Connotation and Denotation

Which of the following words has a more positive connotation?

• Limit

• Restrict

Identify which word has a more negative connotation.

• Cluttered

• Messy

Identify the word that has the more positive connotation

• Immature

• Youthful

Select which word has a more negative connotation.

• Unusual

• Weird

Identify which of the following two words has a more negative connotation.

• Stingy

• Thrifty

Ginny was a nosy child. She wanted to know about everything that happened in the little town of Darington.

What is the dictionary meaning of nosy in the sentence above?

• Interesting, unusual

• Intelligent, smart

• Similar, identical

• Curious, inquisitive

Mark was sick of receiving a dozen annoying emails with jokes from Sally every day. He dashed off a sloppy reply letting her know that he wasn't allowed to receive silly emails at school.

What is the dictionary meaning of the phrase dashed off?

• Hurriedly wrote

• Effortlessly executed

• Casually finished

• Thoughtfully completed

Buster was a puny dog. He could not even scare the cat that lived next door.

What is the dictionary meaning of the word puny in the sentence above?

• Noisy or loud

• Large in actions or words

• Undersized or small

• Heavy or overweight

Grandpa came to their house every summer. Sure, Grandpa could be a real prune, but that was just Grandpa!

What is the denotation of the word prune?

• dried plum

• apricot

• raisin

• grape

When students walked into their history class yesterday, they were shocked to find Mr. Worthington dressed like President Washington. The students were baffled at why their social studies teacher had dressed up in old clothes.

In the context of this sentence, what is the denotation of the word baffled?

• Amused

• Confused

• Embarrassed

• Shocked