Connotation and Mood

Your choice of words affects meaning! 
Practice
Then use this study sheet to review!
Fill in the blanks to complete the answers:
1. What is denotation?
•Denotation refers to the  l______ definition of a word, the one found in a d_________. It is f______ and o________ . It may require a_______ information to discover the emotion.
2. What is connotation?
•Connotation refers to the e______ meaning of a word. It is s_________ and varies from _______ to ______ . It may require b_______ information to understand.  It deliberately shows a p______, n______ or n______ meaning.
3. What is mood and tone?
•Mood is a t____________ e___________ that an author tried to create in a r_______. T_____ is the a______ an author shows in a piece of writing. Tone includes w_____ and p______ that reveal the a_______ attitude, while mood is the e_______ created in the r_______ .  To properly understand the a______ tone, a reader needs background k_________ of v______ and s________ .  A re______ also needs to be en________: able to e_____ the world of the story or essay.   Some tricks of tone include all_______________ and rh____________ which can add humour; re________ which can add emphasis; s___________ and m__________ which can add vividness; and the c_____________ of words which can add subtle meanings. The use of ju_________ can also add subtle meanings.
4. What is diction?
•Diction is the c_________ use of w____ and p_____ . The use of contractions indicates a c______ tone, while f______ writing avoids contractions. An angry or excited tone can be indicated by the use of sh____ sentences, while a relaxed or introspective tone might be shown with l________ sentences. The ______ person point of view, another trick of tone, implies a limited view.   The ______ person point of view implies a broader view of a situation.
Change the tone of this paragraph from neutral to positive:

  It was a long weekend.  I spent time with my friends. I sat with my family. I ate a tasty meal with my grandparents. Outside, the weather was all right. The sun was out, but there were some cloudy periods and some wind. A group of us spent time climbing a rugged track in Manning Park . It was okay. And I had some  homework to do, but I got it done. The weekend was acceptable.

Tone Words:

absurd
ambivalent
affectionate
amused
angry
annoyed
anxious
apathetic
appreciative
arrogant
belligerent
bitter
blunt
bossy
cheerful
comforting
compassionate
conceited
condescending
confident
contented
critical
demanding
depressed
derogatory
desperate
disappointed
disrespectful
distressed
doubtful
embarrassed
encouraging
enthusiastic
evasive
excited
fearful
flippant
frantic
friendly
frightened
frustrated
furious
gentle
greedy
happy
harsh
haughty
hopeless
humorous
incredulous
indifferent
indignant
insolent
intense
interested
introspective
lethargic
joyous
judgemental
loving
malicious
miserable
mocking
modest
ominous
ridiculing
nostalgic
objective
optimistic
outspoken
paranoid
patronising
pessimistic
placid
playful
pretentious
proud
relaxed
resigned
respectful
reticent
sarcastic
self-assured
selfish
serious
silly
skeptical
solemn
straight-forward
suspicious
sympathetic
threatening
tragic
uncertain
uneasy
vindictive
TONE: STYLE CLUES
casual: use of contractions
formal: no contractions
angry or excited: short sentences
relaxed or thoughtful: longer sentences MOOD WORDSaggravated
amused
annoyed
anxious
apathetic
apprehensive
calm
cheerful
confident
confused
content
depressed
determined
ecstatic
energetic
envious
excited
exhausted
exhilarated
generous
grateful
grumpy
helpful
hopeful
indifferent
irate
joyous
light-hearted
lonely
merciful
miserable
moody
nervous
nostalgic
optimistic
overwhelmed
peaceful
pessimistic
playful
relaxed
relieved
restless
scared
serious
silly
surprised
sympathetic
tense
thoughtful
trustful
uncomfortable
unkind
vivacious
warm
welcoming   

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