Things you can partition
- Ethical consumption product “There are three main types of tea - green black, and oolong - of which black is the most difficult to consume ethically, and is the topic of this essay”
- Endangered animal “There are seven types of tiger, including Siberian and Bengal, of which the most endangered is the Shikoku Tiger.”
- A process “There are three main steps in making X - 1,2, and 3 - of which the most difficult is 2. “
- Areas “There are two main cotton producing areas - Shikoku and Kazakhstan - of which Shikoku is the most famous.”
Option 1: “There are”
| There are | NUMBER kinds of | TOPIC | COMMA/HYPHEN/COLON + LIST | Optional Comment |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| There are | many kinds of | Japanese dog | , including Shiba and Akita | . (no comment) |
| There are | hundreds of | crab species | , including rock and spider | . This topic was chosen because |
| There are | two kinds of | diamond | : conflict free, and not free | . Of these, the most famous/problematic/endagered is Y…///…which is why it was chosen for this essay |
| There are | two main buildings | on this campus | : the hill and the dome | . The most X, and the topic of this essay, is Y |
| There are | three main steps | in the product’s life | - making, using, and recycling | - of which the stage that causes most problems is recycling. |
| There are | two main kinds of | Japanese dog | - Shiba and Akita | - of which Shiba is the cutest. |
| There are | hundreds of types of | Beetle | , including Stag and kuwagata, | but this essay concentrates on the dung beetle. |
Option 2: “The”
| There are | NUMBER kinds of | TOPIC | COMMA/HYPHEN/COLON + LIST | Optional Comment |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| The | two main kinds of | Japanese dog | are Shiba and Akita | , and of these the most common is the Akita. |
| The | most common | Japanese dogs | are the Shiba and the Akita | of which X is the most Y, and the topic of this essay. |
| The | most endangered | large cats | are the Bengal and the Siberian | . (no comment) |
| The | two kinds of | diamond | discussed are conflict free, and blood diamonds. | BLood diamonds were chosen as the topic because… |
| The | three main | conflict minerals | described here are Nickel, Cadmium, and Tantalum. | Of these, Tantalum is the worst, and so was chosen… |
Option 3: For longer lists or special types of category
|division |verb |number |split type |COMMA/HYPHEN/COLON + LIST |————|———————–|———–|———————–|—— |X |can be divided into |7 |types |- 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 and 7. |X |can be split into |four |kinds based on colour |- red, green, blue, and pink |X |consists of |three |main isotopes |: U233, U235 and U238
Tips
- Partitioning “dogs” is easier than partitioning “Shiba” - start at the right upper level
- If it can’t be partitioned (gold is gold), partition types or areas e.g. conflict vs ethical gold, or 3 main gold producing areas.
- avoid colons for comments - Use commas or hyphens (“, of which” “ - of which”)
- Avoid doing BOTH a partition AND a definition in one paragraph - they often say the same thing.