Word Choice, Connotation and Imagery

A thesaurus lists the following related words for the word run: “charge,” “scuttle,” “lope,” “bolt,” “hurry,”
“bound,” “scamper,” and “dart.” Read the following sentences and tell what is suggested by each target
word. The first one is done for you.
1. The girls charged down the hall, oblivious to the stares.
“Charged” means the girls are running down the hall in a purposeful way, as if they have an
important mission at the end of the hall.

2. The boys scuttled down the alley every evening.

3. The gentlemen loped down the dusty road.

4. The man bolted into the bar.

5. The geologist chased around the laboratory for days.

6. One after another, the prisoners tumbled off the bus.

7. His sister whirled down the street in her new coat.

8. Before going to college, Sam darted around Europe for two months.
Each of the following passages from The House on Mango Street uses words to create a visual image.

First, tell what is suggested by the underlined word or words in each passage. Next, using a synonym, change the
word or words so that the meaning of the passage also changes. The first one is done for you.

1. “But the house on Mango Street is not the way they told it at all. It’s small and red with tight steps in front
and windows so small you’d think they were holding their breath.” (4)
The phrase “tight steps” suggests to the reader that the steps are small and cramped. “Tight” might be
changed to “secure,” suggesting that both the house and the steps are safe rather than small.

2. “Everybody in our family has different hair. My papa’s hair is like a broom, all up in the air. And me, my hair
is lazy.” (6)

3. “Someday I will have a best friend all my own. One I can tell my secrets to. One who will understand my
jokes without my having to explain them. Until then I am a red balloon, a balloon tied to an anchor.” (9)

4. “In English my name means hope. In Spanish it means too many letters. It means sadness, it means waiting.
It is like the number nine. A muddy color.” (10)

5. “She [Cathy] says, I am the great great grand cousin of the queen of France. She lives upstairs, over there,
next door to Joe the baby-grabber. Keep away from him, she says. He is full of danger. Benny and Blanca
own the corner store. They’re okay except don’t lean on the candy counter. Two girls raggedy as rats live
across the street.” (12)