Definition
and
Classification/Division
Reading
See:
Strategies for Successful Writing. 5th ed.
(Canadian). Chapters 10 and 12.
Academic Writing: A Handbook for International
Students. 3:126-129.
What is a Definition?
A description of something by identifying its
properties (Classification) while isolating it from
everything else in its class (Division).
i.e., by saying shat it is not.
A definition puts a word or concept
into a general class (Classification) …
and then provides details to
distinguish it from others in its class
(Division).
Love isn’t …
Why Know How to Write Definitions?
Definitions are necessary for precision in language in
cases of :
• unfamiliar words (e.g., "accoutrements,"
"countenance")
• words open to interpretation (abstractions such as
"liberal, "hate")
• words used in a particular sense (terms such as "ram")
They establish a common, mutually agreed-upon
language.
Define “knife.”
Classification:
A cutting instrument
Division:
With a sharp blade set in a handle, either fixed
or pull-out,
Of a “convenient” length,
Used for stabbing, slicing.
To review …
• Classification: Groups items into categories
according to some consistent principle. Synthesis
• Division: Divides an item into its parts. Analysis (an act of critical thinking)
Examples
As you read these two paragraphs,
establish which deals with classification
and which deals with division.
Example A.
Every lever has one fixed point called a
"fulcrum" and is acted upon by two forces - the
"effort" (exertion of hand muscles) and the
"weight" (object’s resistance). Levers work
according to a simple formula: the effort (how hard
you push or pull) multiplied by its distance from the
fulcrum (effort arm) equals the weight multiplied by
its distance from the fulcrum (weight arm). Thus
two pounds of effort exerted at a distance of four
feet from the fulcrum will raise eight pounds
located one foot from the fulcrum.
There are three types of levers,
conventionally called "first kind," "second kind,"
and "third kind." Levers of the first kind have the
fulcrum located between the effort and the weight.
Examples are a pump handle, an oar, a crowbar, a
weighing balance, a pair of scissors, and a pair of
pliers. Levers of the second kind have the weight in
the middle and magnify the effort. Examples are
the handcar crank and doors. Levers of the third
kind, such as a power shovel or a baseball batter’s
forearm, have the effort in the middle and always
magnify the distance.
• Notice that the first paragraph describes and
explains the quality of "leverness," i.e., how a
lever works (classification),
• while the second distinguishes between three
different types of levers with examples
(division).
(As the engineer sang to the secretary, "There
must be fifty ways to love your lever.")
Example B.
In the following paragraph, Julian Huxley uses the
classification/division technique.
Ants are among the very few organisms other than man which
go to war. Individual insects or spiders, fish or birds or
mammals, fight each other for food or mates or breeding
sites; but this is not war. When a herd of wolves attacks a herd
of wild horses, and the prey vigorously defends itself, this is a
first approximation to war. But strictly the term should be
confined to battles between armies of the same or closely
related species. In ants there are all gradations from the pure
predatism of such forms as the Legionaries, against which no
other ant defends itself, up through stages where the species
preyed upon occasionally defends itself vigorously or even
takes the offensive, to those of habitual warfare between
closely allied species, and, finally, battles between different
nests of the same species. (Julian Huxley, Ants)
Questions
1. What is the purpose of the paragraph?
2. What is the subject of the paragraph?
3. What is the basis for classification (the basic
definition)?
4. What is the basis for division?
5. Huxley identifies four forms of
warfare. A. What are they? and B. Why are
they in this order?
6. Show how this paragraphs might be interpreted
as an analogy.
Answers
1. Purpose - Define "war" and give examples
2. Subject - Ant warfare
3. Basis for classification - Organism that "go to
war"
4. Basis for division - "battles between armies
of the same or closely related species"
Answers (cont’d)
5.
a)
b)
c)
Forms of warfare A. What are they?
Predatism or predation
Occasional defence and occasional attack
"Habitual warfare between closely allied
species"
d) "Battles between different nests of the same
species"
Answers (cont’d)
B. Why in this order?
Answers may vary. Perhaps the order is
predicated upon a perception of intensity of
biological imperatives (food, continuance of the
gene pool, territory), and the closeness of the
species of the combatants.
Answers (cont’d)
An analogy?
6. While Huxley does not specifically show it in
this paragraph, we could read this as a
condemnation of human warfare. The moral
justification for warfare in ants (Yes, I know that
is a bit of a stretch and implies an anthropic
(also "anthropical") moral sensibility in ants)
appears to lessen as the biological imperative
lessens and the closeness of the species
increases.
How to write definitions
1. Synonym.
Spice up your writing with synonyms. ("face" for
"countenance," "accessory" for accoutrement")
2. Formal Definition
Place the item in a general class then describe
its particular characteristics.
e.g., A "watch" may be defined as a mechanical
device which is used for telling time and is
usually carried or worn.
e.g., "Semantics" is an area of linguistics
concerned with the study of the meanings of
words.
3. Extended Definition
Usually used for controversial or abstract
terms which require interpretation, and often
are several paragraphs long.
e.g., Define "obscene" by stating what it
does not mean and contrasting it to related
terms such as "pornographic" and "exotic."
One might then describe different types of
obscenity.
Guidelines to help you use
classification/division
1. Identify a clear purpose, and be sure that
your principle of division is appropriate to that
purpose. To determine the makeup of a student
body, for example, you might consider the
following principles of division: college or
program, major, class, level, sex. It would not be
helpful to divide students on the basis of their
toothpaste unless you had a purpose and thus a
reason for doing so.
2. Divide your subject into categories that are
mutually exclusive.
An item can belong to only one category. For
example, it would be unsatisfactory to divide
students as men, women, and athletes.
3. Make your division and classification
complete.
Your categories should account for all items in a
subject class. In dividing students on the basis of
geographic origin, for example, it would be
inappropriate to consider only home states, for
such a division would not account for foreign
students. Then, for your classification to be
complete, every student must be placed in one
of the established categories.
4. Be sure to state clearly the conclusion that your
division and classification lead you to draw.
For example, a study of the student body might
lead you to the conclusion that 45 percent of
the male athletes with athletic scholarships
come from west of the Mississippi.
Ethical Considerations
1. Avoid features that are unfair. e.g., When
defining "excessive force," have you included
"reasonable means" as an example (Reinking
204).
2. Avoid skewing (slanting) to promote a bias.
(Reinking 204).
Assignment for next class
Brainstorm as many ideas you can think of that might help you define an abstract term of your choosing.
These terms include:
Charm
Friendship
Hatred
Leadership
Liberal
Conservative
Commitment
Religion
Love
Pornography
Exotic Art
Despair
And any number of other abstractions.
Freedom
Trust
Obscenity
Joy
Your essay should be a minimum of five (5) paragraphs in length and should contain a clear introduction
and conclusion. The standard formatting requirements apply.
You may include any of the rhetorical modes studied this semester, among them:
 examples
 comparisons
 descriptions
 analogies
 narrations
 cause/effect
A final definition to consider
Workshop and Reflection
• Regular
• EHNAHCED