Classification: grouping into
categories
Our minds naturally sort information into
categories
Where and when do you rely on
classification?
Classification
• It helps writers and readers come to grips with large or
complex topics
• It breaks a broad topic into categories according to some
specific principle
• It presents the distinctive features of each category and
shows how the features vary among categories
• Segmenting the topic simplifies the discussion by
presenting information in small, neatly sorted piles
rather than in one jumbled heap
• It helps people make choices (Identifying which groups of
consumers are most likely to buy some new product etc.)
Selecting categories
• List situations where you rely on
classification
• (types of teachers, doctors, cars, computer
languages etc)
• How do you select categories?
Selecting categories
• Choose a principle of classification that is suited not only
to your purpose but also to your audience
• Can you classify instructors according to their manner of
dress, body build?
• List how you might be classified by the administration,
financial aid, housing?
• How do the different purposes yield different categories?
• How do you divide categories into smaller categories? (one
principle of categorization)
Classification
• Number of categories
• Some papers discuss every category
included in the topic. Others discuss only
selected categories
• Circumstances and purpose dictate the
scope of the discussion
• How do you develop categories?
Developing categories
• Develop every category you include with
specific, informative details that provide a
clear picture of each one and help the reader
grasp the distinctions and relationships
among them.