Category: Topics in the syllabus

Stage directions are instructions in the script of a play that tell actors how to enter, where to stand, when to move, also information about the lighting, scenery, props, and sound effects.

Stage directions give vital information for the action and relationships between people, things and places inside the play script. 

There are 9 main sections in stage:

They are often in abbreviated form. Here's what they mean:

• C: Center stage
• D: Downstage
• U: Upstage
• R: Right
• L: Left
• DR: Downstage right
• DL: Downstage left
• ​UR: Upstage right
• UL: Upstage left

 Setting
​(It’s a bright sunny day in the castle)

How the character feels
(ROBIN HOOD is angry) Shut up!
(surprised) I didn’t expect to see you here.

How the character moves
(Enter ROBIN HOOD, armed with a sword) 
(Enter all but BENVOLIO. Enter ROMEO) 
​​(MAID MARIAN covers her face with her hands) Oh my God!
​(They fight)
(Taking JULIET’s hand) Your hand is like a holy place that my hand is unworthy to visit. 
​(sits at the table at the left side of LYNDA) He was doing his best.
(He climbs the wall, and leaps down within it)
(Exit)

How the character speaks
​(Laughing) What a fool!​

Act: One of the main divisions of a play.
Antagonist: A character, situation, feeling, idea, or thing that opposes the main character.
Balcony: Area above the stage roof used for balcony scenes or for seating musicians or members of the audience.
Cast: The actors and actresses in a play. 
Characters: People who take part in the story. 
Chorus: The chorus was a single person who recited a prologue.
Dialogue: What the characters say in the play. 
Enter: Stage direction indicating the entrance onto the stage of a character or characters.
Exit: Stage direction indicating the departure of a character from the stage. 
Monologue: A long dramatic speech by a single actor.
Prologue: The introduction of a play.
Protagonist: The main character.
Scene:  The part of an act that takes place in one location.

Category: Vocabulary

Category: Topics in the syllabus

Plot is a chain of connected events in a story or play. It's a planned and logical series of events having a beginning, middle and end. Generally, there must be a cause-and-effect relationship between the events.
​

​There is a specific plot structure that most stories follow. In fact, there are six main plot parts to be aware of:

1. Exposition.
2. Conflict.
3. Rising action.
4. Climax.
5. Falling action.
6. Resolution.

The exposition is the introduction to the story. Characters and setting are introduced.

The conflict is the primary problem that drives the plot of the story, often a main goal for the main character to achieve or overcome.

In rising action, the story becomes complicated. The main character is in crisis and there are ​multiple moments of conflict that escalate and create tension.

The climax is the peak of the action. At this point, the main character confront the big conflict. The most action, drama, change, and excitement occurs here. A choice must be made that will affect the rest of the story.

In falling action, the conflict that arose as a result of the climax can start being resolved. The story begins to slow down and complications begin to resolve.

The resolution is the end of the story and it brings the story to its happy or tragic ending. The conflict from the climax has been resolved and there is a new sense of normalcy for the characters.

Exposition
Three little pigs leave home and build their houses. 
Conflict
One day, a hungry wolf comes along. 
Rising actions 

• Wolf comes to the first house of straw and blows it down.
• Wolf destroys the second stick house. 
• Wolf goes to the third brick house, huffs, puffs, but can't tear it down.

Climax
The wolf decides to sneak down the chimney to get the pigs. 
Falling action
The wolf falls into boiling pot of soup and gets burned. 
Resolution

• The wolf is so scared of the three little pigs that he runs off into the forest. 
• The three little pigs are never bothered by the wolf again.
• They live happily ever after. 

Category: Topics in the syllabus

Learn how to analyze a poem is a complex task.  Follow the following tips to improve your reading skills:

The first thing you should do is reading the poem aloud. It will give a complete experience because the poems follow a particular rhythm. One of the traditional differences between regular literature and poetry is the use of rhythm. ​It's a way of conveying meaning. Recurring rhythms, rhymes or pronunciations often transform a poem into music.
​

​The title may give you some image or association to start with. The title should give you some ideas of the poem’s subject, tone, or genre. ​

Poetry often conveys a message through figurative language. Theme is the personal opinion of the poet. ​Many poems have more than one theme, and they are closely related to the feelings the poet is trying to convey.
​

Word choice can tell you a lot about a poem as well. It ​creates the mood and tone of a poem. Scan the poem for words that aren’t familiar, circle them, and look them up. Write their meanings off to the side. If the definition you wrote down doesn’t make sense in the context of the poem, you might need to choose a different one.

The who, what, where, when, and why of a poem can help explain its purpose. Consider the historical and geographical context, such as the year and circumstances in which the poem was written. 
​

Category: Topics in the syllabus

The manuscript of a play, especially as prepared for use by actors in rehearsals.

Title
It’s the name of the play.
​
Playwright
It’s the author of the play.

Characters
They are different people that take part in the story.

Cast
The actors and actresses in a play.

Setting
It tells the time and place where the play happens in.

Stage directions
They tell actors/actresses what to do and where to go on stage, how to move and how to say their dialogues.

Dialogues
​They are the lines the characters speak in the play.