Meaning & use
classify by type
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Meaning
phrasetransitive
To put things into groups according to their kind or category.
Grammar: Takes an object: classify the books by type. The object comes before 'by type'.
Patterns
- classify something by type
- classify something by type and size
The librarian will classify the new donations by type before shelving them.
For the science project, we had to classify the leaves by type and record their shapes.
Please classify these documents by type so we can find them faster.
Word forms
| third person singular | classifies by type |
|---|---|
| past tense | classified by type |
| past participle | classified by type |
| -ing form | classifying by type |
Common combinations
- classify by type and size
- The warehouse workers classify the packages by type and size.
- classify by type of material
- Recycling centers classify waste by type of material.
- classify by type of use
- The software can classify your files by type of use.
- classify by type of animal
- In biology class, we learned to classify organisms by type of animal.
Synonyms and how they differ
- categorize
- Categorize is a close synonym but often suggests putting things into named categories; classify by type focuses on the grouping method.
- sort
- Sort is more everyday and can mean arranging in order as well as grouping; classify by type is more formal and specifically about kinds.
- group
- Group is more general and does not necessarily imply a formal system; classify by type suggests a deliberate, systematic method.
Word family
- classification noun
- The act or result of putting things into groups.
- class noun
- A group of things of the same type.
Commonly confused: classify by type or classify as?
classify by type vs classify as
Classify as means to decide that something belongs to a particular group (classify it as a mammal), while classify by type means to sort things according to their kinds.
Practice
The museum staff will ______ the artifacts by type before the new exhibit opens.
Choose one answer.
After the modal 'will', we need the base form of the verb, so 'classify' is correct. 'Classifies' is third-person singular and does not follow 'will'; 'classifying' would need a helping verb like 'be'; 'classification' is a noun and cannot be the verb here.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “classify by type”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.