Cliches

Verbs: Dialogue Tags and Ways to Say "Went."

Add "rasped."  Can you think of others to add?
Extra credit is available if you can think of tags to add to this.  

B

Shades of Meaning

Word choice is  an important trait of writing.  

  

Words have both denotation and connotation.

Denotation and Connotation 

• Denotation refers to the literal meaning of a word, the "dictionary definition."¨ For example, if you look up the word snake in a dictionary, you will discover that one of its denotative meanings is "any of numerous scaly, legless, sometimes venomous reptiles having a long, tapering, cylindrical body and found in most tropical and temperate regions."
• Connotation, on the other hand, refers to the associations that are connected to a certain word or the emotional suggestions related to that word. The connotative meanings of a word exist together with the denotative meanings. The connotations for the word snake  could include evil or danger.    

“A thesaurus can be dangerous 

in the wrong hands.”  

Shades of Meaning
Words have various intensities (strengths) and connotations.  When writing, we try to choose the word that best fits what we are trying to express.

A warning from http://www.unc.edu/depts/wcweb/handouts/word_choice.html: Be careful when using the thesaurus. Each word listed as a synonym for the word you're looking up may have its own unique connotations or shades of meaning. Use a dictionary to be sure the synonym you are considering really fits what you are trying to say.

"Precision of language, please!" -- The Giver 

What is the difference between "vast" and "large"? 

Do you live in a "dwelling," in a  "house," or in a "home"?  The choice of word makes a difference. 

Is the item you're buying "cheap" or "inexpensive"?

Which would you want to be called?
thrifty-penny-pinching
pushy-aggressive
politician-statesman
chef-cook
slender-skinny

For another example of connotations, consider the following:
negative   There are over 2,000 vagrants in the city.
neutral    There are over 2,000 people with no fixed address in the city.
positive    There are over 2,000 homeless in the city.

All three of these expressions refer to exactly the same people, but they will invoke different associations in the reader's mind: a "vagrant" is a public nuisance while a "homeless" person is a worthy object of pity and charity. Presumably, someone writing an editorial in support of a new shelter would use the positive form, while someone writing an editorial in support of anti-loitering laws would use the negative form.


Which word conveys a more favorable attitude. and which  word  carries a less favorable attitude?
 • refreshing – chilly
• plain – natural
• clever – sly • cackle – giggle
• snob – cultured
• cop – officer
• skinny – slender
• statesman – politician
• smile – smirk
• domineering – assertive

Is this true?  A recipe is denotative; an advertisement connotative.

From https://www.csun.edu/~bashforth/098_PDF/06Sep15Connotation_Denotation.pdf

How would you rank these from most positive to most negative?

Group 1 Thin, slim, lanky, skinny, gaunt, slender

Group 2 Aggressive, assertive, domineering, dynamic, pushy, forceful

Group 3 Shrewd, egghead, bright, clever, brilliant, cunning, smart, intelligent, brainy

If you were naming a sports team, which name would you pick?
These are potential names for new professional athletic teams: Poodles Toads Gazelles Hippos Buzzards Snails Meteors Ferrets Glaciers Maggots Sloth Mosquitoes Sleepers Zeniths Mares Spikes

Denotation is the literal meaning,  and connotation refers to the emotional weight of a word.

November 13/16, 2009

November 13/16, 2009

1.  A Word about Vocabulary for  Author Letters and other Writing
      In Six Traits, it's called Word Choice.

        Read about improving the vocabulary in your writing.
         Receive an opportunity for extra credit.
Get the handout  (A Word About Vocabulary) at http://cavemanenglish.pbworks.com/Letters-to-Authors


2. Spelling/vocabulary  test on "extra-" words.

Receive your new  Spelling/vocabulary words:
 Suffix to study:   -ate which means cause, make, operate upon (This suffix makes verbs.)
Words to learn for the spelling test:
1.    separate
2.    create (on state list)
3.    segregate
4.    dominate
Test next time.
No retakes will be available, so study the words and word parts sets as they come.

Extra credit information for the above spelling list from dictionary.com:
separate  (v.)
1393 (implied in separable), from L. separatus, pp. of separare "to pull apart," from se- "apart" (see secret) + parare "make ready, prepare" (see pare).

Origin:
1350–1400; ME creat (ptp.) < L creātus, equiv. to creā- (s. of creāre to make) + -tus ptp. suffix

Origin:
1400–50 in sense “segregated”; 1535–45 as transit. v.; late ME segregat < L sēgregātus (ptp. of sēgregāre to part from the flock), equiv. to sē- se- + greg- (s. of grex flock) + -ātus -ate ¹ ; see gregarious

Origin:
1605–15; < L dominātus (ptp. of dominārī to master, control), equiv. to domin- (s. of dominus) master + -ātus -ate ¹

3. Book Groups Strategy Lesson:  Asking Questions
    Book Groups --  Asking Questions/Finding Answers

Find the handout at Asking Questions and Finding Answers

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