Unit 9: The Short Story

17 words 514 learners

Learn words with Flashcards and other activities

Definition First
Print Flashcards

Other learning activities

Answer a few questions about each word. Use this to prep for your next quiz! Compete with other teams in real time to see who answers the most questions correctly! Test your spelling acumen. Read the definition, listen to the word and try spelling it!

Teaching tools

Create and assign quizzes to your students to test their vocabulary. Assign learning activities including Practice, Vocabulary Jams and Spelling Bees to your students, and monitor their progress in real-time.

Full list of words from this list:

words only definitions & notes
  1. short story
    a brief but fully developed prose narrative
    The short story is a short fictional narrative. Like a novel, a short story must contain a well-developed plot, authentic characters, and a theme.
  2. setting
    the context and environment in which something is situated
    The setting is the time and place of the unfolding action and includes the details used to create a sense of a particular time and place.
  3. mood
    a characteristic state of feeling
    The details that create the setting also set a mood, or atmosphere, which is the emotion created in the reader.
  4. narrator
    someone who tells a story
    The narrator is the character or speaker who tells a story.
  5. point of view
    the perspective from which a story is told
    Point of view is the perspective from which the story is told.
  6. omniscient
    knowing, seeing, or understanding everything
    A third-person narrator can be either limited in point of view or omniscient (all knowing).
  7. characterization
    a vivid verbal description
    Characterization is the act of creating or describing a character.
  8. dialogue
    the lines spoken by characters in drama or fiction
    Dialogue, or conversation, is Lessing’s primary device for creating characters in the short story “Sparrows.”
  9. plot
    the story that is told, as in a novel, play, movie, etc.
    A plot is the series of events related to the central conflict, or struggle.
  10. conflict
    opposition in a work of fiction between characters or forces
    A plot is the series of events related to the central conflict, or struggle.
  11. exposition
    an account that sets forth the intent of a story
    The first element of plot, the exposition, provides background information about the characters, setting, or conflict and usually appears at the beginning of the story.
  12. rising action
    a series of plot events that build up toward the climax
    The rising action sets up the conflict or problem that the protagonist (main character) must resolve.
  13. climax
    the decisive moment in a novel or play
    The climax of the plot is the high point of interest or suspense.
  14. falling action
    series of plot events following the climax of a narrative
    The falling action consists of all the events that follow the climax.
  15. resolution
    something settled
    The resolution is the point at which the central conflict is ended, or resolved.
  16. theme
    the subject matter of a conversation or discussion
    A theme is a central message or perception about life that is revealed through a literary work.
  17. imply
    express or state indirectly
    A stated theme is presented directly, whereas an implied theme must be inferred.
Created on Tue Mar 09 10:30:59 EST 2021 (updated Mon Jun 21 12:32:57 EDT 2021)

Sign up now (it’s free!)

Whether you’re a teacher or a learner, Vocabulary.com can put you or your class on the path to systematic vocabulary improvement.