1. Connotation and Denotation
WHAT’S THE DIFFERENCE?

2. Connotation and Denotation are two methods of describing the meanings of words

3. Connotation VS. Denotation
Refers to the wide range of both positive and negative associations that most words naturally carry with them
The emotional “feeling” that is attached to a word
Refers to the precise, literal definition of a word that is found in the dictionary.

4. Connotation and Denotation: Examples
Example: the name “Hollywood” denotes an area of Los Angeles, California, but it can be said that the same word connotes such ideas as glitz, glamour, and romance
Example: the word “chicken” denotes a winged, feathered animal used as a source of food, but the same word connotes feelings of cowardice
Example: the word “snake” denotes a scaly, legless, sometimes venomous reptile, but the same word connotes ideas of evil or feelings of danger or deception

5. Connotations: Positive and Negative
Positive: There are over 2,000 homeless in the city
Neutral: There are over 2,000 people with no fixed address in the city
Negative: There are over 2,000 vagrants in the city

6. Connotations: Positive and Negative
All three of these expressions refer to the same group of people, but they will create 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
The legal term “no fixed address” is neutral because it avoids most of the positive or negative associations of the two other words.
The reason this matters is the author’s ATTITUDE OR PURPOSE for writing. For example, someone writing an editorial in support of a new shelter would use the positive form, and someone writing an editorial in support of new anti-loitering laws would want to use the negative form.

7. You may live in a house, but we live in a home.
If you looked up the words “house” and “home” in the dictionary, they both have similar denotations: “a dwelling place”
The speaker of the sentence, though, suggests that the word “home” has an additional meaning, a connotation
Aside from the denotation, or dictionary definition of the word “home,” many people associate ideas of comfort, love, security, or privacy with a home, but don’t necessarily attach those same ideas to the word “house.”

8. So, what?
Since everyone reacts emotionally to certain words, writers often select words ON PURPOSE that they think will influence your reactions and appeal to your emotions.
An author’s WORD CHOICE helps a lot with figuring out TONE, or author’s attitude, because authors will choose words that hint at what he or she is thinking about the topic.

9. Which word in each pair has the more positive connotation to you?
snob cultured
cackle giggle
statesman politician
chef cook
penny-pinching thrifty