Aringay National High School

Aringay La Union

Special Science Curriculum

Research 1

Comparison and Contrast

Presented by:

Rossha Anasario

Submitted to:

Mr. Regie P. Tactay

 Comparison and Contrast

To contrast something is to look for differences among two or more

elements, but compare is to do the opposite, to look for similarities. It's
easy to tell the difference if you remember that contrast comes from the
Latin root contra, and means "against." A compare and contrast essay
examines two or more topics (objects, people, or ideas, for
example, comparing their similarities and contrasting their differences. You
may choose to focus exclusively on comparing, exclusively on contrasting,
or on both-or your instructor may direct you to do one or both.

Making a Venn diagram or a chart can help you quickly and

efficiently compare and contrast two or more things or ideas. To make a
Venn diagram, simply draw some overlapping circles, one circle for each
item you’re considering. In the central area where they overlap, list the
traits the two items have in common. Assign each one of the areas that
doesn’t overlap; in those areas, you can list the traits that make the things
different. And to make a chart, figure out what criteria you want to focus
on in comparing the items. Along the left side of the page, list each of the
criteria. Across the top, list the names of the items. You should then have a
box per item for each criterion; you can fill the boxes in and then survey
what you’ve discovered.

Expressions that are precisely convey contrast or comparison. Expressions,

or transitions, signal contrast:

 on the contrary
 on the other hand
 however
 otherwise
 whereas
 still
 yet
These expressions signal comparison:

 as well as
 both
 like
 in common with
 likewise
  also
Signal words such as these help the reader understand the relationships
between your sentences, paragraphs, and ideas. In particular, if you are
both comparing and contrasting, signal words help sort out what's what.
Second only to effective organization, effective use of these expressions
will go a long way toward helping produce a good compare/contrast
paper.

The Comparison/Contrast Paragraph

There are two methods for organizing a comparison/contrast
paragraph: The consecutive method and the simultaneous method.

1. The Consecutive Method:

In the consecutive method, you present your information on one of the
subjects you are comparing and then, introduced by an appropriate
transition word or phrase (such as similarly or on the other hand), you
present the corresponding information for the second component of the
comparison. For example, if you were comparing SUV's and compact cars
using as criteria gas mileage, handling, and passenger space, your
consecutively developed comparison paragraph might look something like
this:
When the average American family goes to buy a new car, it is
faced with a difficult decision because of the variety of automobiles.
After weeding out the impossibilities, most families have to choose
between the SUV and the compact, both of which have good and
bad features. The compact gets excellent gas mileage, from thirty to
forty miles per gallon. With the price of gasoline climbing toward
$2.00 per gallon, this is no small consideration. Handling is another
positive factor of a compact car. Its size almost guarantees excellent
maneuverability and the ability to squeeze into those half spaces in
the parking lot. Space for people and cargo, however, is limited. For the
large family, the car pool, or the long vacation, these cars are not ideal.
The SUV, on the other hand, would be excellent for these types of
families and activities. It has plenty of room to seat six adults with space
left over for luggage, the family dog, or more people. Obviously
this large size means handling is somewhat awkward. Also, owing to its
largeness, the SUV does not get the gas mileage a compact does, and
the owner can count on more frequent and more expensive stops at
the pump. The family buying a new car should certainly consider these
two and carefully weigh the characteristics of each.
 Part one of this comparison—the compact car—is more fully developed
than part two—the SUV. There are six sentences about the compact and
only four about the station wagon. In the consecutive method, giving a
fuller development of the first member is necessary to set forth the grounds of
the comparison clearly. The two sentences about the compact's gas
mileage give definite mileage figures and point out the irrevocable rise in
petroleum prices. The discussion of the SUV's mileage can be much shorter,
implying that it gets considerably fewer miles per gallon in a time when gas
is costly. This method for developing a comparison/contrast is clear and
effective as well as time saving.
2. The Simultaneous Method:
The other means of organizing a comparison,
the simultaneous method, uses a point by point comparison and is,
perhaps, more suited to a full length theme although an effective
paragraph can be written in this manner. A paragraph comparing the same
two types of automobiles using the simultaneous method of organization
might look something like this:
When the average American family goes to buy a new car, it is
faced with a difficult decision because of the variety of automobiles.
After weeding out the impossibilities, most families have to choose
between the SUV and the compact, both of which have good and
bad features. The compact gets excellent gas mileage, from thirty to
forty miles per gallon. With the price of gasoline climbing toward $2.00
per gallon, this is no small consideration. On the other hand, the SUV,
because of its largeness, does not get such good mileage, and the
owner can expect to make more frequent and more expensive
stops at the pump. Handling is another positive feature of
the compact. Its size almost guarantees excellent maneuverability and
the ability to squeeze into those half spaces in the parking lot. Since at
least one compact car would fit into an SUV, it is easy to see that
handling this larger vehicle is going to be somewhat awkward. For the
large family, the car pool, or the long vacation, a compact car is not
ideal. The SUV, conversely, would be excellent for these types of
families and activities. It has plenty of room to seat six adults with space
left over for luggage, the family dogs and cats, or other people. The
family buying a new car should certainly consider these two kinds of
automobiles carefully and weigh the characteristics of each.