Elements
of a
Short Story
Ms. Ghie D.Vidar
SALIS

Objectives
Elements of a Short Story
• Identify and define
elements of a short story
• Demonstrate mastery of
short story elements by
creating story grammar

Overview
A Short Story is similar to your dish. It needs
the best ingredients for you to enjoy its delectable taste.
Elements of a Short Story
Stories are made up of four important
elements:
Setting
Characters, Plot,
and Theme

Setting
Tells the reader where and when
the story takes place.

Characters and
Characterization
The people, and in some stories,
the animals that take part in
the story.
The description of the personalities
of the characters in the story and
the way in which an author
reveals their personalities.

Two Identifications of
Characters
1. Protagonist –
the hero of the story
2. Antagonist –
the villain in the story
who is always
opposing the
protagonist

Methods of Characterization
Creating Believable Characters
• Indirect
– physical appearance
– speech, thoughts,
feelings, or actions of
the character
– speech, thoughts,
feelings, or actions of
other characters
• Direct
– the narrator’s
direct
comments
about a
character

Plot
• The chain of related events that
take place in a story.
• Built around conflict, which is
a struggle between opposing
forces.

PLOT DIAGRAM
Resolution
Climax
Exposition
Conflict
• The plot is the sequence or order of events in a story.
• The plot includes:
Exposition Statement
The part of the plot that tells how
the story begins.
Rising Action
The action in the story leading up
to the climax.
Conflict
The struggles or problems between
opposing forces.
Climax
The point of crisis in the plot. It
may be the reader’s point of
highest interest.
Fallingaction
The action in the story after
the climax is revealed.
Resolution
The part of the plot that reveals
the final outcome.

-Man vs. Man
-Man vs. Nature
-Man vs. Obstacle or Society
- Man vs. Supernatural Being
-Man vs. Himself
Types of Conflict

Theme
Ex.
Love
Family Feud
Themes from ‘The Tragedy of Romeo and Juliet’
• The main idea of a story.
• It is not a moral, lesson, or a
rule for living.

CONCLUSION
Now that we have identified
and defined the elements of a
short story, let us use the
elements to analyze a Short
Story.
You may use your notes from
the PowerPoint presentation to
assist you when reading..

Bibliography
Dinneen, K. Elements of the Short Story. Retrieved Jun.
19, 2003, from Yale-New Haven Teachers Institute:
http://www.yale.edu/ynhti/curriculum/units/1983/3/83.03.09.x.html
Five Elements of a Story. Retrieved Jun. 19, 2003,
http://www.teachervision.com/lesson-plans/lesson-2277.html
Guevin, D. Short Story Elements. Retrieved Jun. 19, 2003,
http://www.uvm.edu/~dguevin/Elements.html