1. ELEMENTS
OF A STORY

2. 1. Setting
• This refers to the time and place of
the occurrence of the story. These
are often times, mentioned at the
beginning of the selection. Some
settings are directly stated like “long
time ago in a remote land,” some are
implied or suggestive as common
poetic pieces.

3. 2. Characters
• These are the people, animals or
sometimes inanimate objects that play
role in the story. The central figure of a
story is known as protagonist while
those do who cause troubles in the story
are called antagonists. Some characters
are developed constantly in the story as
they play role all throughout various
scenes (flat characters.)

4. 3. Plot
• It is the series of events that happened
in the story. A typical plot starts with
exposition where the setting and main
characters are stated, followed by a
rising action where the conflict is
introduced, climax or the most exciting
part of the story, the falling action
where the problem is given solution,
and a denouement or the ending of the
story.

5. 4. Conflict
• Conflict, on the other hand, is the
problem or the opposition of forces
that ties one incident in the story to
another. Opposing forces in the story
may be between a character and
himself, a character and another
character, a character and nature or
a character and the society.

6. 5. Theme
• The central idea or concept
where the story revolves is called
theme. Common themes are
love, betrayal, bravery, sacrifice,
social problems, politics, nature
and etc. In identifying themes,
focus on the prevailing concept
in the story.

7. 6. Lesson
• Your takeaways or realizations
after reading a story are what you
call lessons. Lessons are
commonly mistaken as theme,
but lessons are often stated in
sentences while themes are in
words or phrases.

8. 7. Point of View
• The angle from which a story is
told is the point of view of the
story. This may be first person or
an inside narrator, second person
from a conversing narrator, or
third person or an outside
narrator.

9. THE AUTHOR’S PURPOSE
• When an author knows his
purpose in writing, he will have
a clear view of how he will
present his ideas to help his
readers. An author’s purpose is
reflected in the way he writes
about a topic.

10. •To relate a story or to
recount events, an
author uses narrative
writing (news, non-
fictions, travelogues,
travel blogs)

11. •To tell what something
looks like, sounds like, or
feels like, the author
uses descriptive writing
(reviews, personality
sketch, descriptive
features, etc.)

12. •To convince a reader to
believe an idea or to take
a course of action, the
author uses persuasive
writing. (editorial,
column, propaganda, etc.)

13. •To inform or
teach the reader,
the author uses
expository
writing.