Name _____________________________________________
29.1 Denotation and Connotation
Recognizing Shades of Meaning of Words
Some words convey a neutral meaning while other words are “loaded” with special positive or negative feelings. Learn to
recognize these shades of meaning of words.
SHADES OF MEANING
Denotation A word’s literal or exact definition
Connotation Ideas, images, and feelings that are associated with a word in people’s minds
Exercise 1 Recognizing Shades of Meaning. Underline the word in each pair below that has a loaded meaning.
Then identify whether the “loaded” word conveys a positive or negative connotation.
EXAMPLE: jostle shove negative
1. angry irate
2. rain deluge
3. adoration love
4. remarkable good
5. shame criticize
6. graceful smooth
7. affect inspire
8. tyrannical strict
9. interested passionate
10. uninteresting tedious
Exercise 2 Using Words With Different Shades of Meaning. Replace the underlined neutral word or phrase in
each sentence below with a word that has a stronger meaning. Then, indicate whether your word choice conveys a positive or
negative connotation. Use a dictionary or thesaurus to help locate your replacement words.
1. Serena looked pretty in her new prom dress.
2. Enclosed in a small car for ten hours as our family drove to the cabin, I was feeling uncomfortable.
3. The child had an angelic face, but her actions were bad.
4. The police officer was honored for her good actions.
5. Temperatures dropped rapidly, and by morning the house felt cold.