Topic: Social Media ! Purpose: To inform my audience the advantages and of using social media and the meaning of the word

DEFINITION TOPIC: Define a concept or term. Use the strategies for definition outlined in the  Freshman Composition Handbook , discussed in class, and listed in this handout. Write about a 700-word essay. Remember that the length is only an estimate; what’s important is how well you develop your topic. You will likely use additional developmental patterns, such as illustration and others, to develop your definition. Recommended: use the patterns of development to brainstorm your definition. CONSIDER YOUR PURPOSE AND AUDIENCE: Do you want simply to inform and explain—to make the meaning clear? Or do you want to persuade readers to accept your understanding of a term? Do you want to both inform and persuade? CHOOSE OPTIONS FROM THE FOLLOWING 6 POSSIBILITITES:      1. Offer a personal interpretation. (Are your readers apt to be open to your interpretation?          What information will they need to understand your definition and to feel it is correct and           insightful? )      2. Propose a revised meaning.      3. Explain an obscure or technical term. (This would likely require secondary sources.)      4. Analyze shifts in meaning of a term over time.      5. Distinguish one term from a closely related term.      6. Explain conflicts in the definition of term. SECONDARY SOURCES: Research is not required. Avoid relying on a dictionary definition unless the definition you propose is in contrast to it intentionally. In this case, make sure to place quotations marks around the definition and to cite the source. If you use sources, choose peer-reviewed, scholarly sources. These are mostly available in databases, accessible from the Cade Library homepage.  Avoid Wikipedia. Also, use MLA documentation style and have a Works Cited. (Consult style.mla.org, Integrating Sources handout, or chapter 33 in Pocket Manual) RELEVANT DEADLINES:  Also consult syllabus. English 110-27, MWF: Paper 4 due Mon., 11/16 in Moodle by class time      English 110-9, TTH: Paper 4 due Tues., 11/17 in Moodle by class time STRATEGIES FOR DEFINING: (1) Classifying the term into a larger category. EX: Zydeco is a type of Cajun music. (2) Saying what the term is not. EX: Feminists are not man-haters. On the contrary, they are advocates of gender equality. In fact, some feminists are men. . (3) Explaining the etymology, or origins of the word, if relevant to its meaning. Consult the Oxford English Dictionary online. EX: The prefix of pornography is from the Greek word porne, meaning slave. (4) Providing an overall formal definition. This should be your own words and ideas. Avoid relying on a dictionary meaning unless you are revising a definition or providing the dictionary definition as a contrast to yours. (5) Giving brief representative examples of the concept. EX: An example of a good president is Barack Obama. (6) Using a variety of developmental patterns, not only definition and illustration but also division/classification; description; narration; cause/effect analysis; comparison/contrast, and others.   TIPS FOR WRITING DEFINITIONS: Avoid awkward and illogical wording, such as “is when” or “is where.” Example: Plagiarism is when writers present the ideas of another as their own. Correction: Plagiarism is writers’ presentation of another author’s ideas  as their own. The second statement is correct because “presentation,” a noun, is the subject complement (sometimes called the predicate nominative) of the linking verb “is.”  When you refer to a word as a word, place it in italics. EX: The word pugnacious has negative connotations. Throughout your definition essay, when you refer to your term, place it in italics. (In hand-written papers, designate italics by underlining the word.) When you present the definition of a term, whether it is your own or a source’s, place the definition in quotation marks. EX: Pugnacious means “war-like.” Avoid circular wording or including the term you are defining in the definition. Example: A fallacy is “fallacious logic.” Correction: A fallacy is “an error in logic.” The first sentence uses a form of the term being defined in its definition. This wrongly assumes that readers already know the meaning of fallacy