Unlocking Hidden Meanings: How Denotation and Connotation Transform Your Poetry
Connotation could also be thought of as the flavor of a word. Mom and mother both have the same dictionary definition, but these words have different flavors once we put them into context. Consider the following sentences:
Mom, can I audition for the school play?
Mother, may I audition for the school play?
The word Mom has an intimate and casual connotation whereas Mother carries a more formal overtone. These words have the same meaning but the subtext is different. This is due, in part, to context. Mother may sound formal in the example sentence above, but there may be contexts in which that is not the case:
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