EAPP Lesson 3 Print

EAPP Lesson 3
2nd Quarter
Elucidating a Concept by Definition, Explication, and Clarification
Elucidate
 make (something) clear; explain.
 the act of explaining or making something clear: Ideas may occur in abstract forms, but their elucidation
happens only through language.
 an explanation or clarification:
Elucidate a Concept by Definition

 Definition is a “mode of paragraph development that answers the questions:
What is it?
What does it mean?
What are its special features?”
(Saqueton and Uychoco 2016, p.80).
 The word to be defined may be a person, a place, an object, a concept, or an event/ phenomenon. There
are different techniques used in defining a term or concept.
1. Formal Definition
 This is the most common form and follows a pattern:
 TERM = GENUS + DIFFERENTIA
Term: the concept that needs to define
Genus: General Category
Differentia: Definition or the differentiating characteristics
2. Extended Definition
 It is used to define abstract concepts that cannot be formally defined. The following are the
strategies you can use for this particular technique:
a. use of synonym f. by likeness or similarity
b. by etymology g. by analogy or metaphor
c. by illustrations or visuals h. by negation
d. by function i. by contrast
e. by examples j. by analysis or partition
a. Use of Synonym
 Using a similar term or phrase to define a word.
 Synonyms are only useful when a reader is more familiar with the meaning of the
word being defined than the actual term itself.
 Example:
- A charlatan is a quack, an imposter, a pretender, a fraud.
- A bloke is a man, a boy, a fella, or guy in British.
b. By Etymology
 Explaining the origin or the place where the term comes from. Etymology is the
study of the origins of words.
 Example:
- Tyrannosaurus rex comes from the Greek word meaning “tyrant” and
“lizard” and the Latin word meaning “king”.
- Eskwela is from the Spanish escuela and the Latin schola, which
means “conversations and the knowledge gained through them during
free time; the places where these conversations took place.”
c. By Illustration or Visuals
 Providing a graphic representation of a topic or term to be defined.
 Example:
d. By Function
 Stating what the word or term is for.
 Example:
- A straight spatula is a kitchen tool used for scraping food from the
sides of pots, stirring ingredients in curved bowls, or folding
ingredients into each other.
- A ledger is a written or computerized records of all the transactions a
business has completed.
e. By Examples
 Giving examples or narrating incidences that can further explain an abstract or
complicated topic.
 Example:
- Compound exercises are exercises that require multiple muscle
groups to work at the same time, like deadlifts, squats, front lunge
with twist, and high plank T-spine rotation.
- The horticulture industry can be categorized into three areas:
pomology, olericulture, and ornamental horticulture.
f. By Likeness or Similarity
 Stating the similarity of one concept with another.
 Example:
- Brighter than 100 million suns, quasars stand like beacons on the shore
of the universe.
- A teacher is like a gardener who allows the students to grow under the
best conditions.
g. By Analogy or Metaphor
 Drawing a comparison between the topic and another concept already familiar to
readers.
 Example:
- The central processing unit (CPU) of a computer system works like the
human brain.
- Life is like a box of chocolates - you never know what you're going to
get.
h. By Negation
 Defining a term by stating what it is not.
 Example:
- The Philippine flying lemur is not a lemur but a rodent and cannot fly
as it only glides in the air from one tree to another.
- In a vehicle with automatic transmission, the driver is not responsible
for shifting the gears as the car does the shifting.
i. By Contrast
 Defining by the use of opposites.
 Example:
- Unlike other birds, penguins cannot fly.
- Unlike other mammals, the duckbilled platypus doesn’t give birth to
live young.
j. By Analysis or Partition
 Breaking down wholes into parts, aspects into levels, and a process into steps.
 Example:
- The Philippine government is divided into the executive branch: the
legislative branch, and the judiciary.
3. Informal Definition
 In this type of definition, the writer uses known words or examples to explain an unknown
term.
 The difference between formal and informal is that formal has a source and informal does
not. [Example: (Formal) According to Merriam-Webster, freedom, also referred to as liberty
or independence, is a state people reach when they are free to think and do whatever they
please.]
 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.
- Bullying occurs when someone uses his or her power or prestige to intimidate and
terrorize another person.
Elucidate a Concept by Clarification

 Cambridge Dictionary defines clarification as “an explanation or more details that makes something
clear or easier to understand.”
1. Through Cause and Effect

 A cause is the reason why something happens while the effect states the result or the
outcome.
 A causal chain is a sequence of events in which any event in the chain causes the next one,
leading up to the final effect.
2. Through Theories
 A theory is an idea or a system of ideas intended to explain the occurrence of an object,
activity, or situation.
Elucidate a Concept by Explication

 Explication is a deductive process where you take a general concept, refine it, determine how to test for
it and then carry out the test. It is also known as exegesis.
 The term is of French origin, derived from explication de texte (explanation of text) the practice in
French literary studies of closely examining the language of a text to determine meaning (Nordquist
2018).
 In modern times, it is known as close reading, where a text is read multiple times to uncover its deeper
meaning.
 Here, you explain what the main points of the author are and how they are connected while offering your
own critique of his/her arguments.
 It usually tells about figures of speech, tone, setting, connotations, points of view, themes, contrasts, and
anything else that could add to the meaning of a text.
 Example:
- In the final stanza of his poem The Road Not Taken, Frost talks about his dilemma of coming
upon two diverging paths, and not knowing which one to choose. The third line is very
important, as it delivers an idea of choosing between the two divergent paths. The tone in this
stanza shifts from regretful to optimistic. The two roads symbolically represent individual choices.
The mood is neither depressed nor unhappy, but the poet sighs because he knows what the
complexities our life may have for him. Whether he has chosen a right or a wrong path, it has a
compelling impact on his life. The phrase “less traveled” suggests the theme of individualism
(Literary Devices 2020).

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EAPP Lesson 3

Elucidating a Concept by Definition, Explication, and Clarification

Elucidate a Concept by Definition

Elucidate a Concept by Clarification

1. Through Cause and Effect

Elucidate a Concept by Explication

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