Compare or Contrast Essay

You compare or
contrast every day.
 Should you eat
pizza for lunch or a
salad?
 You look at the
benefits of pizza, the
benefits of salad,
and then make your
decision.
Why compare/contrast?

To demonstrate:
– That one thing is better than another
– That things which seem different are
actually alike
– That things which seem alike are actually
different
Suggestions – all of these found in the reading
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
Be sure subjects are at least
somewhat alike
Stay focused
Formulate a strong thesis
Select points to be discussed
Organize the points
Use clear transitions
Developing Your Essay

Two patterns for organization
 Choose one and stick to it
throughout.
 Point-by-point
 The Block
Thesis Sentence

Mom’s Hamburger Haven is a much
better restaurant than McPhony’s
because of its superior food, service
and atmosphere.
Pattern One: Point by Point

Point 1: Food
– A. Mom’s
– B. McPhoney’s

Point 2: Service:
– A. Mom’s
– B. McPhoneys

Point 3: Atmosphere
– A. Mom’s
– B. McPhony’s
Now, it’s your turn!

Pair up with a neighbor and try a point
by point with this thesis:

Hands down, Katy Perry is a better
performance artist than Rihanna
because of her superior lip-syncing,
dancing and costumes.
Here is a template

Point One:
– A:
– B:

Point Two
– A:
– B:

Point Three
– A:
– B:
It Should look like this:

Point One: Lip-Syncing
– A:Katy
– B:Rihanna

Point Two: Dancing
– A:Katy
– B:Rihanna

Point Three: Costumes
– A:Katy
– B:Rihanna
Remember our original thesis statement?

Mom’s Hamburger Haven is a much
better restaurant than McPhony’s
because of its superior food, service
and atmosphere.
Pattern Two: The Block

A. Mom’s
– 1. Food
– 2. Service
– 3. Atmosphere

B. McPhony’s
– 1. Food
– 2. Service
– 3. Atmosphere
Now it’s your turn!

Pair up with your neighbor again and put
the same thesis sentence into the block
pattern.

Hands down, Katy Perry is a better
performance artist than Rihanna because of
her superior lip-syncing, dancing and
costumes.
Here is a template

A:
– 1:
– 2:
– 3:

B:
– 1:
– 2:
– 3:
Here’s what it should look like

A: Katy
– 1: Lip-syncing
– 2: Dancing
– 3: Costumes

B: Rihanna
– 1: Lip-syncing
– 2: Dancing
– 3: Costumes
Key words to use in your essay

Comparison
–
–
–
–
–
–
–
–
–
Also
Similarly
Too
Both
Like
Not only…but also
Have in common
Share the same
In the same manner

Contrast
–
–
–
–
–
–
–
–
–
However
On the contrary
On the other hand
In contrast
Although
Unlike
Though
Instead of
But
Outline
Why outline?
 What does an outline look like?

Outline