The literal meaning or dictionary definition of a word
Denotation
Why were the children expected to do errands?
a. they had nothing better to do
b. they had very busy mothers
c. they were expected to help all of the adults
c. they were expected to help all of the adults
Use like or as to compare
simile
What is connotation?
the emotional meaning of a word
Why is Ernesto so interested in the toilet?
a. he had a toilet just like it in Jalco
b. he has never seen a toilet that flushes before
c. he sees the horse collar and thinks it is for horses
b. he has never seen a toilet that flushes before
A conclusion based on evidence from the text
Inference
Read the sentence from Barrio Boy by Ernesto Galarza.
Any neighborhood courtesy—an exchange of a banana for a red pepper, or the return of a borrowed utensil—was sure to pass through our messenger system.
Which words have a connotative meaning in the sentence?
a. red pepper
b. borrowed utensil
c. messenger system
c. messenger system
compare without using like or as
metaphor
What is denotation?
the dictionary definition of a word
Read the sentence from Barrio Boy by Ernesto Galarza.
José bought us two cardboard suitcases and one for himself, and an alarm clock like the one we used to try to win in the lottery tent in Mazatlan.
Which word has a connotative meaning in the sentence?
a. cardboard
b. suitcases
c. alarm
a. cardboard
Language that expresses something beyond its dictionary meaning
Figurative Language
Read the sentence from Barrio Boy by Ernesto Galarza.
People talked to one another on the street in low tones; only drunks and muchachitos mal educados raised their voices, or the arrieros when they shouted to their donkeys.
Which words best signal that "muchachitos mal educados" has a negative connotation?
a. People talked
b. on the street
c. raised their voices
c. raised their voices
gives human qualities to things that are not human
personification
What is an autobiography?
the authors entire life
Read the sentence from Barrio Boy by Ernesto Galarza.
José then explained a remarkable thing about our money.
Which sentence supports a negative connotation for the word remarkable?
a. For one tostón you get one quarter.
b. He had already exchanged some of our Mexican currency for dollars.
c. Mexican centavos and tostones and pesos were good for nothing in the United States.
c. Mexican centavos and tostones and pesos were good for nothing in the United States.
Express
Which sentence from Barrio Boy gives the word mother a negative connotation?
a. You never knew when a compadre or comadre, of your aunt, or your uncle, or your father, or your mother was watching.
b. And if the offense was considered serious, the voice would say, "You will see, I am going to tell your mother."
c. "My mother sends greetings and says may God give you a good day, and here is an egg."
b. And if the offense was considered serious, the voice would say, "You will see, I am going to tell your mother."
How do you explore Figurative Language?
look for precise words to make comparisons
notice figurative language
use descriptions to form pictures in your mind
what is a memoir?
part of the authors life
Which sentence uses the denotation of the word heart?
a. Her heart was in the right place.
b. The heart pumps blood in the body.
c. He knows the song's words by heart.
b. The heart pumps blood in the body.
What a word suggests beyond its dictionary meaning
Connotation
Which phrase from Barrio Boy contains a simile?
a. wait there until another pass and money could be obtained
b. disappearing down the drain with a deep, sonorous gargle
c. the wooden lid with a large hole that looked like a horse collar
c. the wooden lid with a large hole that looked like a horse collar
What is the figurative language in this passage?
The slate was set in a wooden frame decorated with red and green stripes. In one corner there was a small hole in the frame for string to which the slate pencil was tied. thin as a soda straw, the slate pencil was wrapped in red, white and green paper, the colors spiraled as on a barber's pole.
Thin as a soda straw
How does figurative language make a memoir engaging to read?
Figurative language helps bring the author's experiences to life and helps the reader imagine and connect with those experiences.
Read the sentence from Barrio Boy by Ernesto Galarza.
If you did or said something slightly irregular at the farthest end of the street from your cottage, where your legitimate bosses lived, somebody would be watching and ready to call out: "Mira, que muchachito tan malcriado."
What does the author mean by "legitimate bosses"?
a. friends
b. parents
c. police officers
b. parents