Comparison and Contrast One of the most obvious things which any writer must be prepared to do is to compare and contrast two different things. There are a number of ways the writer might go about this. One possibility would be to say alf that he wants to say about item X, and then to turn to item Y, comparing and contrasting point by point. Another possible way would be for the writer to present one aspect of X, and then present the corresponding aspect of Y; then a new aspect of X, and then again the corresponding aspect of Y; and so on until all the aspects are covered. ‘Suggested Exercise (28): Which type do the following paragraphs conform to? One of the main differences between Northern and Southern England lies in the degree of economic diversification: while the North has tended to be dependent on a small number of traditional heavy industries, such as shipbuilding and coal-mining, economic life in the South is far more influenced by the service sector. This basic difference hhus meant that dhe (wo parts of England have responded differently to periods of economic decline: while the North usually bears the brunt of economic recession, with many people there suffering from long-term unemployment, the South — and above all the South-East — has, traditionally been the first area to emerge from any economic slump. This in turn has contributed to the continuing attractiveness of London for people from the North. In consequence, one of the enduring differences between the two areas is that the population of the North is, static or contracting, while that of the South is increasing. B: One of the main differences between Northern and Southern England lies in the degree of economic diversification. The North has tended to B be dependent on a small number of traditional heavy industries, such as shipbuilding and coal-mining, a consequence of which is that the area is highly vulnerable when there is an economic down-turn, with many people suffering long-term unemployment. By contrast, economic life in the South is far more influenced by the service sector. This has meant that the South — and above all the South-East — is traditionally the first area to emerge from any economic slump, which in turn. has contributed to the continuing attractiveness of London for people from the North. Here are some words and phrases which are associated with comparison and contrast (brackets indicate that the word is either optional or alternative): Comparison and Contrast: 1. by contrast... One dictionary is very good; the other, by contrast, is very bad. 2. on the contrary... Many people think that ours is a good university. On the contrary, itis very bad, 3. om the one hand... on the other (hand). (On the one hand he is very clever, but on the other hand he is very lazy 4. if. (then). If Jack is clever, then Jobn is absolutely brilliant. 5. compared with, Compared with Mike, Peter is extremely brilliant. When set beside Peter, Mike is not exactly brilliant. in comparison with..., when set beside... |, Similarity and Difference: 1. like. Eire, like Spain, is overwhelmingly Catholic. i , similar to Spain..." is not correct.) 92. as with... As with all the other problems, I cursorily. (= “As is the case with”.) 3. similar to... in (respect of) etc. i, The two brothers are very similar to each other in outlook and temperament. be dealing with this one very Punks are similar to skinheads in their having no hierarchy * Punks are similar to skinheads in that they have no hierarchy * ii, Hong Kong és fairly similar to Taiwan in respect of its economic life. In respect of (As regards, In regard to, In terms of, With regard 10) its economic life, Hong Kong iy similar 10 Taiwan, 4. different (from, to)... in (respect of) etc. Norway and Greece are different from cach other in respect of climate, customs, and economic life. 5. one (point of) similarity between X and Y. One point of similarity between Fire and Spain is that both are over- whelmingly Catholic. 6. one difference between... is that (..) while (whereas). is that, One difference between Slovenia and Bosnia is that the former is cultur- ally homogeneous, while the latter is extremely heterogeneous. One difference between Slovenia and Bosnia is that while the former is culturally homogeneous, the latter is extremely heterogeneous. 7. different (from, to)... in that (...) while (whereas) ‘The North and the South of Italy are different from each other in that while the former is economically vibrant, the latter suffers from decades of economic stagnation and neglect. 8. differ in terms of (as regards, in respect of). Northern and Southern Ireland differ in terms of religious denomination: while the North is predominantly Protestant, the South is almost completely Catholic. * A typical error is to write a sentence like the following: “Punks have no hierarchy, just as skinheads”. As it stands, itis slightly unclear whether skinheads have a hierarchy (oF not. 80 Further Vocabulary: point of similarity (between X and Y) point of resemblance (between X and Y) point of correspondence (between X and Y) marked or close resemblance (between X and Y) point of divergence (of X from Y) make a distinction (between X and Y) A distinction should be drawn (between X and Y). not unlike (= rather similar to) resemble correspond to bbe comparable to compare (un)favourably with ! put one in mind of be analogous to bear a resemblance to; bear little (or no) resemblance to in the same way correspondingly Suggested Exercises (29): L. Supply the missing word or phrase in the following sentences: 1. The LA community, the inevitable question. Bankok is ugly, Manila is indescribably hideous. 3, ——— so many things in life, it is best to preserve a certain inner distance from the stupidities of those who govern us. 4, The other courses are terrible; this one is fairly interesting. 5. Such phenomena ——i— racism have not found many adherents in Denmark, —ii— in Germany. 6, ——— the previous essay, this one also begins with a long quotation. 7, —i— it used to be fashionable to have long hair and wide trousers, |; — it will soon be fashionable to have short hair and narrow trousers, many others across the States, had to face * In this use compare is intransitive, e.g. “In terms of standard of living, Hungary ‘compares favourably with Austria” 6 — Ena 818. Many suppose that the news came as a blow to him. he was delighted. 9. ——— America, Canada can sometimes be a dangerous place for tourists. 10. Highways are still toll-free in this country, Italy. (Italy has ighway-tolls,) 11. There are those who, my friend, beg to disagree. 12, This book is interesting; the other, —— is terribly boring. 13, ——— agricultural and technological revolutions have released the developed world from the Malthusian trap, billions in the developing world are caught in it, condemned to poverty. 14, Many consider him hard-working. ———, he is very lazy. 15, ——— other European countries Spain has its own unique traditions, 16, ——— the previous exercise, this one will also be devoted to the future tense. nL. 1. Deseribe and compare two teachers from your schooldays. 2. Compare and contrast two major cities known to you. 3, Compare and contrast two youth movements (e.g. the hippies and the yuppies). Cause and Effect ‘The passage about acid rain (p. 12) describes the process of cause and effect, ie. why things happen the way they do. ‘Any serious analysis of events or of processes will involve a discus- sion of causes and effects. It is important to remember that very often a cause may have more than one effect, while an effect may have more than one cause. When something causes something else, which in turn results in a third thing happening, we call this a chain reaction, ‘An ever-present temptation facing each writer is to regard two phenomena which are clearly related to each other in time as being causally related. To take one example, a number of studies into violent children have pointed out that the children in question regularly watch violent video-movies. From that it is easy to argue that the children are violent because they see such movies. In reality, however, it is just as possible to argue that both the children’s violent behaviour and their love of violent video-movies are the result of some other underlying factor — for example, an unhappy family life, poor living conditions ete. ‘Another example concerns the activities of certain mystical sects in the West: their adherents have been known to organise well-publicised meditation-gatherings to pray for “world-peace”. At the conclusion of the gathering, they often single out one event from the news — for example, the announcement of peace-talks in some trouble-spot — which they claim to be the result of their prayers for peace. Their dishonesty or self-delusion lies in the fact that at any moment in time it is always possible to point to a “positive” or “negative” development. In other words, finding correlations is a game at which one cannot lose. ‘Another danger is to confuse cause and effect. To take one more example, this time from medical science, cancer-sufferers are known 83