Week One Vocabulary

Remember, your first vocabulary quiz will be Friday, October 31.

Vocabulary Week One: Elements of a Story

1. Theme: A unifying idea that is a recurrent (repeated) element in the story.
2. Plot: The combination of events that makes up a story.
3. Conflict: An open clash between two opposing groups.
4. Climax: The “high point” or most intense point of a story.
5. Protagonist: The principal or main character in the story.
6. Antagonist: Someone who offers opposition, often—but not always—the “bad guy.”
7. Setting: Where the story takes place. This often includes the time period (the Old West, World War I) and the geographic location (Rome, the countryside, Hogwarts).
8. Resolution: Gives a solution to the problem and begins to tie things up.
9. Character: A person (or person-like animal or thing) that carries out the action in the story.
10. Motivation: The reason behind a certain character’s actions.