DEFINITION HOMEWORK POSTED HERE

On Thursday we will learn about how to effectively prepare for a debate. One of the first steps in doing so is defining the key terms in a resolution. By doing this you recognize how the definition of a word can change the direction of a debate.
Your homework will be to post what you believe are the "best" definitions for the key words in the resolution.

If you plan to debate the NCFCA resolution you will define the key words that are in bold:
Resolved: Competition is superior to cooperation as a means of achieving excellence.

If you plan to debate the cat vrs. dog resolution you will define the key words that are in bold:
Resolved: Cats make better pets than dogs.

I should only receive one post from each student. You will need to include the source of each definition.

ONELOOK.COM is a great place to start finding definitions from a variety of dictionarys.

Our "fake" student, Suzie Gray, is going to demonstrate the correct format in the very first student post. Please use her post as an example

Mrs. Gray here are what I believe are the best definitions for the key words in the resolution:

Competition is defined by Cambridge Online dictionary as: an organized event in which people try to win a prize by being the best, fastest, etc.

Cooperation is defined by American Heritage dictionary as: The association of persons or businesses for common, usually economic, benefit.

Superior is defined by Compact Oxford English Dictionary as: higher in status, quality, or power.

Achieving /Achieve is defined by Cambridge online dictionary as: to succeed in finishing something or reaching an aim, especially after a lot of work or effort

Excellence is defined by Webster’s 1913 dictionary as: An excellent or valuable quality; that by which any one excels or is eminent; a virtue.

source wikipedia/ myself

Excellence is the state or quailty of excelling. Particularly in the field of business and organizations, excellence is considered to be an important value, and a goal to be pursued.
Excellence is derived from the Latin word excellentia. <-- wiki

Achieving to
succeed in getting someing <-- wiki

superior something which is higher in a hierarchical structure of any kind me/wiki got the word form wiki


Cooperation, co-operation, or coöperation
is the process of working or acting together, which can be accomplished
by both intentional and non-intentional agents. In its simplest form it
involves things working in harmony, side by side, while in its more
complicated forms, it can involve something as complex as the inner
workings of a human being or even the social patterns of a nation. It
is the alternative to working separately in competition. Cooperation
can also be accomplished by computers, which can handle shared
resources simultaneously, while sharing processor time.Competition is a contest between individuals, groups,
nations, animals, etc. for territory, a niche, or allocation of
resources. It arises whenever two or more parties strive for a goal
which cannot be shared. Competition occurs naturally between living organisms which co-exist in the same environment.
For example, animals compete over water supplies, food, and mates, etc.
Humans compete for water, food, and mates, though when these needs are
met deep rivalries often arise over the pursuit of wealth, prestige, and fame.
Business is often associated with competition as most companies are in
competition with at least one other firm over the same group of
customers.
Competition may give incentives for self-improvement.
For example, if two watchmakers are competing for business, they will
hopefully improve their products and service to increase sales. If one
watchmaker is more responsive to the needs of consumers, this
watchmaker will flourish. If birds compete for a limited water supply
during a drought, the more suited birds will survive to reproduce and
improve the population.
rivals will often refer to their competitors as "the competition". The term can also be used to refer to the contest or tournement itself. ........^ wiki im not sure what i did wrong but im trying

Source: Merriam Webster Electric Dictionary And Thesaurus.

Cat: a small domestic mammal
Better: Greater in excellence or greater in quality, more.
pets: domestic animal kept for pleasure rather than utility.
dogs: Flesh-eating domestic mammal



please tell me it this is good. I didn't look up the definitions on the web.


(actually, last time I Googled it and fond a dictionary last time that I used... I forgot it's name, though.)

Competition is definined by the American Heritage New College Edition Dictionary as: A striving or vying with or others for profit, prixe, position, or the nessesities of life;rivalry.

Superior is defined by the American Heritage New College Edition Dictionary as: Higher in rank, station, or authority.

Cooperation is defined by the American Heritage New College Edition Dictionary as: An association of persons for mutal benefit.

Achieve is defined by www.dictionary.com the online dictionary as: To bring to a successful end; carry through; accomplish.

Excellence is defined by www.dictionary.com the online dictionary as: An excellent quality or feature.

Cat is defined by Scholatic's Children's Dicitionary as: A small, furry animal with sharp claws and whiskers, often kept as a pet.

Better is defined by the Random House Webster's College Dictionary as: To a greater degree; more completely.

Pet is defined by the Random House Webster's College Dictionary as: Any domesticated animal kept as a companion.

Dog is defined by Scholastic's Children's Dictionary as: A domestic mammal with four legs that is often kept as a pet or as a work animal.

I see some of you have gotten a head start on homework... Congratulations to you! One thing I want you to do is RE-READ the directions and then ask yourself whether or not you followed them. Suzie Gray did a great job of following directions, so you can use her post as an example.... I see that Caleb did a great job too, but he went above and beyond the call of duty by defining the words in both resolutions. I sent a note to your mom's asking which resolution they want you to debate so you'll need to confer with them on this one.

Please edit your original posts if you discover that you didn't follow directions.

Thanks,
Mrs. Gray

Definitions from Resolution; Resolved: Competition is superior to cooperation as means of achieving excellence.

Definition found in Websters II Dictionary, Competition: The act of competing, as for profit or a prize.
Definition found in Websters II Dictionary, Cooperation: To work or act together toward a common end or purpose.
Definition found in Websters II Dictionary, Superior: One who surpasses another in rank or quality.
Definition found on www.onelook.com, Quick Definitions, Excellence: The quality of excelling, possessing good qualities in high degree.


~Kevin~

As you choose the sources for your definitions please consider a few things. One aspect of debate that can frequently cause a person to lose their arguments and therefore the debate, is a challenge over the reliability of your sources. Please try to find sources that are reliable and not subject to this attack. If you define a word and choose to not state the source for your definition, then your opponent should in most cases challenge where your definitions come from, or at least ask for the source of your definitions. This process would start when he/ she asked the following question in cross examinination: Could you please tell me the source of your definitions?

If you answer with any of the following answers prepare for a problem!

1. I made them up myself! Your opponent should make a HUGE issue over this statement because you are not an authority over the English Language. If you develop the definitions for your debate from your head, then you will have a hard time proving to your judge that you have utilized a reliable and authoritative source.

2. I googled the definitions: Your opponent should challenge this because if you try hard enough you can google and find pretty much any answer you wish on a google search engine. If your google search leads you to an authoritative source (ie a DICTIONARY, a scholarly journal, etc) then you need to use this as your source, not google.

3. My definitions came from Wikepedia. You need to understand that any person off the street has access to Wikepedia and they can change the definition of any word as they see fit. This makes this source HIGHLY unreliable and HIGHLY challengable in a debate round. I attended a tournament once where a person wrote his own definition and submitted it to wikepedia and then used it as a reference. His opponent challenged this because he knew that WIKEPEDIA was subject to editing by anyone and everyone and therefore it is not reliable.

One positive comment about Wikepedia: If you want to find out what the common understanding of a word is, or what the common man believes about a word, you can begin to do so by reading this source. Its a great place to start understanding the resolution, but it can not be considered a reliable source.

Feel free to edit your definition posts accordingly:

Achieve struck me as the most important definition out of the ones given. One reason is: It is the word used to tie exelence. Exelence is iportant, but achieving exelence is more important. It just sounds good. It pops out at you. In websters newworld dictionary: "To succeed in doing; accomplish, attain, and gain". Wow! and thats just a few. I want to achieve like superman now(avatar)! If somebody says a different definition is better (unless their a girl), I will crunch his head and feed it to my dog. I'm kidding, lol la ha ha ha, that was kinda funny, I think. Maybe not.

Josh you are right about the 2 words being powerful combination. Please do still define the other words too because even though the debate may revolve around how we define Achieving excellence, we still need to be in the same "ball park" when it comes to defining competition and cooperation.

You can add the other definitions by editing your previous post.

cat is defined by the Cambridge Advanced Learner's Dictionary as: a small animal with fur, four legs, a tail and claws, usually kept as a pet or for catching mice, or any member of the group of similar animals such as the lion

better is defined by the Cambridge Advanced Learner's Dictionary as: comparative of good; of a higher standard, or more suitable, pleasing or effective than other things or people

pet is defined by the Cambridge Advanced Learner's Dictionary as: an animal which is kept in the home as a companion and treated kindly

dog is defined by the Cambridge Advanced Learner's Dictionary as: a common animal with four legs, especially kept by people as a pet or to hunt or guard things

Achieve struck me as the most important definition out of the ones given. One reason is: It is the word used to tie exelence. Exelence is iportant, but achieving exelence is more important. It just sounds good. It pops out at you. In websters newworld dictionary: "To succeed in doing; accomplish, attain, and gain". Wow! and thats just a few. I want to achieve like superman now(avatar)! If somebody says a different definition is better (unless their a girl), I will crunch his head and feed it to my dog. I'm kidding, la ha ha ha, that was kinda funny, I think. Maybe not.

Cooperation: The act of working or operating together, to one end.

Superior: Higher or greater in excellence; surpassing others in the greatness, goodness, or value in any quality.

Compitition: The act of seeking or endeavoring to gain what another is endeavoring at the same time.

This all came from websters 1828 dictionary.

Competition : the act of competing ; rivalry for supremecy , a prize.

Superior : higher in station, rank, degree,importance above the averege in exellence.

Cooperation : an act or instance of working or acting togther for a common pupose or benefit.

Achieving : to bring to a successful end carry through accomplish ; to get or attain by effort.

Exellence : the fact or state of excelling superiorty eminence ; an exellent quality or feature.

All these definitions are from Dictionary.com.

Cats: Feline mammal usually having thick soft fur and being unable to roar; domestic cats; wildcats .definition from http://www.websters-online-dictionary.org

Dogs definition came from Webster's Online Dictionary. A member of the genus Canis (probably descended from the common wolf) that has been domesticated by man since prehistoric times; occurs in many breeds; "the dog barked all night"

pets A pet is a domesticated animal that is kept by humans for companionship or for the beauty of its appearance or utterances, rather than for economic reasons.

Better from Webster's Online Dictionary. (Comparative of `good') superior to another (of the same class or set or kind) in excellence or quality or desirability or suitability; more highly skilled than another; "You're a better man than I am, Gunga Din"; "a better coat"; "a better type of car"; "a suit with a better fit"; "a better chance of success"; "produced a better mousetrap"; "she's better in math than in history".

is this better then my last post?

Yes Josiah, You did a great job! Thanks for editing.
Mrs. Gray

Cats better pets dogs

Cats: A small, lithe, softfurred animal often kept as a pet or for killing mice.

Better: More excellent; above another or others in worth of ability.

Pets: An animal that is domesticated and kept as a companion or treated with fondness.

Dogs: An animal that has lived with people as a pet. It has been a pet longer than any other animal.

Sources: Websters NewWorld Dictionary and World Book Encyclopedia 1997

Anna, Which definition came from which source?

Quote :

Sources: Websters NewWorld Dictionary and World Book Encyclopedia 1997

Please edit your post to indicate which definition came from Websters New World Dictionary and which definitions came from World Book Encyclopedia.

Thanks
Mrs. Gray

Cat is defined by Cambridge dictionary of american English as a small, furry animal with four legs and a tail, often kept as a pet.

Better is defined by the Cambridge Dictionary American English as good; of a higher standard, or more suitable, pleasing, or effective than other things or people.

Pet is defined by the Cambridge Dictionary of American English as an animal that is kept in the home as a companion and treated affectionately.

Dog is defined by the Cambrige Dictionary of American English as an animal with four legs, commonly kept as a pet, and sometimes used to guard things

All these anwsers come from The American Heritage Dictionary:

Competition: The act of competing as for profit or a prize; rivalry.
Superior: Higher in rank, station, or authority.
Cooporation: An act of cooporating.
Acheiving: To do or finish with success.
Excellence:The state, quality, or condition of excelling; superiority.

~Brayden~

competition- The act of competing, rivalry, a contest, or match

superior- Greater in quality or value

cooperation- To act or work together with another or others

achieving- To do; succeed in doing; accomplish

excellence- The fact or condition of exelling; superiority surpassing goodness,merit, ect


All of these definitions came out of the Websters New World College Dictionary.

Affirmative
Competition as defined by American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language: The act of competing, as for profit or a prize; rivalry.
Superior as defined by Encarta World English Dictionary, North American Edition higher in quality: above average or better than another in quality or grade
Cooperation as defined by Webster's New World College Dictionary, 4th Ed. The act of cooperating; joint effort or operation
Achieve as defined by American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language: To perform or carry out with success; accomplish.
Excellence as defined by American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language: The state, quality, or condition of excelling; superiority.

Negative has only competition different
Competition as defined by Merriam-Webster's Online Dictionary, 11th Edition process of trying to beat others: the process of trying to win or do better than others

Cat is defined in the American Heritage Dictionary as a carnivorous mammal that has been domesticated since early times as a catcher of mice and rats and as a pet. Cats exist in many different breeds and varieties.

Better is defined in the American Heritage Dictionary as greater in excellence or higher in quality.

Pet is defined in the American Heritage Dictionary as an animal kept for amusement or companionship.

Dog is defined in the American Heritage Dictionary as a domesticated, carnivorous mammal raised in a wide variety of breeds and probably originally derived from several wild species.

All of my definition are from dictionary.com

1. Competition is defined as: a contest for some prize, honor, or advantage.

2. Superior is defined as: higher in station, rank, degree, importance, or
quality.

3. Cooperation is defined as: an act or instance of working or acting together for a common purpose or benefit; joint action.

4. Achieving is defined as: to get or attain by effort; gain; obtain.

5. Excellence is defined as: the fact or state of excelling; superiority; eminence.

Competition - A contest for some prize, honor, or advantage.

Excellence - The fact or state of excelling; superiority; eminence

Superior - Higher in station, rank, degree, importance, or
quality.

Achieving - To get or attain by effort; gain; obtain.

Cooperation - An act or instance of working or acting together for a common purpose or benefit; joint action.

from dictionary.com. (:

Cat is defined by World Book Dictionary as: a small, four-footed, furry mammal, often kept as a pet or for catching mice and rats.

Better is defined by Mnemonic dictionary as: something superior in quality or condition or effect.

Pets is defined by World Book Dictionary as: any animal kept as a favorite and treated with affection.

Dogs is defined by Webster's 1828 dictionary as: a species of quardrupeds, belonging to the genus Canus, of many varieties.