Elements of a Short Story (Teacher Copy) - schs

Elements of a Short Story
Setting: The setting of a story is where the action takes place or when the story happens.
1. Time – The year, time of day, season
2. Place – The scenery, etc.
3. The social background – Any information which helps to set the story in its
proper perspectives (helps you to see the story more clearly. Ex. Dress, habits.)
Characters: The characters in a story are often described through physical description, speech
and actions, and direct comment from the narrator. Characters often change throughout the story.
Mood: The mood is a feeling or emotion brought out in the story which helps to create the
proper atmosphere.
Conflict: The conflict is the struggle or the problem that the story revolves around. All stories
have one or more conflicts. There are generally four different types:
1. Character against self: This involves the struggle between the character an his/her
conscience.
2. Character against Character: This involves a direct struggle between two or more of the
characters in the story.
3. Character against society: This involves the struggle between a character and the
rules/laws/expectations that govern the society in which he/she lives.
4. Character against nature: Involves a struggle between a character and elements of nature
that are beyond his/her control.
Theme: The theme is the message the author wishes his/her reader to get. This is the main idea
of the story, the reason the author wrote the story. It usually reflects human values that can apply
to anyone, and many stories have more than one theme.
Plot: The plot of the story is the outline of events. It is the action in the order which it happens.
This is the story itself, including the setting, characters, conflict, events, and climax.
Rising Action: The rising action introduces the conflict or problem in the story.
During the rising action, the main character struggles with the conflict or problem.
Denouement (falling action): In the denouement, the conflict is resolved.
Climax: The climax is the high point or turning point of the story.
Conclusion/Resolution: The conclusion is the outcome of the conflict, the end of
the story.

FIGURATIVE LANGUAGE
Personification:
To attribute to non-living things the characteristics and qualities
of persons. “The wind howled.”
Simile:
A comparison between two things using like or as.
“Jazz is like a loud colour.”
Metaphor:
A direct comparison between two things, not using like or as.
“Jazz is a loud colour.”
Euphemism:
The use of a pleasant-sounding word or phrase to avoid talking
about the unpleasant reality. “Passed Away, rather than die”.
Hyperbole:
Obvious exaggeration of the facts for comic or serious effect.
Oxymoron:
An expression that combines contradictory or opposite ideas; “A
living death”.
Onomatopoeia:
The sound of the word mimics the sound to which it refers:
“thud,” “crackle”, “buzz”.

OTHER LANGUAGE DEVICES
Connotation:
The implied meaning of a word.
Denotation:
The exact dictionary definition of a word.
Dialect:
The language of a special group or class of people.
Diction:
The words the writer chooses to express his or her meaning.
Emotive Language:
Language that evokes an emotional response in the reader.
Sensory Language:
Language that appeals to the 5 senses:
SIGHT, SOUND, SMELL, TOUCH, TASTE

Literary Devices
Situational Irony
A situation or event OPPOSITE to what one would expect
Verbal Irony
A SHARP contrast between what a character says and what he/she really
means
Dramatic Irony
A SHARP contrast between what a character says/believes and what the
author really means
Satire
A device used to ridicule an idea, person, or thing, often to provoke change
or thought. Satire usually mocks human vices or folly, and primarily uses
wit or irony.
Foreshadowing
Foreshadowing is a device of hinting at events occurring later in the work.
Flashback
Flashback is a device of recalling events taking place outside of the timeframe
of the story.
Symbolism
Something suggesting something else; something standing for something
else. “Saddam Hussein is a symbol for all evil”
Allegory (Extended Metaphor)
When a metaphor is carried through an entire piece of writing. (A story in
which persons, places, and things stand for other meanings).
Allusion
A brief reference to some person, place, or thing in history, in other
literature, or in actuality.