(RL.6.4) The Scroll of Figurative and Connotative Meaning

The ability to determine the meaning of words and phrases as they are used in a text, including figurative and connotative meanings; analyze the impact of a specific word choice on meaning and tone.

The Scroll of Figurative and Connotative Meaning

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Figurative language is words or groups of words that stand for more than their literal meaning.A simile uses the words like or as to compare two unlike things. For example, an author might say: Tiger crept up behind Fox as silently as a whisper. The author compares the way Tiger crept to a whisper to show that Tiger crept very quietly.A metaphor also compares two unlike things but does not use like or as. For example, an author might say: The monkeys were statues, frozen in their trees. The author compares the monkeys to statues to show how still they were.

The denotation of a word is its dictionary definition. For example, the dictionary definition of both plan and scheme is “a program of action.”The connotation of a word is the ideas or feelings associated with that word that are not part of its definition. A word’s connotation can be neutral, positive, or negative. For example, the word plan has a neutral connotation. The word scheme has a negative connotation because it is associated with being devious or calculating.

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