The trapeze artist stood high on the platform. The whole crowd was silent. The trapeze artist rubbed his hands on his knees, grabbed the flying trapeze, and sprung into the air. Just as the trapeze had swung its full length, the trapeze artist released his grip and did a triple flip. He narrowly caught a second trapeze bar and swung from it by his legs. The crowd cheered. Another trapeze artist ascended the platform.

Chuck analyzed the engine. With his experienced gaze, he was able to tell that the vehicle needed a fan belt. He figured that the job would take twenty minutes and cost about ten dollars, but he had bills to pay. He summoned the customer over to him with a wave. "Ma'am," he said, "your vehicle needs a new radiator. It's going to take about four hours and cost around five hundred dollars, he lied. The woman smiled. "So I get my car back tonight?" she asked. "That shouldn't be a problem," replied Chuck. The woman, still smiling, said, "Thanks, Chuck. You're a good guy." Chuck felt a little guilty, but he smiled back at her and said, "You're so welcome."

Which word has a negative connotation?

Which phrase has a more positive connotation?

Which phrase has a negative connotation?

Which phrase has a more negative connotation?

Choose the word that best completes the sentence. Hint: Determine the connotation (positive or negative) through context clues.

I admire the man who jumped on the subway tracks to rescue a stranger. He was certainly ________________.

Choose the word that best completes the sentence. Hint: Determine the connotation (positive or negative) through context clues.

Paco appreciated the gallery owner's effort _____________ to include artwork from the local community.

Choose the word that best completes the sentence. Hint: Determine the connotation (positive or negative) through context clues.

She was disappointed that the dress she wanted to buy her daughter was ________________ as she ran her fingers across the fabric.

Choose the word that best completes the sentence. Hint: Determine the connotation (positive or negative) through context clues.

Although the problem was difficult to resolve, Sandra and John were ________________ in searching for an answer. Their teacher was quite proud.

Which word has a NEGATIVE connotation?

When Curtis transferred to our high school from some fancy private school, I was assigned the job of showing him around our building. First, I showed him our trophy case. Our school has done put together some quality teams and programs over the years, so our trophy case was pretty full. Curtis was not impressed. He claimed that the trophy case at his old school was at least twice as big as ours and much more crowded. Next I showed him our swimming pool. Not every high school has a swimming pool, so we were proud of ours, but Curtis couldn't care less. "The swimming pool at my old school is bigger and more modern. This one looks kind of dirty," he said with disdain. I continued to guide Curtis around the school, showing him our cafeteria, gymnasium, and even our garden, but Curtis seemed disappointed with everything that he saw. He'd quickly compare it to his old school, which in his words was superior to ours in every way. The last thing I showed Curtis was the front door. I told him that he would like this one best because he could walk through it and go back to his old school.

What is the theme of the story?

Alan had very few responsibilities, but one of them was to clean his room. It did not take long, but Alan still didn't like doing it. One day Alan thought of a way to save some time. Rather than putting everything neatly back in its place, he decided to just throw all the stuff on the floor into his closet. His mom would think that he had cleaned his room, and it would only take a fraction of the time. Alan was pleased with himself for thinking of this brilliant idea. He figured that this would save a lot of time and energy. The next time his room got messy, he piled everything up in the closet and the pile grew. It grew and grew. Then Alan's friend Steve called. "Alan, everyone is playing baseball at the park. Do you want to play too?" Alan loved baseball. "That sounds great, Steve. I'll be right there." Alan went to grab his baseball mitt when he realized that it wasn't in its usual place. Alan thought to himself, I guess it's in the closet. When he opened up the closet door, he was faced with a huge, unnavigable mess, some of which poured out as he opened the door. Alan began digging through the pile in a frantic attempt to find his mitt. He dug and dug, and as he dug his room got messier and messier. Soon his room was the messiest that it had ever been, and he still hadn't found his mitt. Alan sighed in despair. By the time he found his mitt, the boys had long concluded their game and Alan had hours of cleaning ahead of him before he'd be allowed to leave.

What is the theme of the story?

Which of the following is NOT a THEME STATEMENT?

The Theme is...