When writing for new English readers, using a controlled vocabulary is important. But there are times when we must use words that are outside of the vocabulary list we have chosen to use. Explaining those words is important to assure that our message is clear. One option is to mark those “exceptional” words and put them in a word list or glossary, then defining those words using a controlled vocabulary. Another is to explain the words in the flow of the text itself. Here are some examples of ways to use “in-line” definitions to explain the meanings of words without being too obvious. (Many of these suggestions come from the translators of the EasyEnglish Bible).

Explaining words (without explaining them)

1.0.1 Contrast

“These books are not novels.  They are true stories about peoples’ memories about their lives.”

Implication: A novel is a book, a work of fiction. 

1.0.2 Association  

“The ship can carry cars, lorries, and buses.”

Implication: A lorry is some kind of vehicle.

1.0.3 Classification

“His religion helped him deal with several crises in his life.  One crisis was…  Another was when he suffered a stroke.”

Implication: A stroke is some sort of crisis.  The verb “suffer” is a clue that it is something personal, perhaps an illness.  Incidentally, note the author has explicitly used the singular “crisis” to help the listener with the irregular plural “crises.”

“Churches and other groups provide free Christmas meals for old people.” 

Implication: A church is a group [of people] which helps people in need. 

“He died of the disease AIDS.”

Implication: AIDS is a type of disease.

1.0.4 Use of examples

“Bread can be made from a cereal such as rice or wheat.”

Implication: A cereal is one of a group of foods which includes rice and wheat. 

1.0.5 “Called,” “Or” etc.

“The farmers grow the rice in wet fields called paddies.”

“The farmers grow the rice in wet fields or paddies.”

Implication: A paddy is a wet field used for rice.  “Called” is slightly patronizing compared with “or.”  The former implies the listener does not know the word, whereas “or” does not, it simply offers an alternative. 

It often helps to repeat the word immediately to fix it in the listeners’ mind, especially if you intend to develop it later in your script.  For example, you might follow the above sentence with “Paddies usually contain water about fifteen centimetres deep.”  In normal English, you might have replaced the second “paddies” with “they.”

1.0.6 Repeating with the definition or a synonym

Here, the definition immediately follows the word it defines.

“During the race, he rides a bicycle – a two-wheeled vehicle.”

“During the race, he rides a bicycle. This two-wheeled vehicle…”

Implication: A bicycle is a two-wheeled vehicle.

In this example, a synonym helps the listener understand the meaning of the word.

 “Jane’s cat was in the garden with her kittens.  The young cats followed their mother everywhere.”

Implication: A kitten is a young cat.