Elements of Drama

Aristotle
- A Greek philosopher whose writings still influence us today was the first to write about
the essential elements of drama more than 2000 years ago

Plot
- Refers to the action; basic storyline of the play
Theme
- Meaning of the play; the main idea or lesson learned from the play
Characters
- The people (sometimes animals or ideas) portrayed by actors in the play
- Characters who move the action or plot of the play forward
Dialogue
- Words written by the playwright and spoken by characters
- Helps move and connect the actions
Music/Rhythm
- Actors’ voices as they speak their dialogues
Spectacle
- The visual elements of the play
- Everything that the audience sees
Convention
- Techniques and methods used by the playwright to create the desire stylistic effects
Genre
- Type of play
Audience
- People who watch the play
- Most important element of drama

1. Literary Elements

Six stages in plot structure

1. Initial incident
- Event that gets the story going
2. Preliminary event
- Whatever takes place before the action of the play
 3. Rising action
- Series of events following the initial incident and leading up to climax
4. Climax
- Turning point of the story
5. Falling action
- Series of events following the climax
6. Denouement
- Conclusion; from the French word for unraveling

Exposition
- Who, when, where, and what part of the play

Story Organization
- Beginning, middle, and ed
Conflict
- Internal or external struggle between opposing forces, ideas, or interests
Suspense
- Feeling of uncertainty as to the outcome
- Used to build interest and excitement
Language
- The particular manner of verbal expression, the diction or style of writing, or the
speech or phrasing
Style
- The shaping of dramatic material, settings, or costumes
Soliloquy
- Speech by single actor who is alone on stage
Monologue
- Long speech made by one actor
- May be delivered alone or in the presence of others

2. Technical Elements

Scenery (set)
- The theatrical equipment used in dramatic production to communicate environment
Costumes
- Clothing and accessories worn by actors
Props
- Any article except costume or scenery used as part of a dramatic production
- Any movable object
Lights
- Placement, intensity, and color of lights that help convery environment, mood, or
feeling
Sound
- Effects that an audience hears
Make-up
- Costumes, wigs, and body paint used to transform an actor into a character

3. Performance Elements

Acting
- Use of face, body, and voice to portray characters
Character Motivation
- Reason or reasons for a character’s behavior
Character Analysis
- Process of examining how the elements of drama are used
Empathy
- Capacity to relate to the feelings of another
Speaking
- Mode of expression or delivery of lines
Breath Control
- Proper use of the lungs and diaphragm muscle
Vocal Expression
- How an actor uses his or her voice to convey character
Inflection
- Change in pitch or loudness of voice
Projection
- How well the voice carries to the audience
Speaking style
- Mode of expression or delivery of lines
Diction
- Selection and pronunciation of words; clarity of speech
Nonverbal expressions
Gestures
- Any movement of the actor’s hand, shoulder, arm, leg, or foot to convey meaning
Facial expressions
- Physical and vocal aspects used by an actor to convey mood, feeling, or personality

Argumentative essay
- A kind of writing that aims to make the reader agree with the writer’s opinion about a
controversial or debatable issue
- It is a genre of writing that requires students to investigate a topic, collect, generate,
and evaluate evidence and establish a position on the topic in a concise manner. It is
highly persuasive and logical
- presents and explains an issue or case
- gives reasons and supports to prove its point
- refutes or proves wrong opposing arguments
Parts:
1. Introduction
- It introduces the problem and gives the background information needed for
the argument and a clear, concise, and defined thesis statement.
2. Body
- It contains paragraphs that give evidential support whether factual, logical,
statistical, or anecdotal.
3. Conclusion
- It restates the main claim and gives one or two general statements which
summarizes the arguments and supports the main premise.
Guidelines on how to write an argumentative essay
1. PLANNING STAGE
- Find a good topic
- Consider both sides of your topic and take a position
- Gather evidence

2. WRITING STAGE
- Introduce your topic and assert your opinion
- Present both sides of the controversy

3. TIPS
- Avoid emotional language
 - Don’t make up evidence
- Cite your source
- Make an outline
- Be prepared to defend your side

Step 1: Formulate your claim or argument on the issue

Step 2: Look for your evidence to support your claim/argument
Step 3: Write your argumentative essay in this following format
- Introduction
- Introduce the issue
- Give background information
- State your claim/thesis statement
- Body
- Present your evidence (reason + supporting details) Note: each paragraph must
contain one reason and its supporting details; the supporting evidence may
include examples, statistics, personal experiences, or quotations
- Includes counterclaim + rebuttal
- Conclusion
- A general statement that supports your claim or thesis statement
- A quotation or call to action

To persuade readers, the following techniques may be used:

1. Analogy
2. Comparison-Contrast
3. Definition
4. Analysis

Extemporaneous Speech
- It is a limited-preparation speech event based on research and original analysis. It is
especially applied to an unmemorized speech given based from notes or an outline
- A speech where the ideas are prepared but the language is definitely composed at the
moment of delivery. The speaker knows beforehand that he is going to speak;
therefore, he has time to prepare. But he stops short of fixing the actual language of
his speech
- is delivered with or without notes
Impromptu Speech
- It is derived from a Latin phrase meaning “in readiness” which is applied to a speech
given, a poem recited, or a song sung without preparation ahead of time
- It is a speech where the development of both the ideas and the language is thought
out only at the same moment of delivery
- The impromptu speaker has no time to prepare; he does not know beforehand that he
is going to speak. Therefore, an impromptu speech may not work out well when the
subject needs thorough preparation and organization

Definition
- is a mode of paragraph development that answers the questions: What is it? What
does it mean? What are its special features? The word to be defined may be an object,
a concept, a person, a place, or a phenomenon.
- are a core part of any dictionary. Writing basic definitions require skill, practice, and
sometimes help. Clarity, brevity, and conciseness should be observed when writing
definitions

Basic Guidelines in Writing a Definition

1. Just the dictionary facts
- A definition should contain information about the word and what the word
refers to
2. Avoid complicated terms
- Avoid terms that are more complicated or more technical than the term being
defined
3. Avoid specific terms
- Use conventional English words in explanation whenever possible.
4. Avoid circularity
- It is not good to define a word with the same word used in the definition
5. Make it simple
- Write with simple grammatical structures rather than complex one

Two types of definition

1. Technical Definition
- It is a detailed description of a term
- It is a definition in technical communication describing or explaining technical
terminology.
 - Mostly refers to the aspect of explaining or describing any technical terms or
terminology.
- Technical definitions could be used in expanding the vocabulary since most of
these terms are explained in the exact manner.
Types of technical definitions:
1. Parenthetical Definitions
- used to define a simpler term with a short description enclosed
in parenthesis immediately after the term
2. Sentence Definitions
- used to define more complex terms in couple of sentences
3. Expanded Definitions
- used to define terms with a very detailed explanation using
examples and visual

2. Operational definition
- It is an application of the terms operationalization to define the process needed
to determine the nature of an item or phenomenon and its properties
- is more on the application of the word.

Linear text
- It comes from the word “line”.
- This is the most common type text that needs to be read from beginning to end. It
focuses on the arrangement of the words, both grammatically and stylistically.
- Generally, texts printed on paper are considered as linear texts.
- All those texts we read from the beginning to the end, are linear texts.

Nonlinear text
- The readers do not have to go through the text in a sequential manner in order to
make sense of the text.
- Most people consider texts with visuals or graphs along with it as examples for
nonlinear texts
Tables
- Organize data into rows and columns to simplify groups of related numbers
Graphs
- Graphical representation of data
- Represented by symbols or legends
 - Used to ease understanding of large quantities of data and show the relationships of
the data
- Examples are bar graph, line graph, pie graph, and histogram
Maps
- A map chart is used to show items on a background that is often, but not always,
geographical

Interpreting Nonlinear text

1. Read the title/label
2. Pay attention to every information provided (title, labels, legends, notes)
3. Understand the scales of measurement used
4. Pay attention to the trends (increase/decrease/stable)
5. Make general conclusions

Top tips for writing

1. Start by saying exactly what the pie chart shows. Avoid copying words in the question
— use other words with similar meanings
2. Mention the survey question that participants answered
3. Explain what the different sections of the pie chart refer to
4. Describe the key findings shown in the pie chart

Claims
- It is a single statement, a topic of an argument, and not a question. It is the central
argument or thesis statement of the text. It is what the writer tries to prove in the text
by providing details, explanations, and other types of evidence

Characteristics of good claims

1. A claim should be argumentative and debatable
2. A claim should be specific and focused
3. A claim should be interesting and engaging
4. A claim should be logical

Three kinds of claim

1. Claim of Fact
- It is a statement of something that has existed (past), exists (present) or will exist
(future) and relies on factual information for support.
 - A claim of fact makes an assertion about something that can be proved or disproved
with factual evidence.
Fact - a statement that can be verified.
Interference - an interpretation or opinion reached after informal evaluation or evidence

2. Claim of Value
- It is based on preference such as likes/dislikes (good or bad).
- A claim of value argues that something is good or bad, or that one thing is better than
another thing.
Aesthetics - the study of beauty and the fine arts
Value Claims - about morality express judgments about the rightness or wrongness of
conduct or belief.

3. Claim of Policy
- It is a statement that indicates that an action must be taken in specific policies.
- A claim of policy argues that certain conditions should exist, or that something should
or should not be done, in order to solve a problem.

Developing an Argumentative Claim

1. Making a Claim
2. Evidence
3. Counter Argument
4. Audience
5. Critical Reading

Writing Conventions To Indicate Acknowledgment Of Resources

- When you do reference, you use the standardized style to acknowledge the source of
information used in your assignment. It is important (morally & legally) to
acknowledge someone else’s ideas or words you have used
- Referencing correctly enables the marker or reader of your assignment to locate the
source of the information. They can verify the information or read further on the topic
- Referencing also allows for you to retrace your steps and locate information you have
used for assignments and discover further views or ideas discussed by the author

In-text citation
 - The first indicates within your assignment the sources of the information you have
used to write your assignment. This demonstrates support for your ideas, arguments
and views. Sometimes this is referred to as: citing in text, in text citations or text
citations
- An in-text citation using APA style includes the name of the author and year of
publication

Reference list
- The second part to referencing is the construction of a reference list. The reference list
shows the complete details of everything you cited and appears in an alphabetical list
on a separate page, at the end of your assignment.

APA (American Psychological Association)

- APA is one of many referencing styles used in academic writing. APA stands for
American Psychological Association. It is an author/date-based style. This means
emphasis is placed on the author and the date of a piece of work to uniquely identify it

MLA (Modern Language Association)

- MLA is widely used to acknowledge research sources. It identifies each source you
consulted in preparing your paper, the specific information you used, and where the
source of information was found.

In-text citation
- An in-text citation using MLA style you briefly credit sources with parenthetical
citations in the text of your paper. (author’s last name and page number)
- Bibliography - contains a list of sources cited or consulted in the preparation of your
research paper. (author’s last name arranged alphabetically)
- ● Books
- ● Magazines
- ● Journals
- ● Newspapers
- ● Websites
- ● Subscription Database
- ● Television Programs
- ● Videos
- ● Interviews
Books
Author. Title of the Book. City of Publication: Publisher, Year. Type of Material.
Periodicals (Magazine)
Author. “Title of the Article”. Title of Magazine. Date: Page(s). Type of Material (Note: Do not
abbreviate the months)
Periodicals (Journals)
Author. “Title of the Article”. Title of Journal. Volume number. Issue number (Year): Pages.
Type of Material
Newspaper Articles
Author. “Title of the Article”. Title of Newspaper. Date (D-M-Y): Pages. Type of Material. Author.
“Title of the Article”. Title of Newspaper. Date (D-M-Y). edition: Pages. Type of Material.
Websites
Author. “Title of the Web Page”. Title of the Overall Web Site. Version or Edition. Publisher of
Sponsor. Date. Web. Date of Access. (D-M-Y) (Note: N.P. (no publisher), N.D. (no publication
date)
E Magazine Articles
Author. “Title of the Article”. Title of Magazine. Date: Page(s). Online Database Name. Web.
Date of Access
E Journal Articles
Author. “Title of the Article”. Title of Journal. Volume number. Issue number (Year): Pages.
Online Database Name. Web. Date of Access
EBooks
Author. Title of the Book. City of Publication: Publisher, Year. Type of Material.
Television Broadcast
“Title of Episode.” (if available) Title of Program. Responsible Person(s). Name of Network. Call
letters of local station (if any), City, Broadcast Date. Television.
Video Recording
Title of Video. Director’s Name. (and/or other Responsible person/s). Distributor. Year. Type of
Media
Interview (student)
Name of Person Interviewed. Type of Interview. (Personal or Telephone). Date.

Direct quotation
- is one in which you copy an author's words directly from the text and use that exact
wording in your essay.
 - If the quotation is fewer than 40 words, incorporate it into your paragraph and enclose
it in double quotation marks. Place it before the full stop.
- If the quotation comprises 40 or more words, display it in an indented, freestanding
block of text, without quotation marks. At the end of a block quotation, cite the quoted
source and the page number in parentheses, after the final punctuation mark.

Adverbs of affirmation and negation

- The words which declare that something is true or some equivalent expressions or
negative statements, judgment, or doctrine; especially a logical propositions

Adverb of Affirmation
- It is an adverb used in a sentence to affirm it as true. Generally, these adverbs are used
to answer the questions raised by others.
- absolutely, affirmatively, all right, alright, assertedly, certainly, clearly, definitely,
exactly, positively, doubtlessly, obviously, surely, truly, really, undoubtedly

Adverb of Negation
- It is an adverb used in a sentence to deny it as true. Generally, these adverbs are used to
answer questions raised by others.
- invalidly, contradictory, almost, not, never, rarely