Reading & writing · Grades 5–12
Reading and literary analysis · quick reference
Support an interpretation with specific details. A theme is a developed idea, not simply one word such as friendship.
Key terms at a glance
Narrator
The voice that tells a story.
Protagonist
A central character whose actions or experiences organize a story.
Antagonist
A character or force that opposes the protagonist.
Setting
The time, place and surrounding conditions of a story.
Plot
The arrangement of events in a narrative.
Conflict
A struggle between opposing goals, forces or values in a story.
Climax
A point of greatest tension or a major turning point in a narrative.
Resolution
The part of a narrative in which central conflicts are settled or brought to a stopping point.
Theme
An underlying idea explored through a text, rather than just its topic.
Inference
A conclusion supported by clues and reasoning, not always explicitly stated.
Summary
A concise account of the essential points of a text.
Simile
An explicit comparison often using like or as.
Metaphor
A comparison that describes one thing in terms of another without a literal equivalence.
Personification
Attributing human qualities to something non-human.
Hyperbole
Deliberate exaggeration used for effect.
Alliteration
Repetition of initial consonant sounds in nearby words.
Imagery
Descriptive language that evokes sensory experience.
Symbol
An object, action or detail that also represents a broader idea in context.
Tone
The attitude conveyed by a text's language and choices.
Mood
The atmosphere or feeling a text creates for a reader.
Irony
A meaningful contrast between what is expected, stated or understood and what actually occurs or is meant.
Foreshadowing
An earlier detail that hints at a later development.
Flashback
A narrative shift to events earlier than the current story time.
Allusion
A reference to another work, event or cultural material without fully explaining it.
Unreliable narrator
A narrator whose account the reader has reason to question.
Learning preview · teacher review required. Grade bands are approximate, not official curriculum alignment.