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Simple Definitions
| If we look up the word 'definition' in a dictionary we will see the following: def·i·ni·tion n 1. [C] a phrase or sentence that says exactly what a word, phrase, or idea means More formally in writing we would put: A definition is a phrase or sentence that/which says exactly what a word, phrase, or idea means. Look at these examples: A student is a person who is studying at a university or college. A major is the main subject or course which a student studies at a college or university. A college is a place where students receive higher or professional education. |
Task 1. [individually]
(a) Analyze the examples above and fill in the table below with appropriate pronouns used to join relative clauses to the main ones.
| For persons | For inanimate objects | For places |
(b) Join the sentences on the left below with the correct ones from those on the right. Use an appropriate relative pronoun to create a relative clause.
Example: A scientist is a person who studies one or more of the natural sciences.
| 1. A university is an institution at the highest level of education 2. A major is a student 3. A term is a particular word or combination of words 4. A paper is an academic article about a particular subject 5. Research is methodical investigation into a subject | a) It is used to mean something very specific or one used in a specialized area of knowledge or work. b) He studies a particular subject as the main part of his course. c) You can study for a degree or do research. d) It is used in order to discover facts, to establish or revise a theory, or to develop a plan of action based on the facts discovered. e) It is written by and for specialists. |
| So far, in the definitions we have looked at, the language construction has been: Thing to be defined + verb + general class word + wh-word + particular characteristics Three types of mistakes may occur when a short definition is being written: 1. An example may be given rather than a definition. An example may, of course, follow a definition but it should not take its place. 2. The general class, or the particular characteristics, may be omitted from the definition. It will then be incomplete. 3. The word to be defined, or another form of it, may be used in the definition itself. Clearly, if the reader does not already understand the word, he/she will not understand the repeated use of it. |
Task 2. [individually]
(a) Study the following definitions. Each one contains one of the mistakes listed above. Analyse the type of mistake (1, 2, 3 above) that has been made. Write the number of the type of mistake in the column provided. The first one has been done as an example.
| DEFINITION | Type of mistake | |
| An encyclopaedia offers comprehensive information on all or specialized areas of knowledge | ||
| a | A lecturer is a person who lectures. | |
| b | A dictionary is a book like the Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English. | |
| c | A degree is given by a university to a student who has passed the appropriate examinations. |
(b) Now re-write the definitions above in a more satisfactory way.
Task 3. [individually]
| Look at the following definition: A theory is an idea or set of ideas intended to explain something about life or the world, especially an idea that has not yet been proved to be true. You can see that the wh-word has been omitted. A definition written in this way uses a reduced relative clause (the main part of the relative clause is reduced to participle II). In full the definition would be: A theory is an idea or set of ideas which/that is intended to explain something about life or the world, especially an idea that has not yet been proved to be true. Look at another example: A concept is an idea underlying a class of things. In this case the main part of the relative clause is reduced to participle I. In full the definition would be: A concept is an idea which/that underlies a class of things. |
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Write out the following definitions in full, putting the wh-word in the correct place.
1) The humanities are the subjects of study concerned with the way people think and behave.
2) A social science is a particular subject connected with the study of people in society.
Write out the following definitions omitting the wh-word so that a reduced relative clause is used.
3) Natural sciences are the sciences which deal with phenomena observable in nature.
4) Exact sciences are sciences which use accurate measurements and follow set rules.
Task 4. [individually]
| Often subjects, particularly academic subjects, omit the wh-word in the following way: Criminology is the study of crime (or illegal acts). Psychiatry is the study and treatment of mental illness. Politics is the science of government. Botany isthe science of the structure of plants. |
Write out definitions of the subjects given below. Use the notes given next to each subject; write in the same style as above.
1) Demography - study - population growth and its structure
2) Medicine - the study and treatment - diseases and injuries
3) Biology - science - physical life of animals and plants
Task 5. [individually]
| Academic subjects may be more cautiously defined: Geography may be defined as the science of the earth's surface. Linguistics may be defined as the science of language. |
Write out definitions of the following subjects in the same way as above.
1) Sociology - science - nature and growth of society and social behaviour.
2) Theology - study - religious beliefs and theories.
3) Philosophy - the branch of knowledge or academic study - the systematic examination of basic concepts such as truth, existence, reality, causality, and freedom
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