Loaded Words Worksheet
Sharon Haigler
Overview
- This worksheet is adapted from “Exploring Author’s Point-of-View: Reading Critically [Resource]” by Sharon Haigler where it is part of a longer lesson entitled “Reading Critically for Bias and Tone.”
- This worksheet enables students to hone their ability to assess tone, connotation, and denotation through word choice.
Worksheet
Some words may not cause a particular emotional reaction whereas other words with similar meanings may fire up anger, joy, fear, or other emotions. Authors may choose to use more emotional words to convey a particular tone in their writing, and critical readers need to be aware of this literary device to maintain an objective view of the topic and not be subtly swayed by the author’s attitude.
Consider each of the following groups of words. Underline, circle, or mark the word that suggests a more emotional response.
| Group Number | Word #1 | Word #2 | Word #3 | Word #4 |
| 1 | witty | clever | sneaky | astute |
| 2 | famous | notorious | prominent | renowned |
| 3 | gigantic | big | large | sizable |
| 4 | scary | frightening | creepy | bloodcurdling |
| 5 | attentive | careful | observant | guarded |
| 6 | pretty | gorgeous | lovely | nice-looking |
| 7 | exhausted | tired | drowsy | sleepy |
| 8 | corrupt | false | untruthful | dishonest |
| 9 | honest | truthful | good | blameless |
| 10 | immaculate | clean | unsoiled | sanitary |
| 11 | funny | hilarious | humorous | amusing |
| 12 | upset | terrify | scare | startle |
| 13 | dull | boring | mind-numbing | dreary |
| 14 | genius | intelligent | bright | smart |
| 15 | vicious | mean | hateful | unkind |
Click here to download a Word Doc version of the “Loaded Words” worksheet:
Attribution:
Haigler, Sharon. “Loaded Words Worksheet.” Strategies, Skills and Models for Student Success in Writing and Reading Comprehension. College Station: Texas A&M University, 2024. This work is licensed with a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (CC BY 4.0).