“What is earth-shattering is that plesiosaurs are doing it differently than other reptiles,” O’Keefe said. “Instead of having lots of little babies, they’re having one big baby — a single, very large fetus.”

Question

classify the word earth shattering as denotative, connotative, or figurative

Answer 1

The term "earth-shattering" in this context is primarily figurative. It is used to convey the significance or impact of the discovery about plesiosaurs rather than describing a literal event that shakes the Earth. The phrase suggests that the finding is groundbreaking or extremely important, rather than indicating a physical phenomenon.