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English 11th & 12th

Mr. Ruben Fuentes
Academia Santo Toms de
Aquino Superior

The more that you read, the more

things you will know. The more that
you learn, the more places you'll go.
Dr. Seuss

Specific Objectives
The students will be able to:
1. Identify and define the elements of the short story and
the novel:

a. Title
b. Plot
c. Conflict
d. Action
e. Suspense

f. Endings
g. Settings
h. Characterization
i. Point of view
j. Theme

2. Identify the introduction, climax and

ending when given a short story or a
novel.
3. Determine the plot of a short story or
a novel.
4. Determine and explain the type of
conflict in a given short story or novel.
5. Determine and explain the setting in
a given short story or novel.

Basic story
elements
ENGLISH 11TH & 12TH
Mr. Ruben Fuentes Velez
Academia Santo Toms de Aquino
Superior

Short Story
A prose narrative too brief to be
published in a separate volume- as
novella and novels frequently are.
It is usually focused narrative that
presents one or two main characters
involved in a single compelling
action.

Short Story characteristics

Brief and
concentrated.
Aims to present a
specific aspect of
life or of conduct.
Has a structure
that readers can
follow easily.

 single plot
few characters
short period of time
quick ending

Title
Is an important part of the story.
Gives you an idea of what the story
is about.
May focus the attention upon the
central character.
May give a clue to writers purpose.
May point to the basic idea or to a
symbol.
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Settings
Stories have to take place
somewhere.
Time and place contribute to the
atmosphere of the story.
It is related to the narrators point of
view.
It may introduced at the beginning of
the story.
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 The time and location in

which a story takes place
For some stories
the setting is very
important
for others it is not
Several aspects to
consider how setting
contributes to a story
(some, or all, may be
present in a story):

Place
Time
Weather conditions
Social conditions
Mood or
atmosphere

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Character
By convention, the reader endows the
fictional character with moral, dispositional
and emotional qualities expressed in what the
character says the dialogue- by what he or
she does- the action.
What a character says and does in any
particular situation is motivated by his or her
desires, temperament and moral nature.

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protagonists

The good guys

antagonists

The bad guys

Protagonists vs antagonists

CHARACTERIZATION
The technique a writer uses to
create, reveal, or develop the
characters in a narrative.
The description of the
personalities of the characters in
the story and the way in which an
author reveals their personalities.

Examples of characterization

Plot
Name given to a particular structure
that many stories have.
Many stories do not have a plot.
How the author arranges events to
develop his basic idea
The sequence of events in a story or play
A planned, logical series of events having
a beginning, middle, and end
Short stories usually have one plot so it
can be read in one sitting
There are five essential parts of plot

 Is the sequence of
events in which each
event results from a
previous one and
causes the next.

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Plot order
1.Exposition - introduces the setting
character and the basic situation.
2.Inciting incident introduces the central
conflict.
3. Development- the conflict increases until
it reaches the climax
4. The climax is a high point of suspense.
5. Falling action or end of the central
conflict.
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Any events that occur during the falling

action make up the resolution or
denouement.
SOME PLOTS DO NOT HAVE ALL
THESE PARTS.

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Plot structure

isin
gA
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De
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Exposition

g
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Fa

on

Climax

Inciting incident/Conflict

Resolution

1. Basic Situation
2. Characters
3. Setting
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Special Techniques of
Plot

Suspense- excitement or tension

Foreshadowing- hint or clue about
what will happen in story
Flashback- interrupts the normal
sequence of events to tell about
something that happened in the past
Surprise Ending- conclusion that
reader does not expect

Symbolism
A symbol represents an idea, quality,
or concept larger than itself.

A journey can
symbolize life

A lion can be
a symbol of
courage.

Water may
represent
cleanliness
and renewal

A red rose
can
represent
love.

Flashback

This is a writers technique in which the author

interrupts the plot of the story to recreate an incident
of an earlier time (goes back in time; like giving the
reader a memory). This device is often used to
provide additional information to the reader.

Foreshadowing
This is a writers
technique in which
the author provides
clues or hints as to
what is going to
happen later in the
story. Its like the
music in a scary
movie when we know
that something bad is
about to happen.

Point of View
Is the perspective or vantage point,
from which a story is told.

Three types of point of view

First person point of view- the narrator is the
character. (I)
Omniscient third person point of view the narrator
knows and tells about what each character feels and
thinks.
Limited third person point of view the narrator
relates the inner thoughts and feelings of only one
character and everything is viewed from this
characters perspective

Point of View
Innocent Eye
story told through the eyes of a child (his/her
judgment being different from that of an adult)

Stream of Consciousness
story told so that the reader feels as if they are
inside the head of one character and knows all
their thoughts and reactions.

First Person
story told by the protagonist or one of the
characters who interacts closely with the
protagonist or other characters
using pronouns I, me, we, etc
reader sees the story through this person's eyes as
he/she experiences it and only knows what he/she
knows or feels.
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Omniscient Point Of View

Omniscient

author can narrate the story using the omniscient point of view
moves from character to character, event to event, having free access
to the thoughts, feelings and motivations of his characters and
introduces information where and when he chooses

There are two main types of omniscient point of view:

Omniscient Limited

author tells story in third person (using pronouns they, she,

he, it, etc).
We know only what the character knows and what the
author allows him/her to tell us.
We can see the thoughts and feelings of characters if the
author chooses to reveal them to us.

Omniscient Objective

author tells story in the third person

It appears as though a camera is following the characters,
going anywhere, and recording only what is seen and heard
There is no comment on the characters or their thoughts
No interpretations are offered
The reader is placed in the position of spectator without the
author there to explain
The reader has to interpret events on his own.

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Theme
is the controlling idea or central insight
is the author's underlying meaning or main
idea that he is trying to convey
may be the author's thoughts about a topic or
view of human nature
title of the short story usually points to what
the writer is saying
author may use various figures of speech to
emphasize his theme,
Symbol
Simile
Hyperbole

Allusion
Metaphor
irony
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A central message, concern, or

insight into life expressed through a
literary work
Can be expressed by one or two
sentence statement about human
beings or about life
May be stated directly or implied
Interpretation uncovers the theme
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Examples of Theme
Some simple examples of common
themes from literature, TV, and film
things are not always as they appear to
be
Love is blind
Believe in yourself
People are afraid of change
Don't judge a book by its cover

Thanks for your attention!

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