ASSIGNMENT: Select a term that is used in your present or anticipated occupation. Begin with its Sentence Definition and then expand on that definition 3 (three) different ways, choosing from among the options below. Include an APA reference page that lists in alphabetical order all sources you use for this assignment. You may use any of the expansion methods 2-10 below but see pages 432 – 446 in Technical Communication, 12th edition for more details about typical ways of expanding definitions.
Complete the following worksheet prior to drafting your extended definition. This is a worksheet only. Do not use this form to submit your Expanded Definition assignment. Prepare your response as a MEMO addressed to me, your instructor. Do, however, make use of the headers below (expansion types) to divide the parts of your memo.
Example: however you decide to expand on your defined term, each expansion begins with a sentence definition (as the reader will need to know the definition of what you are expanding). Therefore, the first header in the body of everyone’s memo will be: Sentence Definition. From there, what header goes next depends on how you decide to expand your term. Any of the expanded definition methods below may be used to expand your tem.
I repeat: this is not a template for your assignment. It is simply a way to gather ideas. Make intelligent selections, therefore, as to what expansion methods you will use (2-10) and what is the best sequence (how to arrange them in your memo) for those ideas. Also, your sentence definition is not one of the ways in which you are to expand on the term you select.
YOUR ACTUAL ASSIGNMENT MUST BE SUBMITTED AS A MEMO ADDRESSED TO ME.
1. Sentence definition: Write a sentence definition that provides the term being expanded, the class of nouns) into which it fits and its distinguishing features: The terms carburetor and diabetes is an example of how to write a sentence definition for a term that can be expanded.
Term
Classification
Distinguishing features
The word Carburetor:
The word Diabetes:
is classified as a Mixing Device…
is classified as a metabolic disease…..
that is used in gasoline engines that blends air and fuel into a vapor for combustion within the cylinders.
that is caused by a disorder of the pituitary gland or pancreas.
2. Etymology: Look up the word(s) that comprise your term and write down their derivations here. Consult an unabridged dictionary or the Oxford English Dictionary (Consult Reference Librarians for help if you need it)
3. History & background: What is interesting about the history or background of your term?
4. Negation: Define what your term does not mean. Here, the reader gets more information about the term because you tell them what it is not.
Example: If I am trying to explain the concept of water and I choose negation as a means of expanding my definition of water, I need to tell the reader what water is not. Water has no taste, it has no color, and it has no smell. Coffee is not tasteless; it is not colorless; it is not without odor.
5. Operating principle: Does your subject have an operating principle (How it works)? If so, what it is?
6. Analysis of parts: What parts make up your subject? Identify and explain each part.
7. Comparison and Example: Also known as analogy, meaning is expanded by comparing or contrasting the meaning of the term (which your reader is not familiar with) to something you’re your reader may be familiar with as a means of helping the reader to understand the unfamiliar term.
For example, if I am trying to expand on the definition of coffee for a reader who has drank water but never tasted coffee, I can compare the two. Part of my definition draft might contain ideas like: Unlike water, coffee has a strong taste; unlike water, which never has a color, coffee always has a medium to dark brown color.
8. Required materials/conditions: What materials and/or conditions are required for your subject to operate?
9. Example(s): Provide a number of examples of your subject.
10. Visuals: Do you have any that would help reader understand your definition?
ASSIGNMENT: Choose a term from your current or anticipated occupation and write a sentence definition for the term and then expand on that definition three times, using no more than 300-350 words. Write in the concise style characteristic of good business and technical writing and in a language and tone appropriate to your audience and purpose.
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