Engleski jezik u informatičkoj struci / English for IT – Unit 5

Unit 5 (Lecture) Making definitions

Section 5.1. Making definitions

A. Introduction: meanings of ‘define’ and ‘definition’

B. Words, phrases and structures commonly used in

making definitions

C. Completing examples of definitions of terms in

various word categories

Section 5.2. Analysis of examples of definitions

D. Identifying elements of definitions in examples

Example 1: New words for companies

Example 2: ‘Crunch’
Example 3: Generation X vs Z

Example 4: Identifying definitions in a speech

Key to exercises (after each task / section)

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 Engleski jezik u informatičkoj struci / English for IT – Unit 5

A. Introduction: meanings of ‘define’ and ‘definition’

Consider the 2 key meanings of the verb ‘define’ (Cambridge English
Dictionary).

1
to describe the meaning of something, esp. a word, or to explain
something more clearly so that it can be understood:

Examples:

 How would you define “_______”?

 Before I answer your question, could you define your terms a little more (=
explain what you mean by the words you have used)?

2
to explain and state the meaning and exact limits of something:

Examples:

 a defined goal/objective
 If you want employees to be more productive, then you must define and
measure productivity precisely.

Synonyms
Synonyms of 'define': explain, put across, illustrate, depict, characterize

Task 1.
Consider various meanings of the noun ‘definition’. Which one of the
meanings 1-6 below is related to the context of technology?

1. a formal and concise statement of the meaning of a word, phrase, etc

2. the act of defining a word, phrase, etc
3. specification of the essential properties of something, or of the criteria
which uniquely identify it
4. the act of making clear or definite
5. the state or condition of being clearly defined or definite

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 Engleski jezik u informatičkoj struci / English for IT – Unit 5

6. a measure of the clarity of an optical, photographic, or television image as

characterized by its sharpness and contrast
Key to Task 1. (page 1)

Consider various meanings of the noun ‘definition’. Which one of the

meanings 1-6 below is related to the context of technology?

6. a measure of the clarity of an optical, photographic, or television image

as characterized by its sharpness and contrast (e.g. audio definition, high
definition)

B. Words, phrases and structures commonly used in

making definitions (with related examples)

Example of a passage that contains a definition of a technology-

related term

1 Which elements of definitions can you identify in the following passage

about clean technology?

Clean technology is also referred to as cleantech, green technology, and

greentech. It defines a set of technologies that either reduce or optimize the use
of natural resources, whilst simultaneously reducing the negative effect that
technology has on the planet and its ecosystems.

Examples of such technologies are relatively new sustainable energy sources,

such as wind and wave power, or improved conventional energy production
processes, such as smart electric grids.

https://www.azocleantech.com/article.aspx?ArticleID=532

2 Look at pages 4-5 for possible examples.

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 Engleski jezik u informatičkoj struci / English for IT – Unit 5

Consider the common words, phrases and structures used in making

definitions in English:

 Expressions based on a more general noun used to define a more

particular one:

… is another word for… … is another way of saying…

… abbreviation for … … a common term for …
… a part of… … a method of …ing
… a set of … … a type/kind of… that…
… a process of …ing … the act of …ing

 Other expressions containing verbs or phrases used to introduce an

example of something or establish a link or equivalence between what we
define and the information used to define it:

… means (that) … ... refers to … / … is referred to as …

… , such as… … stands for …
… , for example, … … can be defined as …

The acronym ECDL stands for / refers to ‘European Computer Driving License’.
_______________________________________________________________________
 Synonyms are used:

To highlight means to select by marking on the display screen.

__________________________________________________________________________________
 Present simple (to express a permanent or inherent characteristic):

A modem is a device that connects a computer to the Internet.

__________________________________________________________________________________
 Infinitives (as a non-finite verb form):

To import means to use data produced by another application.

To input means to enter (data etc.).
__________________________________________________________________________________
 Passive (as an impersonal form):

The term output refers to results which are produced by the computer.

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 Engleski jezik u informatičkoj struci / English for IT – Unit 5

A handheld (computer) is a small portable computer that can be held in one hand.
__________________________________________________________________________________

 Relative clauses used to expand the sentence either by adding essential

information about the noun they are related to, or descriptive
information that can be omitted without impeding understanding?

A help desk assistant is a person whose job is to provide support to computer users.
A biometric device is the one that measures some aspect of a living being
Owing to a cache, which temporarily stores web pages you have visited in your
computer, revisiting a document is much faster than retrieving it from the server.

Question: In the examples above, is the information provided essential for understanding or
just descriptive?
___________________________________________________________________________

 Reduced relative clauses:

A relative clause can be shortened by using a participle instead of a full verb and relative pronoun:

Internet Explorer is a free browser program developed by Microsoft.

(= which was developed by Microsoft.)
– past participle used instead of which + was developed

A help desk assistant is a person providing support to computer users.

(= a person that provides support to computer users.)
– present participle used instead of that + provides

(Optional)
For other simple examples of reduced relative clauses go to:
https://www.englishgrammar.org/reduced-relative-clauses/

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 Engleski jezik u informatičkoj struci / English for IT – Unit 5

C. Completing examples of definitions of terms in various

word categories

Task 2.

Complete the definitions below. In the definitions, articles and prepositions

have been omitted. Sometimes no letters are missing.

expansion (noun) = an act ____ increasing or making something increase ____ size or
amount

discrete (adjective) = consisting of ____ distinct or unconnected elements; non-

continuous

to plug in / into (verb) = to connect ____ piece of electrical equipment ____ the main
supply ____ electricity or to ____ another piece of ____ equipment

circuitry (uncountable noun) = ____ electronic circuits and components used in ____
electronic equipment

digital (adjective) = using ____ system of receiving and sending information as ____ series
of the numbers one and zero

analogue (adjective) = using ____ continuously changing range ____ physical quantities to
measure or store ____ data

a digital device = ____ one using a system ____ which information is shown as ____ series
of two digits, 0 and 1

lingua franca = any contact language ____ is widely used as a ________ of _______
among speakers of other languages or groups _______ no language in common. ________
of lingua franca are English and French for diplomatic purposes

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 Engleski jezik u informatičkoj struci / English for IT – Unit 5

Key to Task 2 (page 6)

expansion
= an act of increasing or making something increase in size or amount

discrete (adjective)
= consisting of distinct or unconnected elements; non-continuous

to plug in/into
= to connect a piece of electrical equipment to the main supply of electricity or
to another piece of the equipment

circuitry
= the electronic circuits and components used in electronic equipment

digital
= using a system of receiving and sending information as a series of the
numbers one and zero

analogue
= using a continuously changing range of physical quantities to measure or
store data

a digital device
= the one using a system in which information is shown as a series of two
digits, 0 and 1

lingua franca
= any contact language that is widely used as a means of communication among
speakers of other languages or groups having no language in common.

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 Engleski jezik u informatičkoj struci / English for IT – Unit 5

Section 5.2. Analysis of examples of definitions

D. Identifying elements of definitions in examples

Example 1: New words for companies

Task 3
Which words are missing from the following definition? (Some words are used
more than once).

The term ____________ is most commonly used to describe a company, for

example, a Silicon Valley startup, that started out _________ but has since
increased its market capitalization to, say, $1 billion or more. Now, the tech
industry has started using the term "____________" to describe a firm that
stands out from the competition even more. For example, the social media
___________ Facebook, which has a market capitalization of more than $100
billion, is considered as a "______________ among ___________"; it started
from a dorm room and, years later, is now a dominant technology firm.

Answer the following questions:

In the definition above, find:

 4 words that denote a company

 3 examples of words, phrases and structures used in making definitions

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 Engleski jezik u informatičkoj struci / English for IT – Unit 5

Key to Task 3 (page 8)

Techopedia Explains Unicorn

The term unicorn is most commonly used to describe a company, for example,
a Silicon Valley startup, that started out small but has since increased its
market capitalization to, say, $1 billion or more. Now, the tech industry has
started using the term "super-unicorn" to describe a firm that stands out from
the competition even more. For example, the social media giant Facebook,
which has a market capitalization of more than $100 billion, is considered as a
"super-unicorn among unicorns"; it started from a dorm room and, years
later, is now a dominant technology firm.

https://www.techopedia.com/definition/31308/unicorn-technology

4 words that denote a company

3 examples of words, phrases and structures used in making definitions

Example 2: ‘Crunch’
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 Engleski jezik u informatičkoj struci / English for IT – Unit 5

Task 4.
Consider the 3 definitions below.
1 Which structures used in making definitions introduced earlier in
this unit are they examples of?

1 crunch (the) numbers

to deal with data by performing a large number of calculations:

We hired a major accounting firm to crunch the numbers.
We believe we have made a profit, but we haven't crunched the numbers yet.

2 Number crunchers

Computers running mathematical, scientific or CAD applications, which

perform large amounts of calculations.

3 "Crunch mode",

also referred to as "crunch time," is the term used by those in the software
development industry to describe working extra hours for extended periods
of time in order to finish a project or meet a deadline. It is associated with
management expecting employees to work 50, 60, 70, and sometimes even
80 hours a week for months on end.
https://cs.stanford.edu/people/eroberts/cs181/projects/crunchmode/index.html

Answer the question:

2 In terms of meaning and form, what do the examples above tell you about
the word ‘crunch’?

Key to Task 4 (page 11)

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 Engleski jezik u informatičkoj struci / English for IT – Unit 5

1 Which structures used in making definitions introduced earlier in this unit

are they examples of?

(Sample answers)

1 crunch (the) numbers

to deal with data by performing a large number of calculations

using a more general phrase to explain a more specific one

2 Number crunchers

Computers running mathematical, scientific or CAD applications (reduced

relative clause), which perform large amounts of calculations (relative
clause).

3 "Crunch mode",

also referred to as "crunch time," is the term used by those in the software
development industry to describe working extra hours for extended periods
of time in order to finish a project or meet a deadline. It is associated with
management expecting employees to work 50, 60, 70, and sometimes even
80 hours a week for months on end.

also referred to as XXXXXX is the term used to describe XXXXXX

It is associated with XXXXXX

2 In terms of meaning and form, what do the examples above tell you about
the word ‘crunch’?

used as a noun and a verb

has multiple meanings

Example 3: Generation X vs Z

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 Engleski jezik u informatičkoj struci / English for IT – Unit 5

Task 5

Identify examples of words, phrases and structures used in making

definitions used in the definitions below:

Generation X, or Gen X, refers to the generation of Americans born

between the mid-1960s and the early-1980s.
Gen Xers, who fall between baby boomers and millennials, number
around 65 million.

Generation Z refers to babies born from the late 90s through today.
A flurry of potential labels has also appeared, including Gen Tech,
post-Millennials, iGeneration, Gen Y-Fi, and Zoomers or Zillennials

Example 4: Identifying definitions in a speech

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 Engleski jezik u informatičkoj struci / English for IT – Unit 5

Anna Ploszajski: Smart materials (TEDX Talk)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=py5tPlOaJVY

Focus on the section between minute 1 and 3. Answer the

questions:
1 Write down at least two concepts that are defined by the speaker in the
first 3 minutes of the talk.

2 Write down three nouns containing suffixes that are mentioned in the
talk; all of them are closely related to characteristics of materials.

Which particular category of smart materials is the speaker going to focus

on in her talk?

(Optional)
Video tutorial: Defining words used to talk about COVID-19

To hear authentic definitions and explanations of frequently used words in

the context of COVID-19 watch the video at:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=--trs0UkHQ8

(It is a 16-min video, but you can only watch parts of it.
Try to identify structures used in making definitions)

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