2 5 UNIT Section B

Understanding connotation and denotation Connotation is the emotional and imaginative association surrounding a word. Denotation is the strict dictionary meaning of a word.

“You may live in a house, but we live in a home.” If you were to look up the words house and home in a dictionary, you would find that both words have approximately the same meaning- "a dwelling place." However, the speaker in the sentence above suggests that home has an additional meaning. house home

Connotation and denotation Aside from the strict dictionary definition, or denotation, many people associate such things as comfort, love, security, or privacy with a home but do not necessarily make the same associations with a house. love security comfort privacy security HOME

Connotation The various feelings, images, and memories that surround a word make up its connotation. Although both house and home have the same denotation, or dictionary meaning, home also has many connotations Connotation memoriesfeelingsimages

Read the following sentences from Text B and pay close attention to the underlined words. Write the denotation of each word and its connotation. Check the context for clues. The first one has been done for you. Denotation and Connotation Practice

Denotation and Connotation 1. After all, a major feature of college life is limited finances. Free stuff is like gold and I felt entitled to my share! (Para. 1) Denotation: a valuable soft yellow metal that is used to make coins, jewelry, etc. Connotation: It implies how anxious the author was to get something free. He felt so excited about it, as if he had found gold.

Denotation and Connotation 2. I moved closer to scout out the situation. (Para. 2) 3. To my sheer amazement, plastic freedom made its way into my mailbox a few weeks later. (Para. 3) 4. With my artificial sense of security, I bought a guitar, a fishing rod and a hunting rifle, long-stem roses for my girlfriend, a brand-new wardrobe, a sophisticated new calculator, and countless other trifles I felt I “absolutely needed”. (Para. 4) 5. Friends would call and invite me for dinner, but my finances would prohibit any expenses, so I’d decline every time. I would manufacture excuses for why I always said “No” to their offers. (Para. 7)

Denotation and Connotation 6. A simple matter of credit card debt caused me to drive everything I cared about from my life. I felt emotionally crippled and financially bankrupt! (Para. 7) 7. I choked on every word, and I hesitated on the number. I felt physical pain when I looked her in the eye. (Para. 8) 8. If this does not change, many students, like myself, will suffer the consequences of the illusion of a seemingly free but staggeringly expensive $3,000 dictionary. (Para. 10)

The end Section B 主讲人：李艳丽