Topic 10-JTC 300

How do you know when you should include a definition? Which type do you find most helpful or necessary for your particular topic?

I should include a definition for the following situations: 1. when my writing contains a term which may be a key to audience understanding and that term could likely be unfamiliar to them.  2. When a commonly used word or phrase has evaluation in the way I choose to define it.   3. When the origin and history of a common word might prove interesting or will help expand upon a point. 

Parenthetical definition is a type of definition that I find most helpful and necessary for my particular topic. According to the class notes, “Parenthetical definitions are short phrases that clarify the meaning of a term, or process, or a concept. They give a brief understanding. They gave passing familiarity with what the thing is, without providing tremendous depth. It is not a comprehensive definition. It is just a quick way to introduce a term, or a concept, or a process.”