CLASSIFICATION ESSAY

CLASSIFICATION ESSAY Definition • Classification means Division Classification (n): the act or process of putting people or things into a group or class • Writing a classification essay means dividing information into a meaningful groups or categories • The members in a group must share similar characteristics and follows a single and unifying principle Function • Arrange or organize information into categories or groups • Break things down in order to investigate them easily and distinguish easily Classification organization • Introduction • The hook introduces the information to be classified • Background information includes a general statement or statements that give a broader picture of the subject matter to be discussed • The thesis statement tells what is being classified and how it is being organized Nowadays, many people evaluate others’ appearances or behaviors to determine what kind of people they are It is a common mistake, isn’t it? Regardless of whether it is true or not, this kind of stereotyping is very useful, and sometimes it brings us some interesting things People’s psychology is also classified into three categories depending on the food they eat: fast-food, vegetarian food, and home cooked food • Body • The topic sentence clearly describes the category in each paragraph and supports the thesis statement • One category or group is described in each paragraph The information in each paragraph is ordered logically (in order of importance or in chronological order) • The supporting details can be descriptions, definitions, examples… that elaborate on the topic sentence • The concluding sentence bring the idea of the paragraph to close • Many people assume that “fast-food” people are usually overweight, busy, and impatient The first thing comes up with people when they think of “fast-food” people is about their weight In fact, trans fat are commonly found in fast-food, so people who eat it regularly consume a high level of trans fat and calories, and then it triggers many negative effects to their body, especially gaining weight Some others’ opinions believe that fast-food people are very busy That’s why they usually eat fastfood because it is rapidly severed in bags or cartons for people’s convenience Therefore, they are able to save much time for other things Moreover, this kind of people is very impatient because of their hectic lives They cannot seat in an hour to wait for someone or working in a short time without any signs of success They think that it waste too much time and then easily to give up In the same kind of stereotyping, people base on vegetarian food to determine others • People think that vegetarians are usually skinny, superstitious, and careful of their health Actually, vegetables contain a high proportion of vitamins, but in contrast with fast-food, they generally have a small proportion of protein and fat, so vegetarians are very skinny In addition, it is very common that people who eat only vegetables tend to be superstitious They believe that not eating any kinds of meat means not killing any animals Therefore, they can accumulate the good for their later generations, or they will be able to get the greatest happiness after they die Beside that, many vegetarians assume that eating only vegetables can protect them from illnesses and also be able to keep their lives longer In our world, especially in China and Japan, there are a lot of very old people who are still very strong and healthy have revealed that almost food in their lives are vegetables Similarly, home cooked food is another thing to define people • Conclusion • It restates the content of each paragraph • It may make a prediction, give advice or make a general statement • To sum up, people are classified into three main categories basing on their regular food Fast-food people would like a hectic life, while “their own food” people prefer a leisure life, and vegetarians tend to live a “holy” life For me knowing what kind of people they are is very useful to start a new relationship with them or just to behave in the most appropriate ways toward them, and then my life will probably overwhelm with joys and happiness How to proceed • Prewriting: + Name the categories which you will classify + Find out several examples and their properties of each category • Tips: Don’t Mix Principles! It’s confusing to have overlapping bases for classification * For example: if you’re characterizing cell phones by size, don’t include classes such as “expensive” or “nice looking.” Exercise • Choose one item that doesn’t belong to the group • Shirts a Flannel b Cotton c Tuxedo d Denim e Silk What is the principle? School subjects a Algebra b History c Geometry d Trigonometry e Calculus What is the principle? Complete the Categories When you’re classifying, don’t leave anyone or anything out Look for obvious missing elements – Say the writing prompt is “What kind of students are there in your math class?” – Your answer: “Fast and slow learners.” -> But what about the average learners? After all, you need three categories! Use Parallel Construction in the thesis statement • Notice that each categorical word is in the same grammatical form • Organize your thesis statement with parallelism: – Eg: “Most people respond in one of three ways: eagerly, indifferently, or reluctantly.” LANGUAGE FOCUS • Establishing the Order of Important, Degree, and Size -> make a logical order The following expressions will help you rank objects or ideas in order of importance, degree or size: The most/greatest The best The largest The maximum The most significant The most important The second most/greatest The second fastest The next best The second highest The second largest The least/ fewest The slowest The worst The lowest The smallest The minimum The least significant The least important - To show similarity or equality, use the same, almost the same, and similar to  ...Definition • Classification means Division Classification (n): the act or process of putting people or things into a group or class • Writing a classification essay means dividing information... categories or groups • Break things down in order to investigate them easily and distinguish easily Classification organization • Introduction • The hook introduces the information to be classified... properties of each category • Tips: Don’t Mix Principles! It’s confusing to have overlapping bases for classification * For example: if you’re characterizing cell phones by size, don’t include classes