ELA26
Connotation And Technical Meaning
English Language ArtsGrade 12Grade 11Grade 10Grade 6Grade 9
Sign in to play this song with your class.
Sign inConnotation and technical meaning
Connotation is the meaning we automatically associate with a word or phrase. 'Good for you' has a positive meaning, but it can be used sarcastically, in which case this meaning is subverted. Sarcasm has the power to flip the meaning of any word or expression, regardless of its connotation.
For example, a stubborn person may be described as being either strong-willed or pig-headed;
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 "A of numerous scaly, legless, sometimes venomous reptile.
Standards
- CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RI.6.4 — Determine the meaning of words and phrases as they are used in a text, including figurative, connotative, and technical meanings.
- CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RI.9-10.4 — Determine the meaning of words and phrases as they are used in a text, including figurative, connotative, and technical meanings; analyze the cumulative impact of specific word choices on meaning and tone (e.g., how the language of a court opinion differs from that of a newspaper).
- CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RI.11-12.4 — Determine the meaning of words and phrases as they are used in a text, including figurative, connotative, and technical meanings; analyze how an author uses and refines the meaning of a key term or terms over the course of a text (e.g., how Madison defines faction in Federalist No. 10).