Compare and Contrast Paragraph
Using Point-by-Point Method
Thesis Sentence
Focus reader’s attention – be sure to clearly name each tale/country being compared:
Thesis statement (What is the big idea about the 2 things you are comparing? Are they the more
similar or different?)
Body Part of Paragraph – will focus on features such as characters, conflict,
conflict resolution, theme, setting, cultural influence, etc.
Feature 1: ____________________________________________
Possible topic sentence to introduce the feature:
Subject 1: _____________________________
Details/examples/quotes:
Subject 2: _____________________________
Details/examples/quotes:
Possible transition words to show relationship (similarity or difference):
Feature 2: ____________________________________________
Possible topic sentence to introduce the feature:
Subject 1: _____________________________
Details/examples/quotes:
Subject 2: _____________________________
Details/examples/quotes:
Possible transition words to show relationship (similarity or difference):
Closing Sentence
Restate thesis with final thought
**This help sheet only has room to plan 2 features. Be aware that a compare/contrast
essay can include more or less features; it depends on the information you are working
with.
COMPARISON AND CONTRAST
When you compare two things, you tell how they are similar. When you contrast
two things, you tell how they are different. Sometimes your purpose in a
comparison or contrast is to analyze two subjects in order to clarify what makes
each unique. At other times, your purpose may be to evaluate two subjects in
order to determine which has greater merit or worth.
In general, you can organize information in a comparison-contrast paragraph in
two ways. One way is a subject-by-subject or block-style arrangement in which
you discuss all of your points for one subject and then all of your points for the
other subject. The followings paragraph is an example of a subject-by-subject
comparison.
Topic sentence First, it is important to note that men and women regard conversation
Subject one:
women’s
conversations
Subject two:
men ‘s
conversations
quite differently. For women it is a passion, a sport, an activity even
more important to life than eating because it doesn’t involve weight gain.
The first sign of closeness among women is when they find themselves
engaging in endless, secretless rounds of conversation with one another.
And as soon as a woman begins to relax and feel comfortable in a
relationship with a man, she tries to have that type of conversation with
him as well. However, the first sign that a man is feeling close to a
woman is when he admits that he’d rather she please quiet down so he
can hear the TV. A man who feels truly intimate with a woman often
reserves for her and her alone the precious gift of one-word answers.
Everyone knows that the surest way to spot a successful long-term
relationship is to look around a restaurant for the table where no one
is talking. Ah . . . now that's real love.
Merrill Markoe, "Men, Women, and Conversation"
This subject-by-subject or block-style comparison begins with a topic
sentence that states the main idea of the paragraph and indicates that the
paragraph will focus on differences. The writer then discusses each subject
separately, enabling readers to understand how women and men communicate
differently. Notice how the transition however signals the writer's shift from one
subject to the other.
The other way to organize information in a comparison-and-contrast paragraph is
a point-by-point arrangement, in which you discuss each point for both subjects
before going on to the next point. The following paragraph is an example of a
point-by-point comparison.
Topic sentence
Point one
Point two
Point three
Point four
After a short time in England, I began to see why the English see
Americans as loud and ill-mannered. Americans are open and
confident. The English are reserved and modest. Additionally,
Americans frequently spend money blatantly; the English spend
money quietly. For example, when Americans tip a doorman at a
hotel, they hand him the money in full view. When the English perform
the same act, they fold the bill and slip it into the person’s hand.
Furthermore, Americans seem to swagger when they walk; the English
walk deliberately--to get from one place to another. Finally, and
perhaps most irritating to the English, Americans frequently call people
they have met by their best names. Most English people will call
someone by his or her first name only after theyhave been asked to.
Beth Haurin (student)
Like a subject-by-subject comparison, this point-by-point comparison begins
with a topic sentence that states the main idea of the paragraph and indicates that
the paragraph will concentrate on differences. The rest of the paragraph develops
four points of contrast, one at a time, for both Americans and English people. In
addition, it gives an example for one of the points--spending money. The shift from
one subject to another is signaled by the use of the words Americans and English.
Focus on Comparison and Contrast: Because of its limited length, a
comparison-and-contrast paragraph will usually focus on similarities or on
differences, not on both.
PRACTICE 3-11: Read this comparison-and-contrast paragraph. Then answer the questions.
Comparing the British and American Education Systems
The British System of education is common not only in England but in countries all over
the world that were once British colonies. It differs from the American system in a number of
ways. First, most American children have only one year of kindergarten, beginning at age five.
Under the British system, children begin kindergarten at age four and then go on to another year
of more advanced kindergarten called "preparatory" or "prep," which is comparable to American
first grade. Starting in seventh grade, most American students study basic subjects separately,
devoting a semester to algebra, for example, and another semester to geometry. However,
under the British system, algebra, geometry, and trigonometry are taught together in a single
course which is then repeated at a higher level every term. Also, in American high schools some
classes, particularly electives, may include sophomores, juniors, and seniors. In schools run
according to the British system, students at different levels, or "forms," are not mixed in classes;
each form attends all its classes together. Finally, American students generally graduate after
their twelfth year of school, and senior year is just another year of course work. British students,
on the other hand, finish everything they need to learn in secondary school during the first term
of their eleventh year of school. Then, during the second term, they study for comprehensive
final exams that cover everything they have been learning for the last four years. These exams,
which include three separate tests for every subject, are taken during the final term.
Lisa Van Hoboken (student)
1. Identify the topic sentence of the paragraph.
2. Does this paragraph deal mainly with similarities or differences? How do you know?
3. Is this paragraph organized subject by subject or point by point? How do you know?
4. List some of the contrasts the writer describes.
5. Do you find this comparison-and-contrast paragraph effective? Why, or why not?
Read the following revised paragraph.
The British system of education is common not only in England but in countries all over
the world that were once British colonies. It differs from the American system in a number of
ways. Most American children have only one year of kindergarten, beginning at age five.
Starting in seventh grade, most American students study basic subjects separately, devoting a
semester to algebra, for example, and another semester to geometry. In American high schools,
some classes, particularly electives, may include sophomores, juniors, and seniors. In addition,
American students generally graduate after their twelfth year of school, with senior year being
just another year of course work. Under the British system, however, children begin
kindergarten at age four and then go on to another year of more advanced kindergarten called
"preparatory" or "prep," which is comparable to American first grade. For older students,
advanced subjects like algebra, geometry, and trigonometry are taught together in a single
course which is then repeated at a higher level every term. Also, students at different levels, or
"forms," are not mixed in classes, each form attends all its classes together. Finally, Britishschool students finish everything they need to learn in secondary school during the first term of
their eleventh year of school. Then, over the second term, they study for comprehensive final
exams that cover everything they have been learning for the last four years. These exams,
which include three separate tests for every subject, are taken during the final term.
6. How is the following revised version of the previous paragraph different from the original?
Which version do you find more effective? Why?