Primary, secondary, tertiary alcohols

[DespicableMe]

How do we figure out the class of the alcohol if there is more than one hydroxyl group attached to the main HC chain?

For example, I know that
CH3 - CH2 - OH is PRIMARY
But what about something like

OH...OH
CH2 - CH - CH2 - CH (The ... is to take up space so that the OH's are on top of a CH)

Why is it a 2⁰ alcohol?
WHen there's more than one OH, which Carbon with the attached OH group do we judge to decide the class?

 

[chemisttree]

It isn't done like that. If it has two hydroxyls it is a glycol. It can have some combination of primary, secondary and even tertiary hydroxyls. More than two can be triols (3) or usually just polyols.

Whoever told you that your compound was a secondary alcohol was wrong.