How do you read a word's connotation and figurative meaning, the feeling and the implied sense beyond its plain dictionary definition?
Figurative and connotative meaning on the Grade 10 ELA MCAS: distinguishing denotation (literal meaning) from connotation (the feeling or association a word carries), interpreting figurative language (idiom, metaphor, simile) at the word and phrase level, and explaining how a word choice shapes tone or meaning in a passage.
How to read figurative and connotative meaning on the Grade 10 ELA MCAS: telling denotation from connotation, interpreting idioms and figurative phrases, and explaining how a word's associations shape tone and meaning. Tested through vocabulary and craft items.
Reviewed by: AI editorial process; not yet individually human-reviewed
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What this skill is asking
Figurative and connotative meaning is about the sense a word carries beyond its plain definition, and the Grade 10 ELA MCAS tests it at the word and phrase level. Connotation is the feeling or association a word carries (compare "thrifty" and "stingy," which mean similar things but feel opposite). Figurative meaning covers idioms and figurative phrases whose sense is not literal ("keep it under your hat" means keep a secret). The skill students lose points on is reading a word only for its denotation (its dictionary meaning) and missing the feeling it carries, or reading an idiom literally. This page covers telling denotation from connotation, interpreting figurative phrases, and explaining how a word choice shapes tone. The transferable skill is hearing the difference between what a word means and what it suggests, which is the heart of both careful reading and precise writing.
Denotation versus connotation
The first move is to separate a word's meaning from its feeling.
When a question asks about the effect of a particular word, connotation is usually the answer: the writer could have chosen a neutral synonym but picked a loaded one for its feeling. "He was thin" is neutral; "he was scrawny" adds a faintly negative, frail association; "he was slender" adds a positive, graceful one. Same denotation, different connotation, different tone. Reading for connotation is what lets you explain a word choice rather than just defining the word, and it links straight to tone and author's craft.
Figurative meaning and using context
Figurative and connotative reading sit between vocabulary and literary craft, which is why this skill connects to figurative language and literary devices on the reading side. The difference here is scale: this is about the meaning and feeling of individual words and short phrases, the building blocks, while the literary-devices skill is about how those choices build larger effects across a passage. Both reward the same alertness to language working beyond the literal, and both feed precise word choice in your own writing, where connotation is a tool you control.
Working a figurative or connotative item
Try this
Q1. What is the difference between denotation and connotation? [Recall]
- Cue. Denotation is a word's literal dictionary meaning; connotation is the feeling or association it carries beyond that, which can be positive, negative, or neutral.
Q2. A writer describes a crowded room as "cozy" in one draft and "cramped" in another. What changes, and why might a writer choose each? [Short explanation]
- Cue. Both denote a small, full space, but "cozy" carries a positive, warm connotation while "cramped" carries a negative one. A writer would choose "cozy" to make the room feel inviting and "cramped" to make it feel uncomfortable, so the word choice sets the tone.
Exam-style practice questions
Practice questions written in the style of MA DESE exam questions on this dot point, with worked answer explainers. The year tag is the paper they imitate, not the source.
Grade 10 ELA MCAS (style)1 marksA writer calls a politician 'thrifty' in one article and 'stingy' in another. Both relate to spending little, but what is the difference? A. There is no difference. B. 'Thrifty' has a positive connotation (careful with money); 'stingy' has a negative one (mean with money). C. 'Stingy' means generous. D. 'Thrifty' means wasteful.Show worked answer →
Answer: B. Denotation is the literal meaning, and both words denote spending little. Connotation is the feeling a word carries: "thrifty" suggests wise, careful management (positive), while "stingy" suggests meanness (negative). The choice between them reveals the writer's attitude.
Why not the others: A ignores connotation, which the MCAS tests directly; C and D reverse the meanings. When two words share a denotation, the connotation is the point, so ask what feeling each one adds.
Grade 10 ELA MCAS (style)1 marksA character is told to 'keep it under your hat.' What does this idiom most nearly mean? A. Wear a hat. B. Keep it secret. C. Stay warm. D. Hurry up.Show worked answer →
Answer: B. An idiom is a phrase whose meaning is not the sum of its literal words. "Keep it under your hat" is a common idiom meaning keep something secret, not a literal instruction about a hat.
Why not the others: A and C read the phrase literally, which is the classic idiom trap; D assigns an unrelated meaning. To read an idiom, use context, the situation in the passage tells you the phrase is about secrecy, not headwear, so the figurative meaning, confirmed by context, is the answer.
Related dot points
- Vocabulary in context on the Grade 10 ELA MCAS: using context clues (definition, example, contrast, and inference from surrounding sentences) to determine the meaning of an unfamiliar or multiple-meaning word as it is used in the passage, and choosing the meaning that fits the sentence rather than the most common definition.
How to answer vocabulary-in-context items on the Grade 10 ELA MCAS: using context clues to determine a word's meaning as it is used in the passage, and choosing the meaning that fits the sentence rather than the most common one. Often a two-part item with the proving clue.
- Word parts and word relationships on the Grade 10 ELA MCAS: using Greek and Latin roots, prefixes, and suffixes to infer the meaning of an unfamiliar word, recognizing how a suffix changes a word's part of speech, and using word relationships (synonyms, antonyms, and analogies) to clarify meaning, combined with context.
How to use word parts and word relationships on the Grade 10 ELA MCAS: inferring meaning from Greek and Latin roots, prefixes, and suffixes, noting how suffixes change part of speech, and using synonyms, antonyms, and analogies, always combined with context to confirm the meaning.
- Figurative language and literary devices in literary texts: identifying simile, metaphor, personification, hyperbole, imagery, symbolism, and irony, and (the part that earns the marks) explaining the effect each creates - the feeling, picture, or meaning - on a Grade 10 ELA MCAS literary passage.
How to analyze figurative language on a Grade 10 ELA MCAS literary passage: identifying simile, metaphor, personification, imagery, symbolism, and irony, then explaining their effect rather than just labelling them. The effect is what earns the points on multiple-choice and two-part items.
- Tone and author's craft in literary texts: identifying tone (the writer's attitude) from diction and detail, distinguishing tone from mood (the feeling in the reader), and explaining how word choice, sentence style, and selection of detail create an effect on a Grade 10 ELA MCAS literary passage.
How to analyze tone and author's craft on a Grade 10 ELA MCAS literary passage: reading tone from diction and detail, telling tone apart from mood, and explaining how word choice and sentence style create an effect. Tone and craft questions reward effect, not labels.
- Word choice and precision on the Grade 10 ELA MCAS: replacing vague or general words with precise, specific ones, removing wordiness and unnecessary repetition, matching word choice to tone and audience (formal versus informal), and using connotation deliberately, in revising items and the long composition.
How to improve word choice on the Grade 10 ELA MCAS: replacing vague words with precise ones, cutting wordiness and repetition, matching word choice to tone and audience, and using connotation. Tested in revising items and rewarded in the essay's writing.
Sources & how we know this
- Released Test Questions and Practice Tests — MA DESE (2024)
- Massachusetts Curriculum Framework for English Language Arts and Literacy — MA DESE (2017)