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Formal DefinitionsThe Structure of a Formal Definition A formal definition is a one-sentence explanation of the meaning of a word. When youwrite a formal definition, first assign the term to a class and then explain how it isdifferent from other members of the class.
T able 1
P ar t s o f a For m al D ef in it i o n
Term
Verb
Class
Distinguishing Characteristics
Modems
are
devices
that make possible the transmissionof data to or from a computer viatelephone.
Hypertext Mark-Up Language(HTML)
is^
a code
used to make documents readableacross a variety of platforms andsoftware.
The Internet
is^
a global system ofnetworkedcomputers
that allows user-to-usercommunication and transfer of datafiles.
Exercise 1
What do you notice about the grammar in the definitions in Table 1?
Which verb tense is used?
What type of clause is used in "distinguishing characteristics?"
Guidelines for Writing Formal Definitions Table 2 gives some guidelines for writing formal definitions.
Table 2
Gu id eli n es fo r Fo rm al D efi niti ons
Guidelines
Examples
Be specific about the class.
-^
A modem is
a thing
that… [
vague
]
-^
A modem is
a device
that…[
specific
]
-^
A modem is
an electronic device
that… [
more
specific
]
Use the same part of speech forthe class as the word that isbeing defined.
-^
HTML
is used
when…[
incorrect
]
(noun) (passive verb)
-^
HTML is
a code
used when.. [
correct
]
(noun) (noun)
Whenever possible, don't repeatthe term in the class ordistinguishing characteristicssection.
-^
Hypertext Mark-up Language is a language
….[
incorrect
]
-^
Hypertext Mark-up Language is a
code
used
when…[
correct
]
Make sure there is sufficientinformation in the adjectiveclause to distinguish the termfrom other members of the class.
-^
A modem is a device that is used with acomputer and a telephone. [
insufficient
]
-^
A modem is a device that makes possible thetransmission of data to or from a computer viatelephone. [
sufficient
]
Avoid long words and longsentences in technical writing. Ifnecessary, break the formaldefinition into two sentences,rather than producing a very longsentence.
-^
The Internet, which is commonly confused withthe World Wide Web, is a global system ofnetworked computers that allows user-to-usercommunication and transfer of data files fromone machine to another. The World Wide Webis the concept for presenting and linkinginformation on a network.[
too long
]
-^
The Internet is a global system of networkedcomputers that allows user-to-usercommunication and transfer of data files. It iscommonly confused with the World Wide Web,a concept for presenting and linkinginformation on a network. [
improved
]
Exercise 2
Revise these definitions to comply with the conventions for writing a
formal definition. An Internet Service Provider (ISP) gives users access to the Internet.
Unlimited service refers to the time a user wants to spend on the Internet.
A set-up fee is a fee that ISPs charge to begin an account.
Point to Point Protocol (PPP) is the most common type of dialup account that ISPsprovide because it is easy to use, especially if the modem is fast.
Peak times are when many people are accessing the Internet.
Flat rate accounts are a way to charge users.
The Grammar of DefinitionsIndefinite Articles Formal definitions commonly use indefinite articles for the term and class, forms of theverb
be
and an adjective clause or reduced adjective clause to express the
distinguishing characteristics. Exercise 3
Decide if
a
,^ an
, or nothing [
] is missing from these sentences.
a)
The Web is _____ enormous collection of HTML documents which are linkedtogether over the Internet. b)
Links are highlighted words which point to _____ additional information. c)
A web browser is_____ special communications program that reads and interpretsHTML documents. d)
_____ web server is a computer program that responds to requests from Webbrowsers e)
____ Uniform Resource Locator (URL) is an address that you feed Web browsers
Exercise 4
Reduce the following adjective clauses, where possible. Change the
highlighted
part of each sentence. If no reduction is possible, write
no
Ex.: The Oxford Text Archives is a database
which contains
electronic books in many
different languages around the world.
containing
a)Search engines are not the same as directories. Search engines send out spiders
that
create
lists automatically.
b)Then users search through the lists
the search engines have created
c. If you change your web pages, it takes longer for search engines to find the changes, which may affect
how you are listed.
d. Directories depend on short descriptions
that are written
for web sites.
e. A directory search looks for matches only in the descriptions
that have been
submitted
by the owners of the sites.
f. Some search engines,
which are called
hybrids, maintain an associated directory.
Reduced Adjective Clauses in Definitions Technical writers should avoid wordiness. One way to eliminate unnecessary words is to reduceadjective clauses. There are several important rules when doing this.
Tabl e 3
R ul es f o r R ed u ci ng Ad j ec t i ve C l a u s es
Guidelines
Examples
Drop the relative pronoun and theverb
be
if the adjective clause
contains a prepositional phrase,an adjective, or a passive verb.
-^
[ adjective clause with an adjective
]
An electronic book is a document
that is lengthy
enough
to be considered a book.
=> An electronic book is a document
lengthy enough
to be considered a book.
-^
[ adjective clause with a prepositional phrase
]
An electronic book is a document
that is on diskette
or hard drive
=> An electronic book is a document
on diskette or
hard drive
-^
[ adjective clause with a passive verb
]
A campus wide information system is an onlineservice
that is used
as a central source of
information at a college or university.=> A campus wide information system is an onlineservice
used
as a central source of information at a
college or university.
Reduce the adjective clause by changing the word or word form in these two situations:
1.^
The adjective clausecontains the verb
have
[Drop the relative pronounand change
have
to
having
.]
or[Drop the relative pronounand
have
. Replace using
with
.]
-^
PPP is a method for connecting a personal computer that has
a modem to the Internet.
=> PPP is a method for connecting a personalcomputer
having
a modem to the Internet.
=> PPP is a method for connecting a personalcomputer
with
a modem to the Internet.
2.^
The verb is in an activestate and the relativepronoun is the subject.[Drop the relative pronounand change the verb to the -ing
form.]
-^
Links are highlighted text
that point
to additional
information.=> Links are highlighted text
pointing
to additional
information.
None of these rules apply to modalauxiliary verbs, e.g.,
should
,^ may
can
, or
must
, since the meaning
of the modal is lost in thereduction.
-^
[ original
]
This information, which must be accessed via theInternet, is useful.
-^
[ reduced with different meaning
]
This information, accessed via the Internet, is useful.
Exercice A Can you remove any words in the following sentences without changing the meaning?1 The planet that the astronomers observed is Saturn.2 Invertebrates are animals that have no backbone.3 The hospital was not satisfied with the nurse whom the doctor hired.4 The food that you eat should be varied.5 Iodine is an element that aids in the prevention of goiter.6 A geologist notices the manner in which strata are deposit. Exercice B Can you remove any words or phrases in the following sentences without changing themeaning?1 One solvent that is used in dry cleaning is benzine.2 A leaf that is growing on the left does not respond to light3 A physicist who is at the CERN laboratory noticed the particle track.4 The only water that is drinkable here is bottled water.5 The pump that is the closest to the venturi valve has broken down twice.6 Venus is a planet that is covered with clouds. Exercice C 1 The person who is responsible is the doctor who gave the injection.2 The most distant object that is known in the universe is a quasar.3 Stars that are red are older than stars that are blue.4 The sentences that are italized must be included in the report.5 The computer is a system that is simple enough for a child to use6 The liquid that is boiling in the Sewar jar is liquid helium.7 The only theory that was possible did not account for all the data8 A problem that is in many pressurized-water nuclear reactors is the deterioration ofsteam-generator tubes. precede eruptions9 Apnea is a sleep disorder that is characterized by frequent respiratory failure.10Scientists who are studying volcanoes know that small earthquakes usually precedeeruptions Exercice D 1 Nurses who live in infected areas should be inoculated.2 The river that supplies water to the central valley contains small amounts of dioxin, aknown carcinogen.3 The animal that can run faster than any other is the cheetah.4 Researchers that test new undersea cables prefer optical-fiber cables for longdistances.5 The physicists who discovered radium and polonium in 1898 were Marie and PierreCurie.
Writing Definitions In academic work students are often expected to give definitions of key words and phrases in orderto demonstrate to their tutors that they understand these terms clearly. Academic writers generally,however, define terms so that their readers understand exactly what is meant when certain keyterms are used. When important words are not clearly understood misinterpretation may result. Infact, many disagreements (academic, legal, diplomatic, personal) arise as a result of differentinterpretations of the same term. In academic writing, teachers and their students often have toexplore these differing interpretations before moving on to study a topic. Introductory phrases: It is necessary here to clarify exactly what is meant by .....This shows a need to be explicit about exactly what is meant by the word X.X is a term frequently used in the literature, but to date there is no consensus about ...... Simple three-part definitions A university is
an institution
where knowledge is "produced" andpassed on to others.
Social Economics may bebroadly defined as
the branch ofeconomics
[which is] concerned with themeasurement, causes and consequencesof social problems.
Research may be definedas
a systematicprocess
which consists of three elements orcomponents: (1) a question, problem, orhypothesis, (2) data, and (3) analysis andinterpretation of data.
General meanings / application of meanings: The term
X
has come to be used to refer to
The term
X
is generally understood to mean
The term
X
has been applied to situations where
students ......
In broad biological
terms
, X
can be defined as
any stimulus that is .......
The
broad use of the term
X is sometimes equated with ......
The term disease
refers
to a biological event characterised by .......
In the literature, the term tends to be used to refer to ......X can be defined as ...... It encompasses ...... Indicating difficulties in defining a term: In the field of language teaching,
various definitions of fluency
are found.
Fluency is a commonly used notion in language learning and yet it is a concept
difficult to define
precisely
A generally accepted definition of fluency
is lacking.
Smith (2001) identified four abilities
that might be subsumed under the term
fluency: a) .....
The term poststructuralism
embodies
a multitude of concepts which ......
Specifying terms that are used in an essay/thesis: In this essay
the term
overseas student
will be used in its broadest sense to refer
to all students
who ......Throughout this thesis, the term education
is used to refer to
informal systems as well as formal
systems.While
a variety of definitions of the term X have been suggested
, this paper
will use the definition
first suggested by Smith (1968) who saw it as .......In this paper,
the term that will be used to describe
this phenomenon is X
In this dissertation the terms X and Y
are used interchangeably to mean
Referring to people's definitions (author prominent): Smith (1954) was apparently the first to
use the term.
Chomsky
writes that
a grammar is a 'device of some sort for producing the .....' (1957, p.11).
According to a definition provided by
Smith (2001:23), fluency is 'the maximally ......
The term
"fluency"
is used by
Smith (2001)
to refer to
Smith (2001) uses the term "fluency" to refer to ......For Smith (2001), fluency
means/refers to
Macro-stabilisation policy
is defined by
Smith (2003: 119)
as
Aristotle
defines
the imagination as "the movement which results upon an actual sensation."
The term
"matter"
is used by
Aristotle
in four
overlapping
senses. First, it is the
underlying .......
Secondly, it is
the potential which ......
Smith et al. (2002)
have provided a new definition of
health: "health is a state of being with
physical, cultural, psychological ....." Referring to people's definitions (author non-prominent): Validity is the degree to which an assessment process or device measures what it is intended tomeasure (Smith et al., 1986) Language X is ...X is called ...X is known as ...X may be defined as ...X is a type of Y that/which ...A type of Y which ... is X
