Structural Techniques Flashcards
Dialogue
Conversation between two or more characters.
Flashback
A section in a text that is set before the events of the main story.
Future tense
A verb that describes something that will happen in the future, e.g. ‘they will laugh’
Narrator
The person who tells the story
Past tense
A verb that describes something that happened in the past, eg. ‘They laughed’
Point of view
The way a character regards events or people
Present tense
A verb that describes something that is happening now, eg. ‘They laugh’ or ‘they are laughing’
Sequence
The order in which things happen
Setting
Where the events take place
Structure
The organization of a text
Climax
The most exciting point in a story
Empathize
To understand and share someone else’s feelings
First person perspective
The point of view of a character involved in the action of the story, using ‘I’
Protagonist
The main character of the play
Complication
The point where the action of the scene becomes more intense.
Conflict
Where 2 or more characters oppose each other
Exposition
A detailed explanation of a scene or event.
Falling action
The action in the scene after the climax.
Foreshadowing
A hint at what will happen later in the play
Dramatic Irony
When the audience knows and understands something that a character does not
Pathos
A quality of the play’s action that makes an audience feel pity for a character.
Dramatic tension
The way in which suspense is developed in a scene. This is how a playwright keeps the audience interested.
Inciting incident
The point at which the action of the play or the scene really takes off.
