grouping

/ˈɡruːpɪŋ/ (bre, ipa) · /ˈɡruːpɪŋ/ (ame, ipa) · /ˈgrü-piŋ/ (ame, mw)

grouping — noun

  • groupingsingular
  • groupingsplural

1. a set of people or things that has been put together, or that is being looked at

1.名詞B2
釋義

a set of people or things that has been put together, or that is being looked at as one unit.

例句

The seating chart showed three groupings of students by language level.

pattern: a grouping of [people] by [feature]

We saw groupings of red lanterns above each food stall.

grouping as a visible set of objects

同義詞
  • group

    the plain everyday word for a set of people or things

  • cluster

    suggests items close together in space

  • collection

    broader; may describe items gathered over time, not only arranged together

文法句型

a grouping of [people/things]

small groupings

themed groupings

用法筆記

Usually countable and often followed by 'of' plus the people or things inside the set. Distinguish from sense 2: this sense names the finished set itself, not the action or method of creating it.

常見錯誤

❌There was much grouping of chairs by the stage.
✅There were several groupings of chairs by the stage.
💡when you mean the finished sets, use the countable plural form.

2. the process of putting people or things into groups according to a plan or share

2.名詞B2
釋義

the process of putting people or things into groups according to a plan or shared feature.

例句

The teacher's grouping of readers by confidence helped shy children speak.

pattern: grouping of [people] by [feature]

Careful grouping by size made the boxes easier to load onto the truck.

grouping by [feature] to improve a task

同義詞
  • sorting

    everyday word for putting things into kinds or sets

  • classification

    more formal and often used for systems or study

  • arrangement

    broader; can describe ordering, placing, or organising, not only grouping

反義詞
  • mixing

    focuses on combining things together rather than separating them into sets

文法句型

grouping of [people/things]

grouping by [feature]

automatic grouping

用法筆記

Often singular when it names one organising activity or method. Distinguish from sense 1: if you are talking about how people or things were sorted, rather than the resulting set, this is sense 2.

常見錯誤

❌The grouping of the class were quick.
✅The grouping of the class was quick.
💡when the word means one process or method, it usually takes a singular verb.