Comparison and
Contrast
liangxingli@yahoo.com.cn
lxl0267hotmail.com
Warming-up activities:
• Growing up in a small town or growing
up in a large city.
• Working for large companies or
running your own businesses.
• Comparing your hometown and your
university town.
• Comparing Autumn and Spring.
I-1 What is Comparison
and Contrast?
• Comparison: To identify similarities
between two persons, places, things,
or ideas.
• Contrast: To identify differences
between two persons, places, things,
or ideas.
• In the narrowest sense, comparison
shows how two or more things are
similar, and contrast shows how they
are different.
• In most writing situation, however,
you use the two related process of
comparison and contrast to consider
both similarities and differences.
• The method of development in which
the writer examines the similarities
and/or differences between persons,
objects, or ideas to support a point.
• Please finish the following question:
• day/light=night/?
• A special form of comparison, called
analogy, looks for similarities
between two essentially dissimilar
things. With analogy (eg.
day/light=night/darkness) you
explain one thing by comparing it to
a second thing that is more
familiar than the first.
I-2 Features
• a. A way of thinking that we use
unconsciously to make decisions.
• b. It has these three types:
(Handout paper NO.1)
Compare and Contrast
essay (Handout paper
No.2)
• I-3 (A) by using the instruction words
• (directly: similarities and differences;
differences)
• I-3 (B) by using the context
• (indirectly: the MOD is required)
II. Why do writers use
comparison?
• II-1Using Comparison and Contrast
• II-2 Establishing a Basis of
Comparison
• II-3 Selecting Points for Discussion
• II-4 Formulating a Thesis
Statement
• To show that things which appear
similar are really different
• To show that things which appear
different are really similar
• To evaluate
• To explain the unfamiliar in terms of
the familiar
•
•
•
•
•
II-1 Using Comparison and Contrast
assignment suggests
suits the purpose
certain key words and phrases
Sometimes you may not even need such key
phrases.
• e.g. Which of the two Adamses, John or
Sameul, had the greater influence on the
timing and course of the American
Revolution?
• II-2 Establishing a Basis of
Comparison
• Without a common element, there
would be no basis for analysis--- that
is, no basis of comparison.
• Exercise:
• Please establish a basis of
comparison for cats and dogs.
• III-3 Selecting Points for
Discussion
• Make sure that you treat the same,
or at least similar, elements for each
subject you discuss.
• e.g. If you were going to compare and
contrast two novels, you might
consider what elements in both
works?
• Suggested answer:
• Novel A
Novel
B
• Major characters
Major
characters
• Minor characters
Minor
characters
• Themes
Themes
• II-4 Formulating a Thesis
Statement
• This thesis establishes the
significance of the comparison or
contrast and perhaps the relative
merits of the items discussed.
• Please create a thesis statement
about autumn and spring.
• Suggested answer:
• Although there is exquisite beauty
in the seasons of autumn and spring,
there are also distinctions which
allow each season to stand on its
own.
• Filling in the blanks:
• As in other kinds of essays, your
thesis statement should tell______.
It should mention ______but also
indicate______. Your thesis should
also indicate______. In addition, it
may list______.
• As in other kinds of essays, your thesis
statement should tell your readers what
to expect in your essay. It should
mention not only the subjects to be
compared and contrasted but also indicate
whether you will make about them. Your
thesis should also indicate whether you
will concentrate on similarities or
differences or whether you will balance
the two. In addition, it may list the
points of comparison and contrast in the
order in which they are discussed in the
essay.
• The structure of your thesis
sentence can help to show the focus
of your essay.
• e.g. (Handout No.3)
III Structuring a
Comparison-And-Contrast
Essay
• a. Point by point
• b. Block
• c. Mixed
• Using Subject-by-Subject
Comparison (The divided pattern/
block arrangement)
• Do the following example:
• Introdution: Thesis statement--Despite the fact that doctors and
nurses perform distinctly different
tasks at a hospital, their functions
overlap when they interact with
patients.
Suggested answer:
• Doctor's functions
Point 1: Teaching patients
Point 2: Assessing patients
Point3: Dispensing medication
• Nurse's function:
Point 1: Teaching patients
Point 2: Assessing patients
Point3: Dispensing medication
• Conclusion: Restatement of thesis
• Topic sentence (X vs. Y)
• X
Point#1
Point #2
Point #3
• Y
Point#1
Point #2
Point #3
• Concluding sentence
• Using Point-by point Comparison
(alternating pattern)
• Do the following exercise:
• Introduction: Thesis statement--Melville's Mody-Dick has more fully
developed characters and more
complex themes than does London's
The Sea Wolf.
Suggested answer:
• Minor characters
Book 1: The Sea Wolf
Book 2: Moby-Dick
• Major characters
Book 1: The Sea Wolf
Book 2: Moby-Dick
• Themes
Book 1: The Sea Wolf
Book 2: Moby-Dick
• Conclusion: Restatement of thesis
Topic sentence (X vs. Y)
X and Y (Point #1)
• X
> Special detail
• Y
X and Y (Point #2)
X
> Special detail
• Y
X and Y (Point #3)
X
> Special detail
• Y
Concluding Sentence
Questions
• 1 As to the longer and more
complicated essays, and the short
and uncomplicated essays, which
pattern is more suitable?
• 2 When you write a point-by-point
comparison, it is easy to fall into a
monotonous, back-and forth
movement between points, how to
avoid this problem?
Suggested answers to Q1
• Subject-by-subject comparisons are most
appropriate for short, uncomplicated
papers. In longer papers, where many
points are made about each subject, this
organizational pattern puts too many
demands on your readers, requiring them
to keep track of all your points
throughout your paper. In addition,
because of the length of each section,
your paper may seem less like a unified,
coherent whole than like two separate
essays weakly connected by a
transitional phrase.
• Point-by point comparisons are especially
useful for longer, more complicated
essays where you discuss a number of
different points. (If you treat only one or
two points of comparison, then you should
consider a subject-by subject
organization.) In the point-by point
pattern readers can easily follow
comparisons or contrasts and do not
have to wait several paragraphs to find
out the differences between Moby-Dick
and The Sea Wolf or to remember on page
six what was said on page three.
Suggested answers to
Q2
• Nevertheless, it is easy to fall into a
monotonous, back-and forth
movement between points when you
write a point-by point comparison. To
avoid this problem, use clear
transitions, and vary sentence
structure as you move from point to
point.
IV. How does the thesis
pattern for comparison
and contrast go?
• One possibility: A look at ____
(objects of comparison) in terms of
___ (the points of comparison) shows
that ___ (general finding)
• Another possibility: Looking at ___
(object A) and ___ (object B) shows
that although they seem ___
(similar/different), they really are
___ (different/similar).
writers recognize
comparison when they see
it?
• Look for these items. If most of
them are there, it’s highly likely that
the text is a comparison.
• a. Look for objects being compared
• b. Identify the points of comparison
• c. Find the purpose for the
comparison
• d. Discern the structural pattern
• e. Look for these transitions
Transition Signals for
Comparison and Contrast
Comparison connectors
likewise, similarly, in like manner, in the
same way, i.e., ("id est" means "that is")
note the comma, just as, by the same
token, as, too, again, thus, the same, the
same as, also, both, X is similar to Y in
that (they)..., and,X and Y are similar in
that (they)..., Like X, Y [verb]..., in like
manner, both, like, One way in which X is
similar to Y is (that)..., neither, in addition,
as well as, Another way in which X is
similar to Y is (that)..., just as… so
Contrast Connectors
but, yet , however, on the contrary,
on the other hand, nevertheless,
nonetheless, although , even
though ,despite, in spite of, not,
rather than, conversely, to the
contrary, by contrast, in contrast,
contrasting (to), unless, although,
whereas, unlike, while, another
difference, unlike, conversely
VI. How does one write a
comparison essay?
Follow these steps being especially
careful to observe the rules in
boldface below.
a. Observe people and life and cultivate
the habit of looking for fruitful
comparisons.
b. Be sure that the objects are in the
same class so that there is a clear
basis for the comparison.
• c. Before writing, note the details
briefly in the blocks.
• d. Decide whether a block or point by
point organization works best for the
purpose selected.
• e. Be sure to tell what one learns
from making the comparison.
remember when writing a
comparison or contrast
essay.
• 1. Know what organizational style you
are using.
• 2. State your organization.
• 3. Keep your audience in mind.
• 4. Say what you want to say.
Assignments：
• College English Wrings with Readings
• 1 Read Comparison and Contrast on p 262264.
• 2 Read Student Essays to Consider on
p264-266 and do QUESTIONS on p266268.
• 3 Read Developing a Comparison and
Contrast Essay on p268-271.
• 4 Read A professional Essay to Consider on
page 271 and do QUESTIONS on p275276.
• 5 Prepare Division and Classification on
• Extra-curriculum Activities (Next Period
Duty Report)
• 6 Have a two-minute oral paragraph
presentation in class using the comparison
and Contrast method of development. (The
paragraph should be of at least eight
sentences with a topic sentence-----three supporting sentences and each with
their own respective detail sentence-----and a conclusion.) 陆佳洁，胡祺伟