C L I N E

A cline is a graded sequence of

words whose meanings go
across a continuum of
meaning. It came from the
Greek word clino meaning to
slope.
Examples:
shouted, yelled, screamed,
shrieked
friendly, sociable, outgoing,
gregarious
leave, deport, exile, outcast
cool, cold, freezing
warm, hot, burning

Going Clining, Anyone?
1. Select any lines from the poem I Am
An African Child. The lines must
contain word or words which you
have encountered for the first time.
2. List down the words; find a
dictionary or a thesaurus and look
for different meanings/synonyms of
these words.
3. Choose two extremes among
the synonyms. These will
become the boundaries of the
cline. When done, place the
remaining words in between
these boundaries.