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6th grade · English Language Arts · Unit 2 of 12

Connotation & Tone

Word choice changes meaning

What your child practices

Words can share a dictionary meaning (denotation) but carry different feelings (connotation), like “cozy” and “cramped.” Students choose words for effect and identify a writer's tone.

Arizona Academic Standards learning standard: 6.RL.4; 6.L.5 · connotation and tone

How we explain it

Children can open this short lesson before they practice.

  1. Denotation is a word’s dictionary meaning. Connotation is the feeling it carries.
  2. Cozy and cramped both mean small, but cozy feels good and cramped feels bad.
  3. Tone is the writer’s attitude, shown by word choice: cheerful, angry, worried, playful.

Example: Which has the more positive connotation: “thrifty” or “stingy”? Both mean careful with money. Stingy sounds selfish. Thrifty sounds wise. Answer: thrifty

Connotation & Tone in Arizona

In the Arizona Academic Standards, this is unit 2 of 12 in 6th grade English Language Arts, after Point of View and before Make Your Case.

Gradelings describes a child's practice on this unit as Beginning, Approaching, Meeting or Exceeding (Four practice steps). That reflects practice, not a report-card mark: the teacher decides the mark.

Source: Arizona Department of Education

Sample questions

A taste of this unit. In the app, questions change every time and get easier or harder to match your child.

  1. Question 1

    Sort each word: positive or negative connotation?

    Sort into: 😊 Positive · 😒 Negative

    • 🔤stingy
    • 🔤confident
    • 🔤pushy
    • 🔤cozy
    • 🔤home
    • 🔤nosy

  2. Question 2

    “stroll” and “trudge” have the same denotation (dictionary meaning). What is it?

    • a building where people live
    • not common or ordinary
    • to move along on foot
    • known by many people

  3. Question 3

    What is the tone of this comment?

    Pool fees went up again this year, and once again nobody asked the families who actually use the pool.

    • joyful
    • amused
    • frustrated
    • grateful

  4. Question 4

    A reviewer wants readers to dislike a character. Which word fits best? “The hero was _____ and refused to listen to anyone's advice.”

    • stubborn
    • cheerful
    • determined

  5. Question 5

    What is the tone of this description?

    The empty playground was silent. A single swing creaked in the wind, and the gate hung open.

    • excited
    • cheerful
    • lonely
    • silly

  6. Question 6

    Which word has the most positive connotation?

    • childish
    • youthful
    • young

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