Connotation | Year 7 | Grasp English

💡Understand

Connotation is the feeling or association a word carries beyond its literal dictionary meaning. Two words can have almost the same literal meaning (their denotation) but very different connotations — one might feel positive, the other negative. Writers choose words carefully for their connotation, because it shapes how a reader feels about something, not just what they understand about it.

“The politician was described as stubborn by one newspaper and determined by another.”

'Stubborn' and 'determined' both describe someone who won't change their mind — but 'stubborn' has a negative connotation (unreasonable, difficult) while 'determined' has a positive connotation (strong-willed, admirable). Each newspaper's word choice reveals its opinion of the politician.

🔍Spot it

Identify whether the highlighted word carries a positive or negative connotation here.

Question 1

The old house was described as cosy by the estate agent.

💡 'Cosy' suggests warmth and comfort — an inviting word choice, likely used to sell the house.

Question 2

The crowd was described as a mob by the news report.

💡 'Mob' suggests a chaotic, dangerous, out-of-control group, unlike the more neutral word 'crowd'.

Question 3

The child was called curious by her teacher.

💡 'Curious' suggests an admirable eagerness to learn, rather than the more negative 'nosy'.

🧠Think about it

'Slim', 'skinny' and 'scrawny' can all describe someone thin. Why might a writer choose one of these words over the others when describing a character?

✍️Try it

Decide what the writer's word choice suggests about their attitude.

The journalist described the new policy as a scheme rather than a plan.

Question 1

What does calling the policy a 'scheme' rather than a 'plan' suggest about the journalist's attitude?

💡 'Scheme' often carries a connotation of trickery or dishonesty, unlike the neutral word 'plan'.

📝Practise

For each pair, decide which word carries the more negative connotation.

Question 1

Which word has a more negative connotation: 'confident' or 'arrogant'?

Question 2

Which word has a more positive connotation: 'cheap' or 'affordable'?

Question 3

Which word has a more negative connotation: 'crowd' or 'horde'?

Question 4

Give a word with a POSITIVE connotation that means roughly the same as 'stubborn'.

💡 See the Understand example above.

Question 5

Which word has a more positive connotation: 'unique' or 'weird'?

Question 6

Which word has a more negative connotation: 'chatty' or 'nosy'?

🎯Apply

Read the passage, then answer the questions below.

The report labelled the protesters as agitators, claiming their gathering had descended into chaos. A second, independent account instead described the same event as a peaceful demonstration by concerned citizens, noting that the atmosphere had remained calm throughout the afternoon.

Question 1

"agitators" carries what kind of connotation, compared to the more neutral word 'protesters'?

💡 'Agitator' suggests someone deliberately stirring up trouble.

Question 2

"concerned citizens" carries what kind of connotation, compared to "agitators"?

💡 This phrase presents the same people as reasonable and civic-minded.

Question 3

Find the word in the passage with a strongly negative connotation, used to describe the event by the first report (opposite of 'orderly').

💡 It appears in the sentence about the protesters' gathering.

🏆Challenge

The two accounts in the passage describe the exact same event using very different connotations. Explain in two or three sentences how a reader's opinion of the protesters might change depending on which account they read first, and why this shows connotation matters in real journalism.

🔄Review

A quick mastery check — 3 questions.

Question 1

Connotation is best defined as...

Question 2

Which of these has the most negative connotation: 'thrifty', 'careful with money', or 'stingy'?

Question 3

Why do writers choose words for their connotation, not just their denotation?

Want to practise building words from prefixes, suffixes and roots? Try the word-family builder →