1. Formal Classification
answers the question “What kinds of ____ are there?”

What kinds of IPods are there?
-IPod,
-IPod Nano,
-IPod Shuffle.

What kinds of political parties are there?
-Republican Party
-Democratic Party

What kinds of college degrees are there?
-associate’s degree
-bachelor’s degree
-master’s degree
-doctorate

What kinds of funding are there for college?
-grants
-loans
-scholarships

2. Comparison and Contrast
shows how two comparable items are similar and different.

There are two ways to organize comparison and contrast.

1. Point-by-Point
Cost
-University of Texas at Austin
- Texas A & M, College Station
Location
-University of Texas at Austin
- Texas A & M, College Station
Curriculum
-University of Texas at Austin
- Texas A & M, College Station

2. Subject-by-Subject

University of Texas at Austin
-Cost
-Location
-Curriculum

Texas A & M, College Station
-Cost
-Location
-Curriculum

3. Definition
clarifies or explains the meaning of a term or concept.

For example, in his essay “Pilgrimage to Nonviolence,” Martin Luther King, Jr. defines “nonviolence.”

Kinneavy, McCleary, and Nakadate summarize King’s essay as follows:

“Nonviolence is not cowardice but passive resistance, is not humiliating to opponent, is not against person but against
evil, accepts suffering, is based on love, [and] is based on triumph of justice” (320).