Denotation vs. Connotation
What is denotation?
This is the dictionary definition of a word.
What is a simile?
A comparison using “like” or “as.”
Tone refers to the author’s ______ toward the subject.
Attitude
The word “bright” can mean intelligent or full of _____.
Light
Why might an author choose the word “marched” instead of “walked”?
To suggest purpose, confidence, or force?
The word “slim” and “skinny” have similar denotations but different ______.
Connotation
What is personification?
Giving human qualities to nonhuman things.
If a writer uses words like “grim,” “bleak,” and “hopeless,” the tone is likely _____.
Gloomy
The word “charge” could mean to attack or to _____.
Changing one word in a sentence can change its _____.
Tone or meaning
The word “childlike” usually has a positive connotation, while this similar word has a negative one.
Childish
“The classroom was a zoo.” This is an example of this type of figurative language.
Metaphor
Replacing “said” with “snapped” changes the tone by making it more _____.
Angry or Harsh
Context clues help readers determine a word’s correct _____.
Meaning
If an author uses violent imagery in a peaceful scene, this creates _____.
Contrast
If an author describes a house as “vintage” instead of “old,” this affects the word’s _____.
Connotation
“The wind whispered through the trees.” This figurative language helps create what kind of tone? (Peaceful, chaotic, violent, etc.)
What is peaceful (or calm)?
Why might an author use formal diction instead of informal diction?
Create a serious, professional, or academic tone?
If a character says, “This test is light work,” the word “light” most likely means _____.
Easy
Why would an author use vivid sensory language?
To create imagery and engage the reader?
In the sentence “She stared at him,” the word “stared” creates a stronger tone than this neutral word.
Looked
Hyperbole is used primarily to do this.
Exaggerate
Explain how word choice can shift the tone of a passage.
Specific word choice influences how readers feel about the subject
Authors sometimes use words with double meanings to create this effect.
Ambiguity
Explain how diction affects theme.
Word choice reinforces and develops the message of the text?