Task 13

Date: 2015-10-07; view: 388.

Task 12

Expand the following definitions by giving an example showing how the item being defined is used.

a) Glass is a substance which has the property of being transparent.

b) Stainless steel is an alloy which is resistant to corrosion.

c) A thermometer is a device for measuring temperature.

A definition can also be expanded by stating the main characteristics of the object or concept, as in the example below:

Aluminium is a metal which is used in the manufacture of aircraft.

It is very light and resistant to corrosion.

When you expand a definition by stating its characteristics, you may use explicit markers to show the relationship between the definition and its expansion:

Aluminium is a metal which is used in the manufacture of aircraft

because it is very light and resistant to corrosion.

In this case, one is a reason for the other.

Expand the following definitions by stating the main characteristics of each item being defined.

a) Tobacco is a drug which is commonly used by human beings.

b) Cloth is a material made by weaving fibres such as wool, silk or cotton.

c) Binocular vision is that type of vision which allows distances to be judged
and shapes to be perceived in depth.

In writing expanded definitions, relative clauses are very useful. Relative clauses allow a writer to avoid writing a series of very short sentences. They also allow the writer to show clearly which information she or he thinks is the most important and which is secondary. The information in the relative clause is always the secondary information. Look at these examples:

1 Aluminium, which is light and resistant to corrosion, is used in the manufacture of aircraft.

2 Aluminium, which is used in the manufacture of aircraft, is light and resistant to corrosion.

In the first example the use is the most important aspect for the writer, while in the second example the characteristics are most important.