentences in the passive voice can be awkward, compared to the active voice, which is clearer and more direct.
What can the passive voice be sometimes used for?
To place emphasis on the object, rather than the subject, of the sentence.
