C LASSIFICATION E SSAY ENG 101

W HAT IS A CLASSIFICATION ESSAY ? In a classification essay, a writer organizes, or sorts, things into categories. Three Steps to Effective Classification: Sort things into useful categories. Make sure all the categories follow a single organizing principle. 1. Don’t leave out a critical category: For example, if you say water sports of Hawaii include snorkeling and sailing, but leave out surfing, your essay would be incomplete because surfing is Hawaii's most famous water sport. Give examples that fit into each category. For example, say you need to sort the stack of papers on your desk. Before you would put them in random piles, you would decide what useful categories might be: papers that can be thrown away; papers that need immediate action; papers to read; papers to pass on to other coworkers; or papers to file. In general, you should write the same quantity, i.e., give the same number of examples, for each category. The most important category, usually reserved for last, might require more elaboration. In general, you should write the same quantity, i.e., give the same number of examples, for each category. The most important category, usually reserved for last, might require more elaboration.

C OMMON C LASSIFICATION T RANSITIONS P.191 The first kind, the second kind, the third kind The first type, the second type, the third type The first group, the second group, the third group

I NTRODUCTION Turn about : This strategy involves starting with the idea, belief or opinion that is opposite of your own claim or thesis. You first present the opposite party's opinion, the turn about with a " but or however", and present your own point of view: Example: "Reproduction is something that is in the nature of human beings. Giving birth to children, bringing them up and when they get older looking forward to them having children are all built in wishes and expectations of almost everybody. But in a limited environment, humans cannot keep expanding their population. There must be some ways to control the population." (Gamze Gumuslu, Adv 2003)

T HESIS S TATEMENT OF A C LASSIFICATION E SSAY The thesis statement usually includes the topic and how it is classified. The categories are named. (topic)...(how classified)...(category) (category) (category) Examples: The teachers at PSU can be classified according to their rank: professors, associate professors, assistant professors, and lecturers. Ex: Tourists in Hawaii can enjoy three water sports: snorkeling, surfing, and sailing. There are basically three types of burns: first degree, second degree, and third degree.

O UTLINE OF A C LASSIFICATION E SSAY I. INTRODUCTION A. BACKGROUND INFO : Name your overall group to be classified. B. THESIS: State your Principle of Classification. C. PREVIEW: List your categories.

II. BODY A. Body Paragraph 1: 1 st CATEGORY: 1. TOPIC SENTENCE : Name your 1st category. 2. GENERAL EXPLANATION: Describe the characteristics of the category. 3. SPECIFIC EXAMPLE: Tell a story about or describe an individual who is a member of this category. 4. CONCLUDING SENTENCE: End with a sentence simply reminding the reader that you're telling this story about this particular person because he/she is a typical member of the category you've been discussing. (optional)

B. Body Paragraph 2: 2 nd CATEGORY: 1. TOPIC SENTENCE : 2. GENERAL EXPLANATION: 3. SPECIFIC EXAMPLE: 4. CONCLUDING SENTENCE: C. Body Paragraph 3: 3 rd CATEGORY: 1. TOPIC SENTENCE : 2. GENERAL EXPLANATION: 3. SPECIFIC EXAMPLE: 4. CONCLUDING SENTENCE:

III. CONCLUSION A. SUMMARY OF CATEGORIES : Simply list the categories again as you did in the preview. B. RESTATEMENT OF THESIS: This may require only restating your Principle of Classification, or it may need also restating your purpose, along with revealing your final opinion in regards to this purpose.

R ESOURCE Regina L. Smalley et al. Refining Composition Skills. 6th. Heinle ELT, Chapter 8