Analyzing Word Choice

Look at the underlined sentence. What does the author's word choice suggest about the sound that cicadas make?

• It is so fascinating that everyone should hear it.

• The sound is breathtakingly rhythmic and musical.

• The noise is both awful and annoying.

• The screeches are dangerous enough to lead to hearing loss.

While hunting, the stealthy orcha whales sneak up on the seals and attack, whipping and splashing around as they devour their prey.

Which 2 words have connotative meaning?

• hunting

• whipping

• stealthy

• prey

Look at the picture and read how the two people describe the music. Fill in the blank spaces with the right word to describe how they feel about the music.

The words intense and earsplitting are both ways of saying that something is loud. But intense suggests 1)_______ feelings, while earsplitting suggests 2________ feelings. Although they have similar meanings, they have different connotations.

• 1) positive

  2) negative

• 1) negative

  2) positive

What is the difference in connotation between the words "sick" and "nauseated?"

• sick has a stronger connotation than nauseated

• the words do not have the same/a similar definition

• nauseated has a stronger connotation than sick

• there is no difference

Paying attention to the different types of meaning will help you...

• answer the questions correctly

• understand the passage more

• understand how the author thinks and feels about a topic

Which word has connotative meaning?

• terrestrial

• abundant

• deepest

• largest

Which quotation from the account best helps the reader understand the meaning of the word arid in line 15?

• "The region suffered the effects of storms, droughts, and earthquakes." (line 4)

• "Ruinous dust storms swept the land, and homes and farms were all but buried in thick dirt." (lines 4 and 5)

• "Farmers sometimes lost their land or had to move away to make a living." (lines 7 and 8)

• "Talmage Lee Collins came from rural Arkansas, where the drought had turned farmland into a desert." (lines 25 and 26)

Diction is the literary term that means

• The connections we have with words

• An author's choice of words

• The definition of words

• The common way of speaking with friends

Refers to the feelings and ideas a word evokes.

• Synonym

• Denotation

• Connotation

• Diction

Which connotation is MORE positive?

We saw ______ animals at the zoo.

• Interesting

• Weird