Shades of Meaning

Shades of Meaning

I can understand that synonyms may have positive, negative, or neutral connotations.

Multiple Choice

What is a synonym?

• words with opposite meanings

• words with different meanings

• a spice I sprinkle on oatmeal

• words with similar meanings

Synonyms have similar meanings, but the words are not always interchangeable. The words have different shades of meaning.

• cackle

• laugh

Multiple Choice

A cackle is ...

• a smile

• a loud, noisy laugh

• a quiet laugh

Connotation is the feeling that the word carries with it.

There are words that carry positive connotation and words that carry negative connotations. Some words are neutral. Is the word "cackle" positive, negative, or neutral?

Multiple Choice

The synonyms "hurried" and "charged" are actions. Read the following sentences. Betsy hurried to catch the popcorn as it emerged from the popper. Leo charged to catch the popcorn as it emerged from the popper. Which word has a negative connotation?

• hurried

• charged

Multiple Choice

The synonyms "reached for" and "grabbed" are also actions. Read the following sentences. Simon reached for the salt. Sam grabbed the salt. Which word has a negative connotation?

• reached for

• grabbed

Multiple Choice

What word has the positive connotation?

• impatient

• enthusiastic

Open Ended

Use the word "enthusiastic" in a sentence.

Multiple Choice

What word has the negative connotation?

• curious

• nosy

Open Ended

Use the word "nosy" in a sentence.

Multiple Choice

What word has a negative connotation?

• trusting

• gullible

Open Ended

Gullible is someone who believes everything - even things they should not believe. Write a sentence with the word gullible.

Multiple Choice

What word has a positive connotation?

• unique

• weird

Open Ended

"Unique" means special or one of a kind. Write a sentence with the word "unique."

Multiple Choice

Which word has a positive connotation?

• cheap

• thrifty

Multiple Choice

Which word has a negative connotation?

• determined

• stubborn

Multiple Choice

The following three words have positive, neutral, and negative connotation. Which word has a neutral connotation?

• lazy

• inactive

• relaxed

Multiple Choice

The following three words have positive, neutral, and negative connotation. Which word has a neutral connotation?

• careful

• timid

• cowardly

Multiple Choice

The following three words have positive, neutral, and negative connotation. Which word has a neutral connotation?

• proud

• conceited

• self-confident

Multiple Choice

The following three words have positive, neutral, and negative connotation. Which word has a negative connotation?

• thin

• scrawny

• slender

Multiple Choice

The following three words have positive, neutral, and negative connotation. Which word has a neutral connotation?

• steals

• takes

• borrows

Multiple Choice

The following three words have positive, neutral, and negative connotation. Which word has a positive connotation?

• poor

• underprivileged

• impoverished

Connotations and Bias

Bias is "a tendency to believe that some people, ideas, etc., are better than others that usually results in treating some people unfairly." Bias is exposed through word choice, in other words people who influence people's ideas and beliefs, choose words with positive or negative connotations on purpose! The next time you listen to the news, pay attention to the words newscasters or journalists use to describe people or events. Do they have positive or negative connotations? That will expose their bias.

Multiple Choice

Which news article uses negative connotation to show bias against Iraq?

• Iraq forces suspension of U.S. surveillance flights.

• U.N. withdraws U-2 planes.

Multiple Choice

Which article uses connotation to make the headline more interesting?

• The Red Wings played the Flyers last night in a hockey game, and they won 4-3.

• The Red Wings executed a decisive win (4-3) over the tempered Flyers, in last night's heated game of ice hockey.

Multiple Choice

Both news articles use words with different connotations to show bias. They are about the same event. Look at the words in red. Which article was probably written by Iraqi sympathizers?

• The Red Cross, one of the few aid groups with staff operating in Iraq, hopes to negotiate access to the main power station, which is said to be under control of U.S. led coalition forces.

• Iraq said its troops were battling U.S. led invasion forces.