Academic_Writing / Unit 2

Unit 2 Class relationships (1) Classification

Introduction

People try to organize the world around them. One of the ways they do this is by looking for relationships among objects or ideas, and classifying them into groups according to their similarities and differences.

Task 1

The following is a set of English words given in no particular order (i.e. a list). Turn this list into a classification by ordering the words into groups. Be prepared to explain why you grouped them as you did:

lecturer	sleep	manager
son	intelligent	happy
enthuse	dream	scientist
old	sick	printer

You may have noticed that these data can be classified in several ways. The way you classify depends on what characteristics you think are important. In biology particular characteristics, such as the possession of bones, are used to define groups. Thus, for instance, animals with bones are generally classified as vertebrates. However, if we decided on some other characteristic (e.g. the possession of eyes) we should define a completely different group that included most (but not all) vertebrates, most insects, most crustaceans, some molluscs and some other invertebrates. A common way of classifying data is through a tree diagram.

Classification

Classification means the arranging or ordering of material. We use the principles of classification every day, for example, when we look up classi­fied ads in the newspaper or use the yellow pages in the telephone book. The other name for the yellow pages is, in fact, the classified telephone direc­tory. The items in the yellow pages are first classified alphabetically, but there are also classifications within some of the alphabetical listings. If you looked up churches under C in the yellow pages of a large city directory, for example, you would see that they are classified by denomination. Under each domination, particular churches are listed. If you continued reading, you would probably see that churches are also classified by where they are located in the city.

A common form of classification is the organizational flow chart, which uses a diagram to show the particular functions within an organization.

Task 2

Sometimes it is important to understand from a person’s title what his or her role in the company is. Look at the diagrams and at the list of job titles under each one. One shows the management structure of a British company, the other shows the management structure of an American company.

In English, when we classify data and ideas, we divide all the information into categories. We do this in a logical way, but the logical ordering we choose depends on our purpose in making the classification. Some types of logical ordering are: time order (oldest to newest); general to particular hierarchy; and scale (examples of scales are importance (most important to least important), size (largest to smallest), familiarity (best-known to least-known).

Task 3

What logical ordering is used here?

Ms Alice Smith

414 Oldfield Street

Wilmington-on-Sea

Blahshire

England

Task 4

Choose a set of data about which you know quite a lot and classify these data according to a classification basis of your choice. Display the data in a logical diagram. Show your diagram to a partner and ask her or him to identify the classification basis you used.

Using grammar in writing

You should have noticed in this unit so far that when we classify, we arrange members of a group, rather than parts relative to a whole as we did in Unit 1. The tables below show some of the most common language used in sentences which have classification as their purpose.

types : A, B and С.

There are kinds . These are A, B and С.

Y classes of X are A, B and С.

The Categories

In a classification essay, your task is threefold: (1) to classify or arrange ideas and information on a particular subject in a logical way, whether the subject is contemporary music, college males or females, or the causes of the First World War; (2) to describe the classes or divisions within the subject area; and (3) to give your overall opinion of the subject area.

The skills you learn will help you not only in many college essays, but also in the sort of practical writing required in many jobs. For example, some day you may be required to make a written report evaluating departments within an organi­zation or divisions within a department.