Explain the connotative differences among the members of each of the
following groups of words. Then, make up sentences that use the words in
the groups accurately. As an alternative exercise, make up sentences in which
some of the words are conspicuously misused.
1. corpulent, plump, obese, pudgy, heavy set, fleshy, fat, paunchy,
burly, overweight, roly-poly, bulky, portly, beefy
2. mansion, abode, dwelling, domicile, residence, house, home, habitat
3. hurl, throw, pitch, chuck, toss, fling, cast5
4. friendly, open, sociable, jovial, approachable, affable, chummy,
ingratiating, companionable, genial
5. arrogant, stuck-up, conceited, cocky, vain, proud, self-satisfied,
egotistical, overbearing, supercilious
6. cheat, phony, con man, fraud, charlatan, operator, crook, imposter,
quack, swindler
7. dislike, resent, lament, hate, scorn, disapprove, decry, deplore,
oppose, regret
8. naked, nude, stripped, bare, unclothed, in the buff
9. bizarre, singular, far out, outlandish, off the wall, curious, odd,
unusual, extraordinary, remarkable, noteworthy, strange, eerie,
10. grasp, clutch, hold, cling, clamp, clasp, grip
11. titter, giggle, chuckle, laugh, guffaw, roar, snicker, snigger, cackle
12. saving, tight, miserly, frugal, economical, careful, penurious, thrifty,
penny-pinching, budget-minded, prudent, mean
13. shrewd, calculating, clever, sly, adroit, knowing, astute, cunning,
skillful, smooth, slick
14. dilapidated, ramshackle, ruinous, neglected, tumbledown,
deteriorate, shabby, run down, derelict, tatty, seedy
15. honest, straight, on the level, veracious, guileless, unaffected, artless,
genuine, candid, truthful, sincere
16. buff, enthusiast, amateur, fan, hobbyist, bug, connoisseur
17. pig-headed, stubborn, obdurate, adamant, stiff-necked, rigid,
obstinate, unalterable, changeless, dogged, steadfast
18. sullen, taciturn, glum, withdrawn, down, silent, reticent, wordless
19. concise, pointed, laconic, terse, bare bones, economical, pithy,
compressed, brief, boiled down
20. steal purloin, pinch, rip off, filch, embezzle, burglarize, rob, hold up,
snatch, grab, help oneself to, appropriate
Often two words roughly “mean” the same thing, except, that one has an
unfavorable, the other a favorable, connotation. Thus, although, you may like
to think of yourself as an idealist, people who do not sympathize with your
attitude might call you a dreamer. For the following pairs of terms, write
short expressions of why you might like to be described by one term but not
by the other.
Slender/ skinny
High-strung/ freaked out
Trusting/ gullible
Firm/ stubborn
Reckless/ adventurous
Flexible/ wishy-washy
Relaxed/ flaked out
hypocritical/ diplomatic
hard worker/ workaholic
assertive/ pushy
playboy/ eligible bachelor
original/ weird
plodding/ methodical
scholar/ bookworm
CONNOTATIONS: PERSONAL AND GENERAL; THE USES OF
CONNOTATION
A study has shown that the following nouns and adjectives are among most
frequently used by English poets in the past five hundred years. The part of
the basic vocabulary of poetry. How many of them posses particularly strong
connotations today? Why have poets made extensive use of such terms.
Good, great, day, God, heart, king, life, lord, love, man, thing, soul,
youth, long, light, spirit, cruel, dear, fair, high, old, poor, true, beauty,
death, eye, fortune, gold, hand, heaven, lady, pain, word, world, earth,
bright, dark, happy, new, rich, blood, fire, grace, name, nature, power,
sin, son, sun, tear, year, soft, hour, friendly, joy, divine, proud, tender,
vain, art, breast, fate, flower, hour, land, maid, sky, song, virtue, deep,
dim, holy, child, father, hope, mother, prayer, sea, star, white, black,
green, bird, moon, nothing, stone, tree, water, wind
What are the present connotations of the following terms? Compare answers
with the answers of others. How can you explain the differences/similarities
among the responses?
Welfare, state, leftist, censorship, brainwashing, hippie, astrology,
racist, thermonuclear warfare, executive, astronaut, cult, concentration
camp, free market, police state, law and order, conservation, defense
What is the difference in connotation between slum and ghetto? Trace earlier
history of the word ghetto in the Oxford English Dictionary and then try to
account for its present application, especially in the United States. How does
the term inner city relate to these words?