To communicate precisely, students must understand the subtle differences between similar words. In this lesson, students learn shades of meaning for words likely to come up in a business context.
Directions: Put students in two groups. Give each group one set of words. Give students 20 minutes to discuss how the words are different. Students may research the words online if they are stuck. After 20 minutes, meet as a class and have each group explain the shades of meaning of their words.
Also see shades of meaning 2.
Shades of Meaning (set 1)
1. customer, client
2. job, career
3. coworkers, colleagues
4. expensive, overpriced, top-of-the-line, premium
5. common, ordinary, run-of-the-mill, standard, familiar, well-known
6. rich, wealthy, well-to-do, well-off
7. scheme, strategy, plot, approach
8. factory, manufacturing plant, sweatshop, workshop
9. guarantee, warranty
10. embarrassed, ashamed, mortified
Shades of Meaning (set 2)
11. boss, manager, supervisor
12. cost, investment, expense, price
13. sufficient, adequate, plenty
14. to fail, to come up short, to miss the mark
15. young, youthful, immature
16. look, watch, stare, glare
17. honest, sincere
18. stingy, cheap, thrifty, frugal
19. unusual, strange, weird, unique, odd
20. confident, arrogant, cocky
Differences in Shades of Meaning
Students should identify the following:
Shades of Meaning (set 1)
1. customer, client
A customer is someone who buys goods or services. A client receives professional services.
2. job, career
A job is what someone does in exchange for money. A career is a professional trajectory that includes both past and present jobs.
3. coworkers, colleagues
A coworker is someone who works on your team or for your company. A colleague is a professional who works in your industry, but not necessarily for the same company.
4. expensive, overpriced, top-of-the-line, premium
Expensive simply means that something costs a lot. Overpriced means that something costs more than it should. Top of the line and premium have a positive connotation and communicate that something is high quality.
5. common, ordinary, run-of-the-mill, standard, familiar, well-known
Common and standard have a neutral connotation. Run-of-the-mill and ordinary have more of a negative connotation. Familiar and well-known have a positive connotation.
6. rich, wealthy, well-to-do, well-off
Rich is direct term that we often try to avoid. Wealthy is a more polite way to communicate that someone has a lot of money. Well-to-do and well-off are euphemistic, indirect ways to communicate that someone has a lot of money.
7. scheme, strategy, plot, approach, method
Scheme and plot have a negative connotation. Strategy and approach sound more positive.
8. factory, manufacturing plant, sweatshop, workshop
Factory and manufacturing plant (plant) are synonyms. Sweatshop has a negative connotation and communicates that people work long hours for little pay. A workshop is smaller than a factory or manufacturing plant. Also, a workshop is a place where things might be manufactured and/or repaired.
9. guarantee, warranty
A warranty is a written document stating that a product will be repaired or replaced if it becomes defective. A guarantee is not always written and usually not as specific as a warranty. A more complete explanation of the difference can be found here.
10. embarrassed, ashamed, mortified
Someone ashamed has done something morally wrong and feels guilty about it. Someone embarrassed has done something that will cause others to think less of him (but not something morally wrong). Mortified is a stronger version of embarrassed.
Shades of Meaning (set 2)
11. boss, manager, supervisor
Boss has a negative connotation whereas manager and supervisor do not. Also, a supervisor is in charge of people whereas a manager may have additional responsibilities, such as meeting the financial objectives of the company.
12. cost, investment, expense, price
Cost and price have a neutral connotation. Expense has a negative connotation. Investment has a positive connotation as it suggests that the benefit of the purchase will outweigh the cost.
13. sufficient, adequate, plenty
Sufficient has a more positive connotation than adequate. Adequate communicates that there is “barely enough.” Sufficient communicates that there is enough. Plenty communicates that there is much more than what is needed.
14. to fail, to come up short, to miss the mark
Fail has a negative connotation. Come up short and to miss the mark have a more positive connotation.
15. young, youthful, immature
Young has a neutral connotation, youthful has a positive connotation, and immature has a negative connotation.
16. to look, to watch, to stare, to glare
We typically use look to communicate that someone is visually focusing on something that is not moving (look at the screen, look at me, look at the picture, look at the chart/graph, etc.). We use watch to communicate that someone is visually focusing on something that is moving (watch the game, watch the race, etc.). To stare means to look at someone without averting one’s eyes. To glare means to stare at someone with hatred or disapproval.
17. honest, sincere
If someone is being honest, they are telling the truth. If someone is being sincere, they are being genuine and their actions and words reflect how they really feel. As this page points out, sometimes the words can be used as synonyms.
18. stingy, cheap, thrifty, frugal
Stingy and cheap have negative connotations. Thrifty and frugal have positive connotations. Also, cheap refers to not wanting to part with money, but stingy refers to not wanting to part with something of value (money, time, food, etc.).
19. unusual, strange, weird, unique, odd
Unusual is neutral. Odd, strange, and weird have a negative connotation. Unique has a positive connotation.
20. confident, arrogant, cocky
Confident has a positive connotation. Arrogant and cocky have negative connotations and communicate that someone thinks they are superior to others.