Republic of the Philippines

Department of Education
Region III
MUZON NATIONAL HIGH SCHOOL
Sarmiento Homes, Muzon, City of San Jose del Monte

QUARTER 4 MODULE 3 – ENGLISH

LEARNING ACTIVITY SHEET 3
Giving Expanded Definitions of Words
10
1. Formal Definitions
A formal definition consists of three parts: the term, the part of speech to which it belongs, such as a noun or
a verb, and all the traits or characteristics that are specific to that term. 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 that text.

Example:
Term: freedom
Part of speech: noun
Definition: The power or right to act, speak, or think as one wants without hindrance or restraint.

2. Informal Definitions
In an informal definition, the writer uses known words or examples to explain an unknown term. These
definitions may be synonyms or antonyms introduced by or, in other words, or like.

Example:
Freedom, also referred to as liberty or independence, is a state people reach when they are free to think and
do whatever they please.

3. Extended Definitions/Expanded Definitions

Extended definitions generally have components of both informal and formal definitions. However, as the
name suggests, the author uses a number of other techniques to define a word, concept, or phrase, including
the following:
a. Listing and describing the parts: identifying smaller, more familiar pieces of an idea to point to the definition
of the bigger concept.
b. Etymology: sharing a word's origin.
c. Examples or anecdotes: telling a story or example that illustrates the term.
d. Negation: defining a term by explaining what the concept is not.
e. Evoking the senses: using a word that creates a picture in the reader's mind so that the reader might relate
through memory of sound, sight, touch, hearing, or smell.
f. Environment or sector: pointing out how and where something is used.
g. Ramifications: showing how the term or concept affects people or objects.
h. Historical references: showing how a word has been defined throughout history.

Example:
To our colonial forefathers, freedom meant having a voice in their government. (historical reference) The
Revolutionary War was a last resort against an empire that continued to tax its colonists without the
representation of the colonists in Parliament. Since the United States won the right to rule itself, our country
has been referred to as "the land of the free and the home of the brave." (example) True freedom means the
ability to think, feel, say, or act however one chooses. (listing parts) It is a state where the bars of bondage do
not exist. (negation) Unfortunately, the widening gap between the haves and have nots means that some are
now shackled by their lack of education. (evoke the senses: shackled) Americans can attain real freedom
when everyone has the same educational opportunities.
 Republic of the Philippines
Department of Education
Region III
MUZON NATIONAL HIGH SCHOOL
Sarmiento Homes, Muzon, City of San Jose del Monte

Activity 1: Which word best completes the sentences below?

1.The field of electrical engineering can be divided into three main __________
(components, branches, traits)
2. There are two _____________ to look for in an Internet Service Provider (ISP).
(features, pieces, segments)
3.Their homepage includes three main _____: products, customer service, and purchasing.
(characteristics, sections, units)
4.The computer consists of a number of ____________. (divisions, components, branches)
5. A good search engine includes the following _____: speed, frequency in indexing, and
review of relevant pages. (divisions, components, traits)

Activity 2: Read the following definitions, then identify whether each one is a formal,
informal, or extended definition. The term being defined has been bolded.
1. When my friend Katrice was young, she disobeyed her parents near Christmas. I
don't recall the crime, but I do recall the consequence. When she woke up on Christmas
morning, there were no presents for her under the tree from "Santa Claus." To make
matters worse, she had to watch her younger siblings open all their presents in front of her.
Santa did not come for Katrice that year because she was on the "naughty list." While her
parents may well still stand by their decision, Katrice maintains that she was the victim
of cruel and unusual punishment. I tend to agree, as it seems that the consequences
were too drastic for any child, no matter how naughty she may have been.
2. Many prisoners of war have been victims of cruel and unusual punishment; people
were shocked and horrified when they learned of the water torture, temperature extremes,
and sensory overloads that the prisoners were subjected to.
3. The Cornell University Law School website defines cruel and unusual
punishment (noun) as "punishment that is extremely excessive in relation to the crime,
shocking to ordinary sensibilities, or equivalent to torture."
4. Bullying is a verb that describes the act of forcing someone to do something he or
she does not want to do. Typically, the bully uses physical power or influence to intimidate
the person being bullied.
 Republic of the Philippines
Department of Education
Region III
MUZON NATIONAL HIGH SCHOOL
Sarmiento Homes, Muzon, City of San Jose del Monte

5. Once upon a time, bullying in schools only referred to the students who forced the
smaller students to give up their lunch money or the ones who beat them up after school. In
recent years, many schools have cracked down on bullying and have strict zero-tolerance
policies. In fact, a student was recently disciplined for biting a Pop-Tart into the shape of
gun. However, now harassment is often happening online. Real bullies hide behind social
media technology, like Facebook, posting embarrassing pictures and videos of their
classmates and setting up fake relationships to lead on and shame others, an act known as
catfishing.

Activity 3: Identify what is asked or defined in each of the following sentences by

getting the answer from the word pool below.
1. It is the specification of the meaning of an expression relative to a language.
2. It is a technique where analogy, descriptions, analysis, metaphors and more are used to
expand/expound the term/concept.
3. It follows the pattern of " term + class/genus + distinguish characteristics/differentia."
4. What is the technique in defining the term ―Family in the sentence below?
―Family is the basic unit of the society.
6. What is the technique in defining the concept of ―Sensory Imagery?
“Sensory imagery is any description that involves one or more of the five senses.”
7. What technique is used to define the term ―Myth in the sentence below?
“A myth is a traditional story, especially one concerning the early history of people or
explaining some natural or social phenomenon, and typically involving supernatural beings
or events.”
8. It goes deeper than a simple dictionary definition.
9. This definition may be synonyms or antonyms introduced by or, in other words, or like.
10. This definition is composed of the term being defined, the class it belongs to, and its
distinguishing characteristics.

“Education is simply the soul of a society as it passes from one generation to

another” – G.K. Chesterton
 Republic of the Philippines
Department of Education
Region III
MUZON NATIONAL HIGH SCHOOL
Sarmiento Homes, Muzon, City of San Jose del Monte