Comparison and Contrast Guide

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Comparison and Contrast Guide
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• Comparison and contrast are ways of looking at
  objects and thinking about how they are alike and
  different.
• For instance, all of these items are alike
  because they are kinds of food, but there are
  many ways that they are different. For instance,
  they belong to different food groups. Some must
  be cooked before eating, and some can be eaten
  raw.
• When you write comparison and contrast, you will
  pay attention to these kinds of details.

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• There are two main reasons that people use
  comparison and contrast
• 1. To Explain--You might compare and contrast
  kinds of food, for instance, to help someone
  understand which foods need to be refrigerated
  and which can be stored in a cabinet or in a bowl
  on the counter.
• 2. To Evaluate--You might compare and contrast
  kinds of food to show why one kind of food or
  brand of food is better than another. For
  example, apples are a better snack than butter.

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• When you choose items to compare and contrast,
  make sure that you choose items that have
  similarities.
• You have to choose things that will make sense
  for comparison and contrast. For instance, it
  wouldn't make sense to compare an apple to a
  typewriter or a typewriter to bombs.

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Be sure to compare things that belong together.
Have you ever heard the phrase, Youre comparing
apples to oranges?
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Why wouldnt somebody compare apples to oranges?

• Both are fruits
• Both taste sweet
• Both grow on trees
• Both have delicious juices

• Both have seeds
• Both are brightly colored
• Both are nutritious
• Both are grown in America

When you compare items, you look for their
similarities--the things that make them the
samejust as we did with apples and oranges.
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• When you contrast items, you look at their
  differences.
• For example
• Apples are red. Oranges are orange.
• The fruits have different textures.
• Oranges need a warmer place to grow, like
  Florida. Apples can grow in cooler states, like
  Wisconsin.

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Comparison/Contrast Essays

• In AP U.S. History, we use an organizational
  strategy called Point-by Point Strategy
• In this structure, you explain one point of
  comparison before moving to the next point.
• For instance, you would write about a specific
  similarity in one section then you would write
  about a specific difference in the next section.
• Often, a third body paragraph of another
  similarity or difference is included to
  demonstrate clear understanding.

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Comparison/Contrast Essays (cont.)

• Essays in APUSH are more about assessing your
  ability to discern similarities and differences
  than about providing knowledge about a topic,
  thus you should avoid separating your comparisons
  into separate paragraphs that are based on one
  specific thing. For example, in our comparison
  of apples and oranges, we did not discuss oranges
  and then discuss apples separately. We spoke of
  BOTH!

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Behold! The power of BOTH!

• In our comparison of apples and oranges, we did
  not discuss oranges and then discuss apples
  separately. We will write of a specific
  similarity in one paragraph that describes BOTH
  items to be compared.
• Paragraph topic example The sweetness of oranges
  and apples
• This makes it clear to the reader of your essay
  that you are capable of understanding the exact
  similarities and differences(forget about the
  fruit!)

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Donts (or do not dos)

• Lets say you had an essay due that required you
  to compare and contrast the roles of women in
  classical Hindu and Confucian societies. You
  should NOT discuss expectations of women in China
  in paragraph one and then go on to expectations
  of women in India in the second paragraph.
• Do not leave similarities and differences
  unstated (More on this in a moment).
• Dont be afraid to have long paragraphs. You may
  have been told a paragraph is anywhere from 3-7
  sentences. At this level, they are as long as
  they need to beIn this type of essay, they are
  most often about 12 sentences long.

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Do Dos

• Deal with a specific expectation of women in
  India and China in your first paragraph.
• Deal with a specific difference about a similar
  topic regarding women in Hindu and Confucian
  societies.
• Use clear language to make your analysis of
  similarities and differences clear to the
  readerFor example Women in India and China
  were both expected to or Unlike women in
  China, Indian women were

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Transitions

• In comparison and contrast, transition words tell
  a reader that the writer is changing from talking
  about one item to the other.
• Transitional words and phrases help make a paper
  smoother and more coherent by showing the reader
  the connections between the ideas that are being
  presented.

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• When you're comparing items, using a transition
  from this list will signal to readers that you're
  changing from one item to the next and it will
  also tell the reader that the two items are
  similar.

• Also
• As
• As well as
• Both
• In the same manner
• Like

• Likewise
• Same
• Similarly
• The same as
• Too

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On the other hand, using one of the transitions
from this list of words will signal readers that
the two items you're discussing are different.

• Although
• But
• Differ
• Even though
• However
• In contrast
• Instead

• Nevertheless
• On the contrary
• On the other hand
• Unless
• Unlike
• While
• Yet

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Comparison/Contrast Essay Check List

• There are three main things to pay attention to
  as you write a comparison and contrast paper
• 1. Purpose Supporting Details
• 2. Organization Structure
• 3. Transitions Coherence
• In addition, be sure to pay attention to the
  usual requirements for writing, such as spelling,
  punctuation, and grammar.

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Comparison/Contrast Essay Check List

• 1. Purpose Supporting Details
• a. The paper compares and contrasts items
  clearly.
• b. The paper points to specific examples to
  illustrate the comparison.
• c. The paper includes only the information
  relevant to the comparison.

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Comparison/Contrast Essay Check List

• 2. Organization Structure
• a. The paper breaks the information into
  point-by-point structure.
• b. The paper follows a consistent order when
  discussing the comparison.
• c. The paper breaks the information into
  sections or paragraphs appropriate to the ideas.

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Comparison/Contrast Essay Check List

• 3. Transitions Coherence
• a. The paper moves smoothly from one idea to
  the next.
• b. The paper uses comparison and contrast
  transition words to show relationships between
  ideas.
• c. The paper uses a variety of sentence
  structures and transitions.