How to define a word in a sentence or an essay?

When you are writing something, there are difficult terms that you need to include in your sentences. This makes it difficult for the readers to understand the text. To prevent this you may want to add the meaning of the word within the sentence. Defining is important because if there are terms that are not easy to understand, they may not feel engaged with your content.

There are many ways by which you can define add a word in the sentence like adding up commas, em and en dashes, brackets, by quoting the meaning, etc. Let us know further various tactics using which you can add definitions within the content.

What do you mean by defining a word in the sentence?

When you are writing anything there may be words that might be confusing. There may be terms that may be new to them. To save your readers from getting confused you may want to explain such words within your content. This is what we call defining a word within the sentences.

It is important because if there are terms that are not easy to understand, they may not feel engaged with your content. Therefore you must always try to add definitions of the difficult words in the content.

How do you add definitions of the word within the sentence? – How to define a word in a sentence or an essay?

When you are making a video essay you do not need to define words within the sentence as you can define them separately. But it may be needed when you are writing a proper essay. There are various tactics due to which you can add definitions within the content –

1. Using Commas

Using commas can help to punctuate the sentence in such a manner that helps to improve the meaning of the sentence. Suppose you want to name a very successful full personality you can use commas to define their identity.

How to define a word in a sentence or an essay?

For example, Elon Musk, World’s richest person, is now the owner of twitter. By adding up commas you can add the identity of the person which helps the reader to know why he is such a known personality.  

2. Adding em and en dashes

Adding up em and en dashes also helps to define the words within your sentence. When you will add the dashes in your content you get to add the meaning of the word.

For example, According to pathology – the study of diseases, the most common reason for death is contaminated food. Now here the dash helped to understand what pathology is about which makes it easier for the reader to understand the text.

3. Adding up brackets

This is one of the most used practices by writers to add definitions of words in sentences. You must write the meaning of the word after it within the brackets. Terrorists are the reason for the manslaughter (murdering) of that innocent person. 

4. By quoting the meaning

Many times there are sentences in which you need to explain the topic in long sentences. In such cases, you have to involve the meaning by quoting it.

For example – World Bank explains Financial Inclusion as “having access of having useful and affordable financial services like credit and debit cards, online banking services, etc sustainably.

How do you add definitions of the word within the essay/paragraphs?

Above mention, ways can also be used to add definitions within the essay or paragraphs.  However here are a few more ways that you can incorporate to add definitions of words within them –

1. By giving Examples

You can also add examples of your main topic so that it becomes easy for the reader to understand. This helps to make your point stronger. If you are writing about the advantages of eating food, you can give an example like –  as fuel is important to run your car, food is important to perform various activities by your body. 

2. Using Transition Words

You can add up transition words to make up the flow of the content. They aid in getting the audience more engaged with the content. Some of the words that you may include are, therefore, however, to conclude, etc.

What is important to add the definition of the words within the texts?

Following are the benefits of adding definitions of the words to the content – 

1. Enhance the Flow 

When you add meaning to the difficult words in the content then it helps to enhance the flow of the content. 

2. Improves the readability 

Adding up the definitions helps to increase the readability of the content. It helps to get engaged with the users as it becomes simple for them to understand the content. 

3. Shows the knowledge

When you are adding up the meaning of the words to the content, it also shows your knowledge level. It helps tell how much deep knowledge you have regarding the topic.

4. Accuracy

It helps to show how accurately the content is provided to the audience. You get to include every important data and fact related to the topic. 

Conclusion

When you write a sentence/essay many words are difficult to understand. It makes it difficult for the viewers to read it. Due to this, they get less engaged with the content and they may stop reading it. To get saved from it, you must add up the definitions of such words in it. You can add them within the bracket or by adding up commas and em and en dash. 

William Christie

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