Diction, Connotation, and Denotation

Denotation is a word's ____________.

• Literal, dictionary definition
• Emotional meaning
• synonym
• antonym

A person’s experiences determine the connotations he or she associates with a word.

• True
• False

Connotation is a word's ___________.

• synonym
• emotional meaning
• antonym
• Literal, dictionary definition.

Consider the below phrase, and choose the word with the connotation that fits the phrase:
"This coffee is very (___): just the way I like it!"

• Bitter
• Strong

Consider the below phrase, and choose the word with the connotation that fits the phrase:
"The sooner we leave this (___)," said Lin, "the happier I'll be."

• Home
• Dump

Buster was a puny dog. He couldn't even scare the cat that lived next door.
What is the dictionary meaning of the word puny in the sentence above?

• small
• large
• noisy
• heavy

Mark was sick of receiving a dozen annoying e-mails with jokes from Sally every day. He dashed off a sloppy reply letting her know that he wasn't allowed to receive silly e-mails at school.
What does the word "sick" suggest Mark was feeling as it is used in the first sentence of this story?

• fed up with
• nauseated
• disgusted 
• bored

Benjamin was a lanky kid. He was the tallest kid in the class, and he was not a big kid. His mom packed him a huge lunch in the hopes he would get some more muscle on his bony arms and legs.
What is the meaning of the word lanky in the sentence above?

• huge and tall
• tall and thin
• muscular and tall
• thin and short

Choose the word with the negative connotation.

• chat
• gossip
• news
• report

Choose the word with the positive connotation.

• scrawny
• slender
• underweight
• gaunt