写作教程第二版(邹申)-Unit-6-课件.ppt

1、写作教程第二版(邹申)-Unit 62Unit ObjectivesDefinition of DefinitionFunction of DefinitionFeatures of DefinitionOrganization of DefinitionHow to choose right examplesTransitional phrases3Definition of Definition Sometimes,to avoid confusion or misunderstanding,we have to define a word,term,or concept which is

2、 unfamiliar to most readers or open to various interpretations.Definition can be found in almost all expository or persuasive writings.(scientific essays,textbooks,dictionaries,encyclopedia articles,new stories,manuals,government publications and so on.)It answers the questions:What is it?What are i

3、ts limits or boundaries?45To introduce a new termTo explain a jargon in some academic disciplineTo make clear some abstract,controversial or complicated point in argumentTo make ourselves better understood in everyday affairs Function of DefinitionDefinition is,therefore,a very important form of exp

4、ository writing,a strategy which can be used and found in almost all kinds of writings.Without clear definitions,needless disputes,disagreements and misunderstandings can arise.6Sample 1 P57The definition in Sample 1 are quite brief,they contain 3 basic elements:The term to be defined The general gr

5、oup or class the term belongs to1.The distinguishing characteristics of them7 There are 3 basic ways to define a word or a term:1.give a synonym 2.to use a sentence(often with a attributive sentence)3.to write a paragraph or even an essay.Features of DefinitionFeatures of DefinitionCertain principle

6、s1.Avoid circular definitions Democracy is the democratic process.An astronomer is one who studies astronomy.2.Avoid long lists if synonyms By imagination,I mean the power to form mental images of object;the power to form new ideas;the gift of employing images in writing;.3.Avoid loaded definitions

7、By state enterprise I mean high cost and poor efficiency.8910Pitfalls and strategies P611.A good definition.To define the term,the writer relates it to something familiar or already known.2.Not a good definition.It tends to go in circles.3.Not a good definition.The term is not adequately differentia

8、ted from other similar feelings.4.A good definition.A synonym is used,which is more familiar.5.A good definition.It defines by giving a brief explanation.6.Not a good definition.It uses an example to serve as a definition,but it does not really do the job of defining by putting the term in a class o

9、r category and then differentiating it from others in that category.11 1.The paragraph mainly offers information.2.Tornados usually occur(when)on a hot,sticky day with south winds and an ominous sky.(shape)slender twisting funnels averaging no more than 400 yards wide.Tornados may be accomplished by

10、 sheet lightning.(color)black,brown or occasionally white.Tornados may sound like a roar of hundreds of jet planes or thousands of railroad cars.(result)buildings to explode.(duration)a very short time.Tornados can be defined as a kind of whirling,highly destructive windstorm.Sample 2(paragraph A)P5

11、7-5812 3.“Tornado”is defined mainly through process analysis of the term,that is to say,by describing where,when,how it occurs,and by describing its shape,sound,effects and duration.Besides,other methods such as description,exemplification,narration,causes and effects,comparison are employed.13Parag

12、raph B P581.The first sentence.2.“wooded area”,“heavy and frequent rains”3.“Wooded area”The sentences discuss the places where these wooded area exist,the kinds of trees in them,additional characteristics of the trees and other growths in the area.4.No,sentence 5 is not just about“wooded area”.The s

13、entence ties the 2 ideas of the compound term together.5.Sentences 6 and 7 set out an example of a particular rainforest,namely,El Yunque.Unlike sentence definition in Sample 1,the definition in Sample 2 is as long as one paragraph,and this kind of definition is known as extended definition.In Parag

14、raph B,based on a brief explanation of the subject“rainforest”at the beginning,the writer tries to elaborate on the two words“rain”and“forest”through extensive description of their distinctive features,and winds up by citing a specific example of the concept.14Sample 3 P59 Paragraph A1.It is defined

15、 broadly.The first sentence serves as the topic sentence.2.The term luck is defined in the topic sentence.Then to make clear in a more complete and formal way his personal understanding of the concept,the writer adds a series of short examples to substantiate its reference.3.It uses an emphatic orde

16、r,saving the most important detail for the last.15Paragraph B1.to persuade2.The extremist goes too far in whatever the person is doing.The extremists are so preoccupied with one concern that they lose their sense of balance.3.T.S.-The extremist goes too far in whatever the person is doing.Good peopl

17、e in love are enthusiastic and sincere,tender,sensitive and attentive;Good patriots love their country;Extremists in love are excessive and intemperate,possessive or smothering;Extreme patriots think citizens from other countries are inferior and suspect;16Results of going extreme:extremists become

18、destructive,nasty and pitiful;lose sense of balance and completeness as human beings.Major methods:exemplification and contrastMinor methods:dictionary definition,etymology 4.The extremist is an involved person who goes too far in attitude or behavior and loses his or her sense of proportions.Etymol

19、ogy,tmldi is the study of the origins and historical development of words.词源学 171819Transitional Words and PhrasesTo define to explainIn definition in explanationIn other words byis meantTo clarify to paraphraseDevice methodType propertyKind conditionCategory attribute.20Unit Summary 1.Definition?2.

20、Function?3.How to use?4.Pitfalls&Strategies 5.Transitional words&phrases21Keys for Exercises1.2(略略)3 4.1)a stadium is a structure or building in which sports spectaculars are held.2)socialism is a theory or system of community organization that advocates the vesting of the ownership and control of t

21、he means of production,capital,land and so forth,in the community as a whole.3)this is a circular definition,a practice of defining a term with the term itself.Photosynthesis is the process by which plants use the energy of light to produce compounds,such as sugar and starch,from a number of substan

22、ces including water and carbon dioxide.4)surreptitious means“secret.”5)political conservatives are people who are dedicated to preserving the existing conditions,such as William F.Buckley,Jr.,and Pat Robertson.6)Hearing aids are a kind of device which enables deaf people to hear sounds such as norma

23、l.5 Task1-2 1 3 5 4 6 Task3 to explain a Spanish word which has no exact English equivalent.-courageous behavior and earthy sexuality -“Also”6 a)For my grandmother,who was born before the turn of the century,it was rude to start eating before everyone else was served.It was also very rude for childr

24、en or younger people to interrupt old people when they were speaking.For my dad,who grew up during the Depression and the WWII,it was rude not to say hello to a clerk in the store,and he thought my brothers and I were rude when we made unfavorable remarks about him.b)When people cut into my lane when I am driving or shove in front of me in line,I get very angry.7 25