Download - What am I?: A defining presentation on definition Modes of Essay Ms. Schwane November 2, 2009
What am I?: A defining presentation on definition
Modes of EssayMs. SchwaneNovember 2, 2009
Definition1.What a term means
To “google” means to use the search engine Google to look up someone or something.
2. How it differs from other terms in its class
“Googling” is done online and is typically faster and more informal than research through interview or extensive reading, for instance
Types of DefinitionFormal Extended
Both include term – class -- differentiation
When to use definition? Academic writing:
Essay exams Course papers Speeches Debates
Any time you need to clarify the meaning of a term for your audience.
Writing Definition Essays Rarely is the dictionary definition enough…
Have an intro + thesis, body, conclusion – the rest is flexible
Give the term, class and differentiation (denotative/formal meanings)
Give connotative/extended meanings. Do not use the term in your definition
Have a greater purpose for giving
the definition(thesis statement)
Strategies for Writing Extended Definitions:
Synonyms Personal interpretations
Negation Historical/social interpretations
Enumeration Analogies
Origin + DevelopmentUse within other modes/patterns of writing
Avoid “is when” & “is where”Why?Leads to examples, not definitionsCauses you to exclude the class of the
term
See pg. 515 for models of correct and incorrect structures
“Wife-Beater” and your brain In the definition
section of your brain, write 3 strategies Smith uses to define the shirt
Write down the author’s purpose for writing the definition
Some of Smith’s examples
Your Turn – example topics
In your group write a paragraph definition of your mystery item. Be sure to not name
your item in your paragraph, as other groups will have to guess
what you are defining.
Other possible writing topicsAbstract concepts:
What is hope? What is belonging for a teenager? What does it mean to be a good student? What does it mean to be a New Berliner? How would you define safety in the 21st century?
Concrete concepts: What is a kitchen table? What is a Northern Michigan pasty? What is a sneeze?
BibliographyPatterns for College Writing Images from www.writehisanswer.com;
http://www.rics.org/MyRICS/ATC/wmmyec_e_19112008.html; www.menstuff.org ; www.oldnavy.com; news.ninemsn.com.au