Name:____________________________________
Mrs. Daniel Block _______________________
English 9H
Date:_____________________________________
TKAM Part I Vocabulary: Practice #2
Part I: Antonyms. Match each vocabulary word to its antonym.
_______1. Tyrannical
A. Loud; deafening
_______2. Malevolent
B. Easily understood; explainable
______3. Diminutive
C. Including; mentioning
______4. Benevolence
D. Kind; gentle; easygoing
______5. Unfathomable
E. Enormous; tall
_______6. Direst
F. Friendly; good; loving
_______7. Omitting
G. Cruelty; animosity; meanness
_______8. Inaudible
H. Fortunate; lucky
Part II: Connotation vs. Denotation.
When discussing the meaning of words, denotation means the actual, dictionary definition of the
word. A word’s connotation, however, is the implied or suggested meaning of the word. Oftentimes
connotation refers to the emotional association we have with words. For example:
The word inquisitive has a denotation of “desiring knowledge”. It has a positive
connotation, because we have a more positive emotional association with the word. (In
other words, if someone tells you that you have an inquisitive mind, it is viewed as being a
good thing).
The word intrusive also has a denotation of “desiring knowledge; however, it has a
negative connotation, because we have a more negative emotional association with the
word. So again, if someone says you are being intrusive they are not happy with your desire
to know more.
Words can also have a neutral connotation, meaning they have neither positive nor
negative associations with the word.
1. Given the definitions above, which words from our list have a negative connotation?
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________
2. Given the definitions above, which words from our list have a positive connotation?
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________
3. Do any of the words from our list have a more neutral connotation?
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________