Positive Connotation Practice

Explore shades of meaning in words that have similar definitions with this engaging vocabulary worksheet! Each of these 10 problems includes a word with a negative connotation and its literal definition. Students get to flex their creative muscles to come up with a word that matches the literal definition but has a more positive connotation. For example, the words "deceive" and "persuade" both describe convincing another person of something, but this worksheet will help students think about how they convey very different feelings. 

This worksheet is a great way to get middle school students thinking about how they use words and what new vocabulary they could start using to make their own writing clearer and more precise. Understanding connotation in writing is important not only in improving students' writing skill, but also in developing their ability to recognize tone and intention. 

You can find a worksheet with the same type of practice for negative connotations here: Negative Connotation Practice. For more practice with both positive and negative connotations, check out Positive and Negative Connotation #1 and Positive and Negative Connotation #2.