A short break

Although Language learning is a painful process, there are some enjoyable experiences that people encounter in this process. Here are two examples:

An Arab Couple went to London hotel...
One day in hotel room, husband heard his wife scream"Farr! Faaaarrrrr" (which is the Arabic word for mouse).
Now he wants to inform room service but doesn't know english word for "farr" is.....
Husband : hello room service?
Room-service: yes sir ,how can I help you ?
Husband: Mmmm..... You Know tom and Jerry ?
Roomservice: yes sir ,I know tom and jerry ...
Husband: Wallah Habibi Jerry is here. 

example for connotation

connotation of days

Examples for negative and positive connotations

A diagram

Negative vs. Positive connotation

• chef vs. cook

• teacher vs. professor

• plagiarizer vs. cheater

• thrifty vs. tightwad

• stay-at-home mom vs homemaker vs housewife

• ambitious vs greedy

• submissive vs lazy

• slow vs stupid

• amazed vs stupefied

• slender vs gaunt

• promiscuous vs slutty

• clever vs shrewd

• substance abuser vs druggie

• journalist vs reporter

• eccentric vs weirdo

• mentally unstable vs wacko

• inexpensive vs cheap

• invest vs speculate

• purchase vs buy

• manufactured home vs trailer

Connotation examples

• Those who are lonely and detached live in a house. Those who

 live with loved ones and in happiness live in a home.

• A mother and father have procreated. A mom and a dad are 

loving parents.

• Many wise men have made plans. Many cunning scoundrels 

have devised a scheme.

• Pushy salespeople are to be avoided. Aggressive salespeople 

make a lot of money.

• I'm sick and tired of listening to politicians, but give me a good 

statesman any day of the week and we'll get things done.

A quote

 "If you want to be a leader of people, then 

you need to be a master of words. If 

you're going to be a master of words, you 

better choose them carefully."

 

Connotations of some animals

Metaphoric Connotation in the Animal World

• A snake is something to be feared for its deception.

• A dog connotes a shameless beggar or an ugly face.

• A fox is sneaky or sly. A foxy woman, however, is desired.

• A shark is ruthless.

• A predator seeks to harm innocents.

• A dove is gentle.

• A hen is motherly.

• A beast dominates (sometimes negative and sometimes positive).

• Chicks are sought after by boys of all ages (some predators, by the way).

• Owls are wise.
• A lion is strong and so king of the forest

The connotation of animals has lent metaphorical meaning to commonalities. This list of animals with its associated connotations exemplify denotation vs connotation.
According to denotation, a weasel is a small carnivorous mammal with short legs and elongated body and neck. According to connotation, a weasel is not to be trusted.
Not all animal metaphoric connotations are negative:
Because these metaphors have become common, so their connotative meaning is easy to recognize.

10 tips to teach connotation

1. 1
   Start by raising awareness on this issue “connotation.” Teach the terms “denotation” and “connotation.” Illustrate their relationship, perhaps graphically, with “denotation” and “lady” and on top and “connotation” on the bottom with “lady’s” connotations: polite, proper, neat, etc.
2. 2
   Illustrate the concept with a word with numerous synonyms, like “good-looking” Brainstorm the synonyms to “good-looking”: beautiful, cute, pretty, handsome, etc. What is the difference in connotation between “beautiful” and “pretty”? What is the difference in connotation of “cute” when applied to man and a woman? A child? An inanimate object, like a house?
3. 3
   While reading, take note of the author’s word choice and discuss connotation. “Why do you think he called his brother a ‘clever’ businessman in the second paragraph? What’s the connotation of ‘clever’ here?” Other possible questions to ask: What are some connotations to “clever”? What are some other words that mean about the same thing as ‘”clever”? How are their connotations different: what is the difference between being “clever” and being “intelligent”?
4. 4
   Watch a clip from a TV or movie, preferably related to the course reading, and take note of the characters’ word choice. ”When she said ‘sorry’ in that particular tone, ‘sorry,’ with the stress on the second syllable, does the meaning change from the usual meaning of ‘sorry’? What is the connotation? Is she really sorry?”
5. 5
   Act it out. Take a short scene from a reading and act out a scene with a peer. Vary the connotation through varying sentence and word stress as above. How does even the meaning of “Good morning” change when said as “Good morning!, stressing the last syllable? How does the speaker feel about the morning?
6. 6
   Have students practice connotation in journals, using the same word in different contexts, or usingsynonyms of the same word, varying connotation. For example, challenge them to write about a “smart” person and come up with different synonyms for “smart,” varying the connotation appropriately: e.g., “She’s intelligent because she understands math very well but also crafty because she can beat you at cards.”
7. 7
   Have students read a newspaper article on an important topic, such as the upcoming national election. Note the author’s use of connotation. How are key terms like “politician” used? Are the connotations positive or negative? Why? Can we judge something about the author’s perspective on the topic from the choice of words and connotation?
8. 8
   Have a student describe something for the class: for example, the park near the school. Let others know his or her perspective by use of connotation. Describing it as “stark, bare, and lonely” sounds very different than “solitary, quiet, and peaceful,” although it might apply to the same place. The class will listen then decide what the speaker’s feelings about the place are based on the use connotation.
9. 9
   Or describe a person for the class. See if the class can tell your relationship to the person by your use of connotation. Is it your mother, girlfriend, little sister, professor? Does use of connotation vary with each?
10. 10
    Do it in writing. Students can describe something, like the classroom or the quad, using pleasant connotations. Then they can pass their papers to a partner, who will describe the same thing in negative terms, by changing connotation.

connotation and denotation

no or know

Saying Exactly What You Mean



Whenever you speak or write, be aware of any connotations of the words you use. As you know, the words you choose convey your meaning; that's what language does. But not only words have connotations; whole sentences do. Spoken or written language that includes carefully chosen connotative words to convey emotions or subtle suggestions make sentences more interesting and help listeners or readers get a clearer understanding of what you're really trying to say. The more precise your words, the more power they will have, and the better your overall communication will be.

The candidate raised his arms above his head as the crowd applauded loudly.

The victorious candidate raised his arms heroically as the crowd applauded uproariously.

Denotation of the sentence: A candidate won and the crowd applauded.

Connotation of new sentence: An extremely popular candidate won and felt proud of his victory. This sentence is much richer in connotation; it communicates meaning more effectively.

A poem on collocation

negative connotation

For many people a bascule has negative connotation 

examples for connotation

example for connotation

examples for connotation

Example of negative connotation

Examples for connotation

"The cola is cool" (non-connotative) 

"The film was cool" (connotative).

• ‘ We have two chickens.’

• ‘ He is such a chicken’

• In first sentence it is an animal. But in second sentence it is not animal it refers to ‘coward’