What does classification mean?
Word: Classification
Part of Speech: Noun
Meaning: Classification means the arranging of things into groups by what they have in common. It also means the group or class that something is placed in.
Synonyms: grouping, categorization
How do you spell classification?
Syllables: clas - si - fi - ca - tion
Tricky part: Class gives the double s, which is often cut to one: clasification. The y of classify turns into an i in the noun, so classyfication is wrong.
Watch out for: clasification, classyfication, classificasion
Memory tip: Classification starts with class, double s and all, just as the grouping starts with a class of things.
Classification in a sentence
Example 1: Our science teacher drew a chart showing the classification of animals into vertebrates and invertebrates.
Example 2: The library uses a number classification so every book has its own shelf code.
Example 3: The film received a U/A classification from the censor board.
Fun Fact
The Swedish scientist Carl Linnaeus set up the two-part naming system for living things in the 1750s, which is why humans are called Homo sapiens.
Practise the CREST Way
Word Cookie
Find the extra letter in the word:
classificattion
a) i
b) a
c) t
d) c
Show answer
c) t. The -cation ending has only one t, as in education.
Word Connection
Choose the synonym of the word classification as used in the sentence:
The classification of the stamps by country took Omar a whole weekend.
a) mixing
b) posting
c) sorting
d) pricing
Show answer
c) sorting. Omar was sorting the stamps into groups, which is what classification means.
Spell-o-Spell
Read the four words. Choose the meaning of the only correctly spelt word:
1. classification 2. catagory 3. hierarcy 4. specimin
a) a system of ranks from highest to lowest
b) the putting of things into sets by type
c) a group of things of the same type
d) a single example kept for study
Show answer
b) the putting of things into sets by type. Hierarcy has lost a letter near its end, and catagory and specimin each have one wrong vowel; classification has no slip.
Mingle-Mangle
Unscramble the jumbled word in the sentence and choose the correct word:
The biology test asked us to explain the siniasoclctfai of plants into flowering and non-flowering groups.
a) calcification
b) clarification
c) classification
d) codification
Show answer
c) classification. Clarification needs an r, codification a d, and calcification has no s, so only classification fits the letters.
Multiple Choice Questions
1. In biology, classification puts living things into groups such as ____.
a) colours and smells
b) kingdoms and species
c) cities and towns
d) months and years
Show answer
b) kingdoms and species
2. A document with the security classification top secret ____.
a) may be seen by very few people
b) has been lost for years
c) is ready to be printed
d) is open to everyone
Show answer
a) may be seen by very few people
