Transcript Terms and Definitions Be sure to copy these terms and definitions

Terms and Definitions
Be sure to copy these terms and
definitions for review throughout
Language Arts.
Protagonist
 Prefix= pro- (for, or in
favor of)
 Suffix= -ist (indicates a
person who does
something)
The hero, or
good guy, in
the story.
Antagonist
 Prefix = anta(against)
 Suffix = -ist (indicates
a person who
does something)
The Antagonist is
the villain, or bad
guy, in the story.
He/she acts
against the
Protagonist.
Metaphor
Comparing unlike things without
using like or as.
example:
He was a tiger on the football
field.
(compare the tiger’s speed and agility to that of a football player)
Simile
Comparing unlike things
using like or as.
example:
She was as quiet as a mouse.
(a person is unlike a mouse)
Personification
 Root word= personify
 Suffix= -tion (the act of)
 Giving human qualities to nonhuman things.
example:
The stars watched over the
slumbering campers.
(stars are inanimate objects that can’t really watch, like people do)
Genre
Type of literature
• Fiction
(false)
• Non-Fiction
(true)
• Poetry
(poems)
• Drama
(scripted
plays, movies,
etc.)
Theme
One word, or a short sentence, that
tells what the overall idea is behind
a story.
A message about life that the story
displays.
examples: love, hurt, evil, anger, war,
triumph, etc.
Setting
The time
and place in
which the
story occurs.
Plot
A series of
events that tell
what the story is
about.
The main
characters must
interact in order
to move the plot.
Foreshadowing
 Root word = shadow
 Prefix = fore- (coming before)
 Hidden clues that something is about to
happen.
 It could be a statement that a character
makes, or it could be an unexplainable
change in a character’s actions.
 Sometimes, it is the change in background
music in a movie.
Point of View
The way the narrator sees it…
The perspective, or vantage
point, from which the narrator
tells the story.
1st person (I...)
2nd person (You...)
3rd person (He/she/it...)
omniscient (narrator sees all action
and gets deep into the thoughts of
the characters)
Main Idea
The main point (main thought)
a writer/author intends to make
in a paragraph, story, essay,
etc.
The topic sentence of a
paragraph.
The main thing the writer writes
about.
Climax
The height of
action or
most
suspenseful
moment in the
story.
Falling Action
Events that occur after the
climax, but before the
resolution. Suspense
starts to decline. Problems
are resolved and the end of
the story is near.
Resolution
 Synonym = resolve.
 Root word = solve.
 Suffix = -tion (the act of)
Conflict is resolved.
Peace is restored.
The end of the
story.
...now that you have these notes...
Make sure you have a note card on the
vocabulary ring for each term in this
presentation. You will use these terms
throughout your Language Arts
experience.