Definitions: Staying Connected

1. Definitions Definitions: Staying Connected Technical Writing Fall 2018 / McCall Courtesy of Mechanical Engineering – University of Detroit Mercy – Fall 2018

2. Definitions Why Use Definitions? Your Job: Build bridges between the reader and the information.

3. Definitions Types of Definitions • Parenthetical • Sentence • Expanded How complicated?

4. Definitions Parenthetical Definitions A simple, brief description through use of a synonym or an explanatory phrase. How complicated?

5. Definitions Parenthetical Examples • Starbucks touts the aroma (spicy fragrance) of its coffee… • When a patient is ambulatory (walking), he/she may… • The manufacturer’s suggested retail price (sticker price)… • The substrate (underlying layer of material)… • When your formula is effervescent (bubbling)… • Make your dress hem asymmetrical (uneven)… • Pathologists study Toxicology (study of poisons)…

6. Definitions Sentence Definitions A complete thought that provides meaning through the use of a term, its class, and its distinguishing features. How complicated?

7. Definitions Parts of a Sentence Definition

8. Definitions Parts of a Sentence Definition

9. Definitions Parts of a Sentence Definition

10. Definitions Parts of a Sentence Definition

11. Definitions Parts of a Sentence Definition

12. Definitions Parts of a Sentence Definition

13. Definitions Parts of a Sentence Definition

14. Definitions Parts of a Sentence Definition

15. Definitions Expanded Definitions • Begins with a sentence definition. • Adds further meaning through the use of: • etymology • history/background • familiar example • well-labeled graphic • analysis of parts of the object/concept • comparison/contrast • basic operating principle • special materials or conditions needed How complicated?

16. etymology term category distinguishing features operating principle Definitions Expanded Definition Example Derived from the Greek word that means “wanderers,” the term plankton is applied collectively to all the minute plants and animals that live at or near the surface of oceans or lakes. Some members of the plankton family are wholly passive and drift to and fro with the currents; others are able to swim about actively in search of food. All, however, are subject to the stronger movements of the surface waters….[4]

17. distinguishing features term category Back-ground History Definitions Expanded Definition Example A tomato is a fruit commonly mistaken for a vegetable. Botanically, it is a berry. Its fruit is mildly acidic, pulpy and usually red in color. The tomato is a member of the nightshade family of plants, which includes tobacco, belladonna, the potato, the petunia and eggplant. Native to Mexico and Central and South America, the tomato was introduced to Europe by Sixteenth Century explorers. It was first regarded as poisonous but today is widely cultivated throughout the world as a food source. [5]

18. Definitions Definitions Are Our Friends • They are verbal bridges between the unknown (new concept) and understanding. • Remember: • If you lose your reader, he or she stays lost. • If you allow a reader to make a decision, he or she often makes the wrong decision. • One of your responsibilities as a writer: Keep your audience with you!

19. Definitions References* [1] Plantenberg, K., 10/1/2018, “Lecture: Advanced Drawing Techniques,” ENGR 1021, University of Detroit Mercy, Detroit, MI. [2] Plantenberg, K., 2016, Engineering Graphics Essentials with AutoCAD 2017 Instruction: Text and Video Instruction, SDC Publications, Mission, KS. [3] “Tolerance (adapted),” accessed 10/31/2018, https://www.dictionary.com/browse/tolerance. [4] Carson, R., 1941, Under the Sea Wind, Simon & Schuster, New York. [5] Source unknown. *“ASME Journals Digital Submission Tool Guidelines and Information: Writing a Research Paper,” accessed 11/1/2018, https://www.asme.org/shop/journals/information-for-authors/journal-guidelines/writing-a-research-paper.