Connotative Meanings

Denotation is the literal, dictionary meaning of a word. PRE-ASSESSMENT Denotation is the literal, dictionary meaning of a word. Connotation is the associations or emotional suggestions related to a word. Read the following words. What are the denotative and connotative meanings of the words? Use the words in a sentence. Did you use the denotative or the connotative meanings? Puny Cheap Anxious

ANSWERS TO PRE-ASSESSMENT PUNY Denotative meaning- of less than average size; weak Connotative meaning- unimportant, insignificant; helpless Connotative Example Sentence- I was given a puny trophy for my hard work as director of sales. CHEAP Denotative meaning- costing little, inexpensive Connotative meaning- lacking in quality; stingy, miserly Connotative Example Sentence- Carlos made the mistake of buying a cheap computer. ANXIOUS Denotative meaning- uneasy because of fear, distressed Connotative meaning- eager, excited Connotative Example Sentence- Juanita is very anxious to see the play about the dancer.

WHOLE CLASS INSTRUCTION What does each of the following words mean? Hungry Starving Serious Somber Happy Ecstatic

WHOLE CLASS INSTRUCTION Words can have close to the same meaning, but certain words have connotations that convey more feeling. A connotation goes beyond the literal meaning of a word and helps you to picture what the word is describing in your mind. When you are trying to find the best word to describe something, think about its connotation. The words hungry and starving have similar meanings. But using the connotative meaning of starving expresses a more severe hunger than the word hungry. The words serious and somber have similar meanings. But using the word somber expresses a greater degree of seriousness. The words happy and ecstatic have similar meanings. But using the word ecstatic expresses a greater degree of happiness.

GUIDED PRACTICE Read the following sentences. Explain the difference between the two boldfaced words and choose the word that best fits each sentence. 1) Even from a distance, the house looked large/gigantic. 2) Daryl badly burned his hand with hot/scalding water. 3) Denise yelled/screamed so loud when she saw a mouse that the next-door neighbors heard her. 4) Hal was tall and thin/lanky like his father. 5) I knew Hilda was mad from the cold/icy stare she gave me going into assembly.

ANSWERS TO GUIDED PRACTICE Gigantic gives the reader a mental image of a house that is extremely large. Scalding helps the reader understand the water was extremely hot. Screamed helps the reader understand that Denise was very frightened and yelled in a way that shows her extreme fear. 4) Lanky gives the reader a mental image of tall, thin man with long limbs. 5) Icy helps the reader better understand that Hilda is very upset with the speaker in the sentence and expressed her anger with a very harsh look.

INDEPENDENT PRACTICE Write a sentence for each word using the connotative meanings. 1) blaring 2) furious 3) bizarre 4) hilarious 5) annoying

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