complicating incident : an important early event that signals that the action is about to start

conflict : a clash or struggle between people, ideas, or feelings; characters can have a conflict within themselves, with another character, or with society or nature

exposition ( sound file ) : the beginning of a story where the setting, characters, and basic situations are usually introduced

falling action : the part of the plot where issues are resolved and questions are answered

imagery : language that creates a mental picture by appealing to the senses, that makes readers see, hear, smell, taste, or feel things in their imagination; for example, "the coal-black night," "the stinging cold," "the rapping and tapping of rain on the roof"

memoir : a narrative composed from personal experience

plot : what happens in a story; the sequence of events

resolution : the solution or working out of a literary conflict

rising action : a series of events that builds interest or suspense

setting : where and when a literary work takes place