How do you tell the difference between a word's literal meaning and its connotation, and how do you read figurative meaning such as idiom and figures of speech in a passage?
Analyzing denotation, connotation, and figurative meaning on the Ohio English II test: distinguishing a word's denotation (literal dictionary meaning) from its connotation (the feeling or association it carries), reading figurative meaning including idiom and figures of speech, and explaining how an author's word choice shapes tone and meaning.
How to analyze denotation, connotation, and figurative meaning on the Ohio English II test: telling a word's literal meaning from its connotation, reading idiom and figures of speech, and explaining how word choice shapes tone. The test rewards reading the feeling a word carries, not just its definition.
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What this skill is asking
A word carries two kinds of meaning, and Ohio's State Test for English Language Arts II asks you to read both. Denotation is a word's literal, dictionary meaning; connotation is the feeling or association it carries beyond that meaning. Figurative meaning is meaning that is not literal at all, an idiom, a figure of speech, a phrase whose sense is not the sum of its words. Ohio's Learning Standards place this in the Language strand under Vocabulary Acquisition and Use, specifically understanding nuances in word meanings. The skill matters because authors choose words for their connotations, so reading the flavour of a word is how you read tone. This page covers the denotation-connotation distinction, how to read idiom and figures of speech, and how word choice builds tone and meaning.
Denotation versus connotation
The clearest way to see connotation is to compare near-synonyms an author could have used. If a writer calls a crowd a "mob" rather than a "gathering," the negative connotation of "mob" tells you the writer's attitude. This is the same diction reading that drives tone analysis in literature, which links to figurative language and literary devices, and it underpins rhetorical reading in author's purpose and rhetoric.
Reading figurative meaning
Word choice and tone
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 meaning. Near-synonyms can share a denotation but differ in connotation.
Q2. A writer describes a politician's speech as "slick" rather than "polished." What does the word choice reveal? [Short explanation]
- Cue. Both denote smooth and skilful, but "slick" carries a negative connotation of being insincere or manipulative, while "polished" is admiring. The choice reveals a critical, distrustful attitude toward the speech.
Exam-style practice questions
Practice questions written in the style of ODEW exam questions on this dot point, with worked answer explainers. The year tag is the paper they imitate, not the source.
Ohio English II EOC (style)1 marksA writer could call a person 'thrifty,' 'frugal,' or 'stingy.' All three describe someone careful with money. Which carries the most negative connotation? (1) thrifty (2) frugal (3) stingy (4) they are identical.Show worked answer →
Answer: (3). The three words share a denotation (careful with money) but differ in connotation: "thrifty" and "frugal" sound positive or neutral, while "stingy" sounds negative and mean. The standard expects you to read the feeling a word carries, not only its dictionary meaning.
Option (4) is the trap: words can mean the same thing yet feel very different. An author's choice among near-synonyms is a tone choice, and the test rewards noticing it.
Ohio English II EOC (style)1 marksIn context, the phrase 'she finally threw in the towel' most nearly means: (1) she did the laundry (2) she gave up (3) she got angry (4) she cleaned the kitchen.Show worked answer →
Answer: (2). "Throw in the towel" is an idiom, a figure of speech whose meaning is not the sum of its words; it means to give up or quit. Reading figurative meaning rather than the literal words is part of the Language strand.
The trap options take the phrase literally (1, 4) or guess at an emotion (3). Idioms must be read for their accepted figurative meaning, and the surrounding context usually confirms it.
Related dot points
- Determining vocabulary in context on the Ohio English II test: using context clues (definition, example, contrast, and general sense) to work out the meaning of an unfamiliar or multiple-meaning word as it is used in a passage, and choosing the meaning that fits the sentence rather than the word's most common or dictionary-first meaning.
How to determine vocabulary in context on the Ohio English II test: using definition, example, contrast, and general-sense clues to work out a word's meaning in a passage, and choosing the meaning that fits the sentence rather than the word's most common meaning. Context beats the dictionary.
- Using word parts on the Ohio English II test: breaking an unfamiliar word into root, prefix, and suffix to infer its meaning, recognizing common Greek and Latin roots and affixes, and understanding how a suffix can change a word's part of speech, used together with context to confirm the meaning.
How to use word parts on the Ohio English II test: breaking a word into root, prefix, and suffix to infer meaning, recognizing common Greek and Latin roots and affixes, and seeing how a suffix changes part of speech. Word parts narrow the meaning; context confirms it.
- Analyzing figurative language and literary devices in literary texts: identifying simile, metaphor, personification, imagery, symbolism, hyperbole, and tone, and explaining the effect each creates (the feeling, picture, or meaning it builds) on an Ohio English II literary passage, rather than only labelling the device.
How to analyze figurative language and literary devices on the Ohio English II test: identifying simile, metaphor, personification, imagery, symbolism, and tone, and explaining their effect, not just naming them. The high-value move is what the device does, the feeling or meaning it builds.
- Analyzing author's purpose and rhetoric in informational texts on the Ohio English II test: determining the author's purpose and point of view, distinguishing purpose (to inform, persuade, or explain) from topic, and analyzing rhetorical choices such as word choice, tone, and the appeals to logic, emotion, and credibility (logos, pathos, ethos) and their effect.
How to analyze author's purpose and rhetoric on the Ohio English II test: determining purpose and point of view, telling purpose apart from topic, and analyzing word choice, tone, and the appeals to logic, emotion, and credibility. The test rewards explaining how a rhetorical choice advances the purpose.
- Applying grammar and usage conventions on the Ohio English II test: subject-verb agreement, pronoun-antecedent agreement and clear pronoun reference, consistent verb tense, parallel structure, and standard usage of commonly confused words, applied in editing items and scored under Conventions of Standard English on the extended-response writing task.
How to apply grammar and usage conventions on the Ohio English II test: subject-verb agreement, pronoun agreement and clear reference, consistent tense, parallel structure, and commonly confused words. These rules are tested in editing items and scored as Conventions on the extended response.
Sources & how we know this
- ELA II course resources — ODEW (2025)
- Ohio's Learning Standards for English Language Arts — ODEW (2025)