Which option demonstrates denotation?

• A. The word home means a place where someone lives
• B. The word home is a noun
• C. The word home suggests warmth and belonging
• D. The word home denotes the literal meaning

Answer: (D)

Denotation is the literal meaning of a word—the direct reference you’d find in a dictionary, without the emotional or cultural overtones. The best option states that the word denotes the literal meaning, which directly shows the concept of denotation by linking the sign to its exact, dictionary-like reference. That precise phrasing makes the relationship between word and basic meaning clear. The other statements shift focus: identifying the word as a noun is about its grammatical role, not its meaning; describing warmth and belonging points to connotation, the feelings the word might evoke; and simply saying the word means a place where someone lives, while true as a denotative sense, doesn’t explicitly connect to the idea of denotation itself.