A classification essay categorizes items into specific or subjective categories. It begins with establishing the topic and categories, describing each category with examples, and ends with a summary. Topics can range from women’s shoes to vacation spots. Examples are given under each sub-category, and it can be simple or complex. Researchers also use classification essays to analyze findings.
A classification essay is an essay in which the writer sorts a number of items into categories. Categories can be very specific and based solely on fact or they can be broad and determined more by subjective opinion. Such essays begin by establishing the topic of the article and listing the categories, and then continue by describing each category and giving examples. Both the broad categories and the examples within should be clearly related to each other. A summary paragraph often ties the essay together at the end.
There are many topics that can be used for a classification essay. A writer might choose to write about types of women’s shoes, dog breeds, or vacation spots in the United States. If you’re writing about women’s shoes, the categories could be flats, sandals, and pumps. A dog breed classification essay might group breeds by exposure class, such as working dogs, sporting dogs, and hunting dogs. One in the United States vacation spots could include Florida, Hawaii and New York City.
Once the main category and sub-categories have been established, the writer will then provide examples under each sub-category. In the US vacation spot example, the writer could list Orlando, Miami, and St. Augustine as vacation spots in Florida. He would then provide details on each example, such as Disney World’s presence in Orlando or St. Augustine’s proximity to the beach.
A classification essay can be relatively simple. For example, an elementary school teacher might ask a child to group items of the same color. The child could write that apples, fire trucks and stop signs are red while leaves, broccoli and grass are green. A grading essay assigned to a teenager would likely be more involved. A teacher might ask a student to engage opinion by assigning topics such as good books. In this case, the student could group the books they like into genres, such as mystery, science fiction, or literature, and then give examples of each.
Researchers often publish long, complex papers that are actually highly analytical classification essays. For example, a professor researching the effects of a certain chemical on unborn children might divide his findings into physiological effects and psychological effects. He could then further categorize the physiological effects into those affecting growth, those affecting spatial perception, and those affecting motor skills. In this situation, it is common to include a section explaining the methodology by which the researcher collected and verified his findings.
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