CAHSEE Preparation

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CAHSEE Preparation

• Connotation and Denotation
• Word definitions and Associations

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Where would you rather live?

• apartment
• house
• shack
• villa

• small, modest, shared walls, small patio, less
  privacy
• ownership, pets, a yard, neighborhood
• run-down, weathered, no walls, no amenities
• servants, lush gardens, swimming pool, many
  bedrooms and bathrooms

economical
comfortable, proud
shame, poverty
luxury, wealth,
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Connotation

• The emotional association we connect to a word is
  called connotation.
• Words can have a positive or negative
  connotation.
• Ex.) Would a woman rather be called strong and
  assertive, or would she rather be called
  controlling and domineering?

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Denotation

• A literal interpretation of a word or its
  scientific, dictionary definition is a words
  denotation.
• Ex.) Take for instance the color green.
• Its denotative meaning would be a literal
  interpretation of the scientific fact that green
  is the combination of yellow and blue.
• The connotations of the words green could be
  money, growth, nature, jealousy, environmental
  awareness

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1On your paper

• Write down different words to describe this
  animal.
• Next to each word, determine if the connotation
  is a positive word (complimentary) or a negative
  word (insulting).
• One of your words is probably denotative, in that
  it is neither positive or negative merely a
  scientific description.

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2

• Write words to describe this worker
• Determine which words are positive or negative
• Label one of your words as denotative if you feel
  it has no associative meanings.

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3

• Write descriptive words for this meal.
• Determine which words promote or discourage
  eating this food.
• Which word would be the least opinionated
  denotative word?

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4

• What are the associations that come up when you
  look at this picture? If you called a friend this
  animal, what would be the intended message?
• List all the scientific facts that you know to be
  true about this animal. The facts are denotative.
  The associative meanings are connotative.

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Prove you understand!

• In your own words explain what connotation is
• In your own words explain what denotation is
• Share your definition with the person sitting
  next to you.