Reading Comprehension Success in 20 Minutes a Day, 3rd Edition

H o w D i c t i o n I n f l u e n c e s
M e a n i n g
Put your powers of observation to work on the follow-
ing sentences. Read them carefully and then write down
what you notice about each writer’s specific choice of
words. See if you can use the writers’ diction to deter-
mine what they are inferring about the seriousness of
the situation they are describing:
A. The political parties are meeting with the hopes
of clearing up their differences.
B. The political parties have entered into negotia-
tions in an attempt to resolve their conflict.
Both sentences convey the same information:
Two parties are meeting because they have a disagree-
ment of some sort to address. But the differences in the
diction of each sentence tell us that these two situations
aren’t exactly the same—or at least that the two writ-
ers have different perceptions about the situations.
What differences did you notice between these two
sentences? List them below (an example has been pro-
vided to get you started):
Your Observations:
Example: I noticed that sentence A says the political
parties are “meeting,” whereas sentence B says they
“have entered into negotiations.”
Diction: the particular words chosen 
and used by the author
Denotation: exact or dictionary meaning
Connotation: implied or suggested meaning
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D I C T I O N : W H AT ’ S I N A W O R D ?
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9 7

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Now that you’ve listed your observations, answer
this question: In which sentence do you think the sit-
uation is more serious, and why do you think so? (The
why is especially important.)
The difference in word choice should tell you that
sentence B describes the more serious situation. Here
are some of the observations you might have made
about the writers’ diction that would have told you so:
■
The political parties in sentence B are not just
“meeting,” they’ve “entered into negotiations.”
This phrase is often used to describe disagree-
ments between warring parties. And “negotia-
tions” are much more formal than “meetings,”
suggesting that there is a serious difference to be
resolved in sentence B.
■
Whereas in sentence A they are ironing things out,
the parties in sentence B only “attempt to” resolve
the problems. This important difference suggests
that the problem between the parties in sentence A
is not that serious—the problem is likely to be
resolved. In sentence B, on the other hand, “in an
attempt” suggests that the problem is quite serious
and that it will be difficult to resolve; the outlook
is doubtful rather than hopeful.
■
In sentence A, the parties are seeking to “clear up
their differences,” whereas in sentence B, the par-
ties want to “resolve their conflict.” The phrase
“clear up” suggests that there is merely some sort
of confusion between the two. However, “resolve”
suggests that there is a matter that must be solved
or settled. And, of course, “conflict” indicates a
more serious problem than “differences.”