Review of “Three Definition Assignment – Antimetabolite”

To:         Beenish Fatima

From:    Cathrine Sarmiento

Subject: Review of “Three Definition Assignment – Antimetabolite”

Helpful to readers who have a basic background in anatomy and physiology, the three definitions used in describing the term “antimetabolite” yield a general sense of what antimetabolites do in our bodies. The three definitions highlight for the most part the antimetabolite’s function, and readers can be helped by also giving as much emphasis on an antimetabolite’s physical characteristics (e.g. form and composition) as there is on its function. While Figure 1 and its supplementary description in the Expanded Definition give the readers a visual aid of how antimetabolites work by interrupting metabolic processes, also providing a photo or sketch of what an antimetabolite could look like in our bodies in the description (e.g. a microscopic photograph of an antimetabolite in action) can further aid readers in understanding its important features and how these features relate to the antimetabolite’s function. A well-rounded definition must at least describe both form and function, and this might especially be important to someone who wishes to know more about antimetabolites as cancer patients like Alice Turner in the example provided. Additionally, what a lot of people might find useful in order to understand the function of any object would be to use an analogous process or context that is easier to grasp and visualize. For example, readers are able to comprehend the heart’s anatomy better if we draw an analogy between the heart’s valves/chambers and the doors/rooms of a building or house. Antimetabolites can be describe in a similar way.

Furthermore, the expanded definition breaks down the description into three different parts: how antimetabolites operate; visual and compare/contrast; and required conditions. These three discrete sections have their strengths and contribute to the meaning of the term “antimetabolites”.  Yet these parts can be consolidated under the expanded definition. In this way, a writer can render a cogent explanation of the term being described.

Overall, the definitions clearly state the function of antimetabolites and help readers to make sense of what the substances are. The sentence definition and expanded definition, however, may be developed by adding more definitive details for a better illustration of the word “antimetabolite”.