FORMAL DEFINITION

Specific

Be specific about the class

Concise

Concise- Avoid long words and long sentences in technical writing. If necessary break the formal definition into two sentences, rather than producing very long sentences.

Repetition

Repetition - Whenever possible, don't repeat the term in the class or distinguishing characteristics section

Guidelines for formal definition

Specific Parallel Repetition Sufficient Concise

Sufficient

Sufficient- Make sure there is sufficient information in the adjective clause

Parallel

Use the same part of speech for the class as a word that is being defined

formal definition

explains a term by giving explanatory examples of its use The dictionary is filled with formal definitions, but it is not the only place where you will find them. Writers often include formal definitions when they are writing about something that may be unfamiliar to their readers. In textbooks, you may find the formal definition of terms listed at the beginning, at the end of a chapter, or in the glossary, which is a mini-dictionary of terms relevant to the text.

1. Identify the term to be defined

term

2. Place it in the general class to which the term belongs

term class

3. Find the difference of the term from the general class

term class differentiation