Paragraph types: Compare and/or contrast

Source: http://www.une.edu.au/current-students/resources/academic-skills/fact-sheets

A compare and/or contrast paragraph is required if you are asked to examine

similarities and/or differences. Compare focuses on similarities. Contrast focuses
on differences.

Topic sentence identifies the topic and the intention to compare and/or contrast
X and Y; comments on the degree of similarity or difference.

Support Sentences describe and compare features of chosen topics.

PLAN A PLAN B

Feature 1 — Describe X, describe Y — Describe X — features 1–n

identify similarities and differences
Describe Y — features 1–n
Feature 2 — Describe X, describe Y —
identify similarities and differences. Describe and discuss points of
similarity and/or difference.
Feature n — Describe X, describe Y —
identify similarities and differences.

Concluding Sentence summarises and interprets differences and similarities.

Useful transitional words and phrases

For comparison
similar to, similarly, in the same way, like, equally, again, also, too, each of, just
as . . . so,

For contrast
in contrast, on the other hand, different from, whereas, while, unlike, however,
but, although, however, conversely, yet, unlike

Examples of questions requiring a compare and/or contrast paragraph

● Compare and contrast the grain characteristics which determine quality in wheat
and barley.
● What characteristics distinguish plants from animals?
● What is the difference between allopathy and homeopathy?

Notice that the words compare and/or contrast do not always appear in the
question.

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Sample paragraph 1 (using Plan A)

What characteristics distinguish plants from animals?

PLAN A Compare and contrast feature by feature

Feature 1 — Describe X, describe Y — Feature 1 — describe sources of food for

identify similarities and differences → plants then for animals
Feature 2 — Describe X, describe Y — Feature 2 — describe movement of plants
identify similarities and differences. → and then of animals=
Feature n — Describe X, describe Y — Feature 3 — external appearance of plants
identify similarities and differences. → then of animals

There are several characteristics which distinguish plants from animals. Green
plants are able to manufacture their own food from substances in the environment.
This process is known as photosynthesis. In contrast, animals, including man, get
their food either directly from plants or indirectly by eating animals which have
eaten plants. Plants are generally stationary. Animals, on the other hand, can
usually move about. In external appearance, plants are usually green. They grow in
a branching fashion at their extremities, and their growth continues throughout
their lives. Animals, however, are very diverse in their external appearance. Their
growth pattern is not limited to their extremities. It is evenly distributed and only
occurs in a definite time period. Therefore, the differences between plants and
animals are quite significant.

Sample paragraph 2 (using Plan B)

What is the difference between allopathy and homeopathy?

PLAN B Describe all of the features then discuss

Describe X — features 1–n Feature 1 — describe all of the features of
allopathy
Describe Y — features 1–n Feature 2 — describe all of the features of
homepathy
Describe and discuss points of similarity Summarise
and/or difference.

Allopathy and homeopathy are quite different. Allopathy is the treatment of

disease of one kind by exciting a disease of another kind or in another part. It is
sometimes incorrectly used as a name for orthodox medicine or Western medicine.
Homeopathy, in contrast, is a system of medicine based on the treatment of a
given disease by administering small quantities of a drug which produces the
symptoms of that disease in a healthy person. The treatment of illnesses, then,
would be markedly dissimilar because the underlying beliefs are strongly
differentiated.

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Compare and Contrast Transition Words

Here is a list of the most common contrast and compare transition words and
phrases that are used in everyday writing and speech.
Contrast: Comparison:
• a clear difference • in the same way
• but • by the same token
• conflicting viewpoint • similarly
• despite • in like manner
• even so • likewise
• for all that • in similar fashion
• however • by the same token
• in another way • conversely
• larger • likewise
• nevertheless • on the other hand
• on one hand • rather
• pro • similar to
• rather • yet
• slower • however
• still another • nevertheless
• although • in contrast
• differ • like
• unlike • same as
• even though • both
• yet • most important
• instead • as
• on the contrary • too
• on the other hand • have in common
• whereas • as well as
• while • on the flip side
• unless • also
• contrary to • just as
• the reverse • just like
• the antithesis of • compare to/ with
• in contrast (to) • not only… but also
• in comparison

Note: When you compare one subject to another, you show how the two are
alike, or similar.

Example: The Australia, like the New Zealand, is located in the southern
hemisphere.
When you contrast two subjects, you show how they are different/ similar.

Example: The Australia, unlike the Malaysia, is a country of four seasons.

Sometimes, both comparison and contrast are used in the same sentence.

Example: Both the Australia and the Japan are countries with four seasons, but
the spring in Australia is September to November and spring in Japan is from
March to May.

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