Connotation and Denotation Worksheet

Connotation and Denotation

Read each question carefully and provide your best answer. This worksheet will help you understand the difference between connotation (the feelings or ideas associated with a word) and denotation (the literal dictionary definition of a word).

Read the following passage and answer the questions that follow:

The old house stood on a hill, its windows like vacant eyes staring out at the stormy sea. A chill wind whistled through the broken panes, carrying with it the scent of decay and forgotten memories. Locals often whispered tales of its former inhabitants, a solitary woman and her peculiar cat, both of whom vanished without a trace decades ago. Some claimed the house was haunted, its very timbers groaning with the weight of untold secrets. Others simply called it abandoned, a relic of a bygone era.

1. In the passage, what is the connotation of the word 'vacant' when describing the windows?

2. What is the denotation of the word 'peculiar' as used in the passage?

3. The   of a word is its literal dictionary definition.

4. The emotional associations or implied meaning of a word is its  .

5. Consider the words 'childish' and 'childlike'. Explain the difference in their connotations.

6. Provide an example of a word with a positive connotation and the same word (or a very similar one) with a negative connotation. Explain your choices.

7. All words have both a connotation and a denotation.

8. The denotation of a word can change based on the context in which it's used.

Match the word on the left with its most likely connotation on the right.