 Words can have two meanings, denotation and connotation.  Denotation is the dictionary definition; it is the literal definition for words. (Easy to remember: Denotation = Definition)  Connotation is the emotional or figurative meaning of the word.

Look up the following words in the dictionary: Home House Residence Abode

All of these words mean about the same thing according to the dictionary.  Home – the place (such as a house or apartment) where a person lives  House – a building in which a family lives  Residence – the state of living in a particular place  Abode - the place where someone lives Definitions from merriam-webster.com

Connotations can have a positive or negative meaning. Rate the words from positive to negative and explain your choices. House – Home – Residence – Abode How is the meaning different from the denotation?

How is the denotation different from the connotation for these words?  Dog  Mom  Snake  Blue  Teenager

Determining if the connotative meaning is different from the denotative meaning depends upon the situation in which the word is used.  The dog was lost and crying in the alley by the abandoned building.  Henry was a dog when he failed to show up for Jane’s performance after he had promised to be there.

Connotations can help us add more vividness and description to our writing. Choose the right word to evoke the emotions you want in the reader.

Example 1: The familiar smell of my dad’s cooking met me when I opened the door. Replace the word smell with a word that has a negative connotation if dad is a bad cook. Replace the word smell with a word that has a positive connotation if dad is a good cook.

 The familiar aroma of my dad’s cooking met me when I opened the door.  The familiar stench of my dad’s cooking met me when I opened the door. Which is negative? Which is positive? How does the change in wording impact the visual image you see as a reader?

Example 2 For their first date, Ken took Barbie to an inexpensive restaurant. Replace the word inexpensive with a word that has a negative connotation. Replace the word inexpensive with a word that has a positive connotation.

 For their first date, Ken took Barbie to a cheap restaurant.  For their first date, Ken took Barbie to a reasonably-priced restaurant. Which is negative? Which is positive? How does the change impact the visual image you see as a reader?

 For the following sentences, change the italicized words into a word that has a positive connotation and a word that has a negative connotation.  Be creative.  Remember that your task as a writer is to “draw an image” for your reader.

1. Devin is a very energetic child. 2. The soup is hot. 3. Susan is talkative in class. 4. Jim is so relaxed about everything. 5. Mindy’s hobby is running. 6. The old table was about to collapse. 7. My brother is a conservationist. 8. Misty’s act is unusual. 9. Some people do not enjoy Karen’s assertive personality. 10. Mr. Chandler had very firm discipline in his class.