definitions
DESCRIPTION
English 101-Chapter 1TRANSCRIPT
Writing Short Definitionsor formal definitions
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Term
The word you are trying to define
Example: A camel
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Group or Class
The general group the term belongs to.
Example: A camel is an animal...
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Specific Differences
the details that make the term different from the rest of the group
Example: A camel is an animal with a hump that lives in the desert.
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we introduce definitions using:
is
...can be defined as...
We can define...as...
...is called/is knwon as...
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to write the specific differences you need...
A relative clause
introduced by a relative pronoun like that, who, which, whose...
Electricity is a form of energy observable in positive and negative forms that occurs naturally or is produced and that is expressed in terms of the movement and interaction of electrons. (Merriem Webster)
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Relative clauses
Look at these two sentences:
Electricity is a form of energy. It occurs naturally.
By using a relative pronoun (that) I can join these two sentences together:
Electricity is a form of energy that occurs naturally.
that refers to “a form of energy” (groups or class)
“it” in “it occurs naturally”, is replaced by “that”
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clauses
this sentence has two parts, or two clauses:
Electricity is a form of energy that occurs naturally.
One them can stand alone, the other cannot.
which one?
1 2
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there are two types of clauses
dependent clauses (cannot stand alone)
independent clause (can stand alone)
Electricity is a form of energy that occurs naturally.
Independent clause dependent clauserelative pronoun
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relative pronouns
that: for things and people
which: for things only
who: for people
whose: for possessives
where: for places
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