CHARACTERISTICS OF EXTENDED DEFINITIONS
If you wanted to define the term happiness, you would probably have trouble coming up with a brief definition because the emotion is experienced in a wide variety of situations, and the term may mean different things to different people. However, you could explore the term in an essay and explain what it means to you. Such a lengthy, detailed definition is called an extended definition.
Extended definitions are particularly useful in exploring a topic’s various meanings and applications. Some extended definitions begin with a brief standard definition that anchors the essay’s thesis statement. Other extended definitions begin by introducing a new way of thinking about the term. Whatever approach is used, the remainder of the extended definition then clarifies the term by using one or more other patterns of development.
AN EXTENDED DEFINITION IS FOCUSED AND DETAILED
An extended definition focuses on a specific term and discusses it in detail. In the first reading, for example, the author defines freeganism. To explain the concept, she explores the origin of the word freegan, describes the freegan philosophy, explains how and where freegans forage for food, and discusses safety measures.
AN EXTENDED DEFINITION OFTEN INCLUDES A STANDARD DEFINITION OF THE TERM
A standard definition, such as the kind found in a dictionary, consists of three parts:
- the term itself,
- the class to which the term belongs, and
- the characteristics or details that distinguish the term from all others in its class.
Here are two examples.
To write an effective standard definition, use the following guidelines.
- Describe the class as specifically as possible. This will make it easier for your reader to understand the term you define. Notice, for example, that for Dalmatian, the class is not animal or mammal but rather a breed of dog.
- Do not use the term (or forms of the term) as part of your definition. Do not write, “Mastery means that one has mastered a skill.” In place of mastered, you could use learned, for example.
- Include enough distinguishing characteristics so that your readers will not mistake the term for something similar within the class. If you define a food processor as “an appliance that purees food,” your definition would be incomplete because a blender also purees food. A more complete definition would be “an appliance with interchangeable blades that shreds, dices, chops, or purees food.”
- Do not limit the definition so much that it becomes inaccurate. Defining bacon as “a smoked, salted meat from the side of a pig that is served at breakfast” would be too limited because bacon is also served at other meals. To make the definition accurate, you could either delete “that is served at breakfast” or add a qualifying expression like “usually” or “most often” before “served.”
Look at the following definition of the term bully, taken from a magazine article on the topic. As you read it, study the highlighting and marginal notes.
Term
Three characteristics
Example of power difference
Distinguishes bullying from similar terms
The term bully does not have a standard definition, but Dan Olweus, professor of psychology at the University of Bergen, has honed the definition to three core elements — bullying involves a pattern of repeated aggressive behavior with negative intent directed from one child to another where there is a power difference. Either a larger child or several children pick on one child, or one child is clearly more dominant than the others. Bullying is not the same as garden-variety aggression; although aggression may involve similar acts, it happens between two people of equal status. By definition, the bully’s target has difficulty defending him- or herself, and the bully’s aggressive behavior is intended to cause distress.
— Hara Estroff Marano, “Big. Bad. Bully.”
AN EXTENDED DEFINITION MAKES A POINT
The thesis of an extended definition essay conveys why the term is worth reading about. The following thesis statements include a brief definition and make a point about the term:
Informative thesis: Makes a point about hormones that most would find relevant
Persuasive thesis: Makes a judgment about an important issue about which readers are likely to care
AN EXTENDED DEFINITION USES OTHER PATTERNS OF DEVELOPMENT
To explain the meaning of a term in an extended definition, you generally must integrate one or more other patterns of development into your essay. Suppose you want to define the term lurking as it is used in the context of the Internet, where it usually means reading postings or comments on an online forum without directly participating in the discussion. You could use
- narration (Chapter 12) to relate a story about learning something by lurking,
- description (Chapter 13) to describe the experience of lurking,
- illustration (Chapter 14) to give examples of typical situations involving lurking,
- process analysis (Chapter 15) to explain how to lurk in an Internet chat room,
- comparison and contrast (Chapter 16) to compare and contrast lurking to other forms of observation,
- classification and division (Chapter 17) to classify the reasons people lurk — for information, entertainment, and so on,
- cause and effect (Chapter 19) to explain the benefits or outcomes of lurking, and
- argument (Chapters 20 and 21) to argue that lurking is an ethical or unethical practice.
AN EXTENDED DEFINITION MAY USE NEGATION AND ADDRESS MISCONCEPTIONS
Your extended definition essay may use negation — explaining what a term is not — to show how the term is different from the other terms in the same class. For example, in an essay defining rollerblading (in-line skating), you might clarify how it is unlike roller skating, which uses a different type of wheeled boot that allows different kinds of motions.
You can also use negation to clarify personal meanings. In defining what you mean by relaxing vacation, you might include examples of what is not relaxing for you: the pressure to see something new every day, long lines, crowded scenic areas, and many hours in a car each day.
In addition, your extended definition may address popular misconceptions about the term being defined. In an essay defining plagiarism, for instance, you might correct the mistaken idea that plagiarism only means passing off an entire paper written by someone else as your own, explaining that plagiarism also includes using excerpts from other writers’ work without giving them credit.
The following readings demonstrate the techniques for writing effective extended definition essays discussed above. The first reading is annotated to point out how Jan Goodwin defines freegan. As you read the second essay, try to identify for yourself how Mike Crissey uses the techniques of extended definition to explain what dude means.