What is your major area of study? Do you intend to work in the medical field, in law enforcement, in business, in computer technology, in transportation, in construction? Select a term from your professional field and write an extended definition using two or more of the techniques listed below.

• Denotation
• Connotation
• Examples
• Descriptions
• Synonym
• Contrast/Negation
• Comparison
• Analogy
• Origin
• Etymology
• History
• Cause/Effect
• Process Analysis
• Graphics

Most of the methods listed above have been introduced in previous assignments. You can find out about those that have not by research. Begin with a good dictionary. Then consult online sources such as glossaries at academic websites. Just typing a word such as "etymology" into a search engine like Google will lead you to definitions and discussions that will clarify its meaning.

Make sure your essay has the three basic parts: introduction, body, conclusion. The introduction should make it clear to the reader what your topic and purpose are. Your main idea should be stated at the end of your introduction. The introduction should have an interest catcher, something to attract the reader's attention (see pages 172-174).

The body of your paper should present your definition in an organized way. Each technique you use to define the term should be presented in a paragraph with a topic sentence. As you move from a discussion of one aspect of the definition to another, or change from using one method of definition to another, you should begin a new paragraph. Each of these paragraphs should also have a topic sentence (see pages 164-167)And of course, each paragraph should be developed with specific and concrete information that leaves the reader with a mental picture and a clear understanding of the term.

Finally, your essay should have a conclusion that states your own definition of the term in a concise way and comments on it, perhaps noting how the technical use of the term differs from its everyday use by laymen or how the term originated or how its meaning as changed over time, or any other general comments that might help give final clarification to its meaning and fix this meaning in the mind of the reader.

The completed essay must be at least 500 words. There is no limit on length, but all essays should be concise, informative, and correct. Longer essays that multiply errors simply provide more justification for a poor grade. Microsoft Word will tell you how many words there are in a document.

Use quotation marks when you quote from a dictionary or other source. Read this document for help with parenthetical documentation. Include a works cited entry for all sources you use. Look at this page, see your textbook, or follow the link from my web site for help with MLA documentation style.