| Character | A person in a story, play or poem |
| Characterization | The way the author presents character in a story. It usually refers to the actions, feelings and thoughts of the characters. |
| Climax | The most exciting part of a story |
| Conflict | The struggle within a character or between central characters that causes tension in the story. |
| Imagery | The use of vivid descriptions to create a word picture or image. These words or phases usually appeal to the five senses. |
| Moral values | The lessons that we can learn from the story or poem |
| Metaphor | A way of comparing two or more things without using the words 'like' or 'as', e.g. 'Kino was a terrible machine now' (p. 84, para. 5) |
| Plot | The series of events in a story and the way they are linked together |
| Personification | The technique of giving human characteristics to non-human elements such as an object, idea or animal |
| Point of view | The angle from which the story is told, either first person or third person. |
| Protagonist | The main character in a story. |
| Setting | The time, place and social environment of the drama in a story. It usually tells readers when, where and what happens in a story. |
| Simile | A way of comparing things in an unusual or unexpected way using the words 'like' or 'as', e.g. 'He scattered the old women like chickens' (p.34, para. 2). |
| Theme | The main idea or concern in a story or poem. It refers to the comment the author is making about people and situations. |