I need help with my English homework. Im stuck on a essay. The question is define the difference between denotative and connotative meaning. Give a personal example of the connotative meaning of a word and how your experiences sahped its meaning.

Question

e.mccormick · Answer

Well, have you looked at the meanings of those words? http://www.csun.edu/~vcoao0el/de361/de361s62_folder/tsld008.htm

anonymous · Answer

yes

anonymous · Answer

for some reason im having trouble understand what to write might be my language barrier

e.mccormick · Answer

Well, if I take the first example from that page, it talks about dog.  OK, so that is an animal.  But what about the most memorable dog for a person?  "The dog," could have a very personal and special meaning to someone that had a very unique pet.

The second example shows how the word chair took on a very personal and special meaning due to how prison guards used it in this person's childhood.  The same thing could happen to any word.  It would have a meaning beyond the norm because it was changed by something traumatic, joyful, or special in other ways.

anonymous · Answer

thank you e.mccormick