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Definitions can occur in the introduction or the main part of the essay. Key concepts are most likely to be defined in the introduction.

It is normal practice to define your key terms, but it becomes especially important to include definitions if you use the words in a meaning which is different from the usual interpretation, or if you are using one meaning when there are many.

Look at the following ways to define an important concept:

synthesis	is	the process of combining objects or ideas into a complex whole
is commonly defined as
is generally understood to refer to
can be described as

the process of combining objects or ideas into a complex whole	is called	synthesis
is known as
is referred to as

Notice how the passive form is often used (is defined, can be described, is called, is known, is referred to). Typical mistakes that are made with the passive are forgetting the form of ‘to be’ and not using the past participle (e.g. writing define where it should be defined). Remember that passive forms have a form of ‘to be’ followed by the past participle of the verb.

Study the tables above. Then try to do Exercise 1 without looking back at the tables.

Exercise 1

Define the word ‘comprehension’ (= the act or ability to understand) in two ways: once starting the sentence with the word, and once ending the sentence with the word. Use passive forms of the verb each time.

Definitions often use relative clauses after a noun to indicate which person or which thing we are talking about, for example:

Notation is a method of recording music, which is based on naming the notes by letters and also includes ways of distinguishing the value of notes in terms of duration.

The relative pronoun that is used here is ‘which’. Other relative pronouns that are often used after a noun in this way are who, whose (which expresses possession), and that.

Exercise 2

Fill in the missing relative pronouns in the following definitions. Choose from that, which, whose and who.

1 The wings of a bird or insect are the two parts of its body________________it uses for flying.

2 A wing of an organization, especially a political organization, is a group________________is part of it and________________has a particular function or particular beliefs.

3 In a theatre, the wings are the sides of the stage________________are hidden from the audience by curtains or scenery.

4 A choir is an organized group of singers________________usually sing in church services.

5 A long, thin container________________you squeeze in order to force paste out is referred to as a tube.

If you are using a particular definition or interpretation, perhaps from a choice of many, you will need to use longer structures to explain this, and may need to include a justification of your choice. Some examples are:

Using definitions

 For the purposes of this essay, I will be using Kotler’s definition of societal marketing, because of its focus on the organization’s task to meet the need of the clients and to ‘… deliver the desired satisfactions more effectively and efficiently than competitors, in a way that preserves or enhances the consumer’s and the society’s well-being.’

 Although many different definitions of marketing have been suggested over the years, I will be using the one by Kotler (1994), because of.…

 Throughout this essay, I will be using the word ‘cognitive’ to refer to the different types of intellectual behaviour.

 In this essay, the term ‘reliability’ is used to mean …