ENGLISH 1013: EXTENDED DEFINITION
What is this assignment?
In this assignment, you will be crafting an extended definition. An extended definition is a
detailed clarification of a significant thing. Specifically, you will be investigating a thing – an object,
mechanism, process, or concept – of significance and teaching your audience why that thing matters. It will
be your task as the writer to identify the thing, describe the thing, provide background/context for this
thing, and answer the questions: why does it matter, and to whom does it matter?
This assignment requires some complex consideration before you begin drafting. To begin, you will need to
select the thing you’re seeking to define. Some examples might be: anti-lock brakes, mechanical keyboards,
chopsticks, the food pyramid, radiation therapy, the Montessori method, yoga, integrated circuits, Reddit,
sustainable farming, the Strontium-90 radioactive isotope, or Dungeons & Dragons 5th edition. Next, you
will need to identify a context for your definition, which will dictate the intended audience. To do this,
consider the following question: where “in the wild” would you see a need for this extended definition?
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