- Please classify the animals as predators, herbivores or scavengers.
- Please classify the sentences into what types.
- Please classify the sentences by type/group.
Please check the above and correct them.
- OK.
- Not right.
- “by type” is OK. “by group” might be OK in the right context, if “group” is defined as a means of classification. Without further context, “group” seems to refer to the result of classification rather than the means (e.g. you would say “classify into groups”).
Dozy,
- Can I say as below:
“Please classify the sentences into types.”? - Can I use ‘categorize’ in place of ‘classify’ in those sentences?
-
I guess so, but “by type” seems preferable to me, as far as I can tell with no further context.
-
Yes.
Dozy,
‘classify’ has also another meaning.
For example:
Classify these documents.
= Declare unavailable these documents, as for security reasons.
Am I correct?
Yes, that’s correct. It is an extension of the ordinary meaning. Really it means “classify (documents etc.) as secret/confidential/etc.”, but in suitable contexts the “as secret/confidential” part is omitted and assumed.