Denotation & Connotation
This is the literal, dictionary meaning of a word.
What is denotation?
“Her smile was like sunshine” compares two things using “like.” Name the device.
What is a simile?
This is the feeling a text creates in its reader.
What is mood?
This is a central message or insight about life developed by a literary work.
What is theme?
This term describes the main reason an author creates a text.
What is author’s purpose?
“Slim” and “skinny” share a similar literal meaning, but “slim” often has this kind of association.
What is a positive connotation?
“The wind whispered through the trees” gives the wind a human action. Name the device.
What is personification?
This describes an author’s or narrator’s attitude toward a subject.
What is tone?
“Friendship” names a subject, while “Trust is essential to lasting friendship” states this.
What is a theme statement?
An article presents dates, statistics, and explanations about a natural disaster. Its primary purpose is most likely to do what?
What is inform?
In “The abandoned house was a place of refuge,” the word “refuge” suggests safety beyond its basic meaning. That suggestion is its _____.
What is connotation?
“The classroom was a beehive” directly compares the busy classroom to something else. Name the device.
What is a metaphor?
“The room smelled of smoke; shadows shifted behind the locked door.” These details most likely create this mood.
What is suspenseful or ominous?
In a story, a character’s small acts of honesty gradually rebuild the trust of a community. A likely theme is that honesty can do what?
What is help restore trust?
A speech uses vivid examples and direct appeals to urge the city council to expand public transit. Its primary purpose is most likely to do what?
What is persuade?
A writer describes a character as “determined” rather than “stubborn.” Both words can mean persistent, but the first suggests a more favorable quality. This difference illustrates what?
What is a difference in connotation or nuance?
“I’ve told you a million times” exaggerates for emphasis. Name the device.
What is hyperbole?
A narrator describes a disastrous school event with phrases such as “a triumph of poor planning” and “an unforgettable mess.” This tone is best described as what?
What is sarcastic or ironic?
A character repeatedly chooses immediate rewards over long-term goals and eventually loses an important opportunity. What should readers use to support a theme about choices and consequences?
What is the character’s pattern of decisions and the consequences shown in the text?
A short story uses humor and an exaggerated character to highlight the absurdity of excessive rules. Beyond entertaining, what is the author likely trying to do?
What is entertain or criticize?
A narrator calls a crowded, noisy room “a lively gathering,” while another calls it “a chaotic mob.” The descriptions refer to a similar situation but shape readers’ impressions differently through what?
What is contrasting connotation created by word choice?
In a story, a character says, “What a perfect day,” as rain pours through the roof and ruins the picnic. The gap between the words and the situation is an example of what?
What is verbal irony?
A poem begins with bright, playful images, then shifts to stark images of loss. What should readers analyze to explain how this change affects the poem?
What is the shift in tone and its effect on mood and meaning?
Two characters respond differently to the same hardship: one accepts help, while the other isolates themself. Both outcomes are developed across the story. What should a reader examine to determine how this contrast shapes the theme?
What is how the contrasting choices and their consequences develop or refine the story’s central message?
An editorial presents a claim, acknowledges a counterargument, and answers it with evidence. How do these choices help establish the author’s purpose?
What is they strengthen the argument and persuade readers by addressing opposing views?