what is the difference between an ocean, a sea, a gulf.

thank you.
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Oceans are large bodies of salt water that surround land masses. There are 5: Atlantic, Pacific, Indian, Arctic, and Southern Oceans.

Seas are sub-divisions of oceans that are partially enclosed by land.

Gulfs are the part of the sea that is enclosed by land.

You can find more information in this article which gives an over-view of all the different types of water bodies.

Those really aren't very good definitions, in my opinion. The Caribbean Sea isn't really partially enclosed by land, nor is the Mediterranean Sea really a sub-division of the Atlantic Ocean. (If it is, then what is the Black Sea?) The Agean, Ionian, and Adriatic seas are divisions of the Mediterranean. To which ocean does the Sea of Marma belong? The Gulf of Mexico certainly seems to qualify as a sea by that definition.

Some bays fit the definition of gulf given, and that of sea as well. (cf. Hudson Bay)

Where does the Atlantic Ocean end and the Pacific begin? At what point does the cold northern water stop being the Arctic Ocean and become either the Atlantic or Pacific? What about the Southern Ocean? Where is the line between it and the Atlantic, Pacific, or Indian Ocean? Doesn't it all depend of the frame of reference, whether you are looking at a smaller 'picture' or the 'Big Picture"? ("It's only an island if you look at it from the water." - Sheriff Brody, in "Jaws") And finally, isn't there really just one big ocean?

The problem here is that we are trying to force nature into definitions rather than define what is really there. (Was Pluto never a planet, or was the definition just changed? I don't think Pluto changed.) While I'm fully aware that there is a governing body dealing with oceanic terms, it is very obvious that some of the divisions are purely arbitrary.

If this information is for a class, then regurgitate what you have been told. If it's not, think about the discrepancies in the terminology.