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Connotation and Denotation

Denotation refers to the literal or dictionary definition of a word, without any implied meanings or associations. Connotation refers to the implied or suggested meanings of a word based on cultural and emotional associations. Understanding connotation is important because word choice can subtly influence the mood, tone, and overall message being conveyed beyond just the literal definition. Choosing words carefully based on their positive, negative or neutral connotations is key to effective communication.

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Sarah Jhoy Salonga
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334 views13 pages

Connotation and Denotation

Denotation refers to the literal or dictionary definition of a word, without any implied meanings or associations. Connotation refers to the implied or suggested meanings of a word based on cultural and emotional associations. Understanding connotation is important because word choice can subtly influence the mood, tone, and overall message being conveyed beyond just the literal definition. Choosing words carefully based on their positive, negative or neutral connotations is key to effective communication.

Uploaded by

Sarah Jhoy Salonga
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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Denotaton

and
Connot a t ion
Denotation

Denotation:The dictionary definition;


a word’s literal meaning only. Not emotions
or feelings are associated with the word.

Ex: The teacher walked into the classroom.

This example does not have any hidden


meaning. A teacher simply walked into a
classroom.
Now, you t r y !

Write a
sentence
that only
uses w o r d s
with
denotation .
Connotation

Connotation- A word’s emotional meaning;


suggestions and associations that are
connected to a word.
Words can be positive, negative, or neutral. Words
can also connote specific feelings or emotions.
Ex:The eerie fog hovered in front of the
abandoned house.
What words in the sentence above do you believe
create connotation? What connotation is created?
Connotation

The eerie fog hovered in front of the abandoned


house.
The words eerie, hovered, and abandoned all create
connotation in the sentence above.
•Eerie creates a negative and creepy feeling
•Hovered creates a negative feeling. It also makes you
think that the fog lingering somewhere it is not wanted.
•Abandoned creates a negative feeling. It also connotes or
suggests the idea of being unwanted or left behind, which
is negative.
Connotation

•Fog can also create connotation.

•Like any word, fog has a denotative


meaning, which is a cloudlike layer of
small water droplets.

•But, fog is often associated with a


spooky feeling because it can look ghost
like and it can also cover or hide things.
The smiling educator
strolled into the
peaceful classroom.
Connotation What words create
connotation in the
sentences above?
What kind of
connotation is
created?
The cranky
schoolmarm
stormed into the
noisy, chaotic circus.
The smiling educator The cranky schoolmarm
strolled into the stormed into the noisy,
peaceful classroom. chaotic circus.
All words All words
connote a kind, connote a strict,
happy teacher and crabby teacher and
environment a stressful
environment

Posťt ťv e N e g a tťv e
w ords w ords
When we communicate, either verbally or in
Why is this writing, we want to our ideas to be clear. If you
important? use words that have a different connotative
meaning than you intended, your message will be
different than what you meant to say

For example:
•My mom is economical when she goes grocery shopping.

-OR-
•My mom is cheap when she goes grocery shopping.

What is the difference between the connotation of these


two sentences?
Choose The denotative meaning of
your Words economical and cheap both
Wisely! mean to “save money.”

BUT, the connotative meaning of economical is


positive. It connotes being careful with one’s
money.

The connotative meaning of cheap is negative. It


connotes being stingy or miserly similar to
Ebenezer Scrooge.
How doeS connotationimpact a
text?
*Connotation canhelp t o creat e mood
in a t ext!
•Choosing positive or negative words
canhelp the author convey to hiS or
her meSSage.
•Connotative words can help to
create the proper mood in a Story.
A happy, depressing,lonelySpooky,
eerie, or creepy mood can be conveyed
with the correct word choice.
Let’ s Recap!

• What is denotation?
• What is connotation?
• Why is it important to
know about denotation
and connotation?

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