200

    Chapter 8 | Comparison and Contrast Paragraphs

Comparison and
Contrast Paragraphs
In this chapter, you will learn about …

• comparison and contrast paragraphs and reasons for writing them.

• how to organize comparison and contrast paragraphs.
• connecting words used for comparing and contrasting topics.
• how to write about advantages and disadvantages of a topic.
PART 1: WHAT IS A COMPARISON / CONTRAST
PARAGRAPH?

The comparison paragraph compares two subjects, i.e. two people, places,
things, ideas or situations, and discusses how they are similar. In
the contrast paragraph, two subjects are discussed as how they are
different.

ACTIVITY 1: Choosing a Topic

Brainstorm ideas to compare and contrast. Think of people, places, and

things. Then compare your lists with a partner.
People: ………………………….…..and ………………………………..
Places: ………………………….…..and ………………………………..
Things: ………………………….…..and ………………………………..
 First Steps in Academic Writing 201
ACTIVITY 2: Comparing and Contrasting

Read Toko’s e-mail message to her friend and answer the questions.
From: took@toko.com
To: kyunghwa@abz.net
Subject: City College!

Hi, Kyung Hwa,

How are you doing? I hope every thing is fine with you. It is almost
time to graduate – can you believe it? I was just talking to Anna yesterday
and she told me that you are planning to go to City College. That’s great!
Since I am planning to go to State University, we will be living in the same
city! Have you decided where you’re going to live?

My parents want me to live in a dormitory, but I want to get a campus

apartment. I think they are both good places to live, but an apartment
would be better. In a dorm, you usually live with one other person in a
small room. On the other hand, most of the campus apartments are pretty
large, but they are for single person like me who want to live alone.
Another difference is that in a dorm, you get food cooked by someone else.
In an apartment, of course, you have to cook for yourself! That would be
good for me because I like to cook. My parents point out that when you pay
the bill for a dorm, it includes food and utilities, but for an apartment, there
might be different bills for the phone, the electricity, and the gas. Plus, you
have your own grocery bill when you go to the store. However, when you
have your own apartment, you get to choose what you eat. I hope I can
convince my parents that an apartment will be better than a dorm.

Talk to you soon!

Love

Toko
202     Chapter 8 | Comparison and Contrast Paragraphs

1. What two things does the paragraph talk about?

2. Is the second paragraph mostly comparing or mostly contrasting? How

do you know?

PART 2: LANGUAGE FOCUS

Comparative and contrastive structures

A. Using comparative structures
These words and phrases are used for writing comparisons.

and
e.g. The man and the woman are tall.
both
e.g. Both of the tables have broken legs.
both … and
e.g. Both my neighbor and I are selling our cars.
 First Steps in Academic Writing 203
also
e.g. The stores are closing for the holiday. The bank is also
closing.
too
e.g. Kathy is planning to go to the party, and I am, too.
neither … nor
e.g. Neither Joe nor Steve went to the meeting last night.
similar to
e.g. Their new computer is similar to the one my bother
bought.
the same as
e.g. Is the restaurant where you had dinner the same as the
place where I ate last month?
(just) as + adjective + as
e.g. His coat is just as warm as the more expensive one.
likewise
e.g. New technology such as cellular phones has made life
more convenient. Likewise, the Internet has made a wide
variety of information available to everyone.
similarly
e.g. There are many parks to visit in that city. Similarly, there
are several parks in my hometown, too.
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ACTIVITY 3: Comparative Structures

Complete these sentences with phrases from above.

1. The architecture of some modern government buildings is

……………….. the type of construction used hundred years ago.

2. In recent years, new technology such as cellular phones has made life
more convenient. …………………., the Internet has made a wide
variety of information available to everyone.

3. …………………………the rivers ……………………….the lakes are

clear and beautiful.

4. The capital city is just ……………………modern …………………the

cities in many countries.

B. Using contrastive structures

These words and phrases are used for writing contrast.

more / less + adjective / adverb + than

e.g. Eating out is usually more expensive than cooking at home.
Cooking at home is usually less expensive than eating out.
 First Steps in Academic Writing 205
adjective + er + than
e.g. My bedroom is bigger than my sister’s room.
but, while, though
e.g. I enjoy eating fruit for dessert, but my friend like chocolate.
e.g. The Vietnamese use long chopsticks while the Japanese use
shorter ones.
e.g. Some tourists enjoy taking part in a tour group though many
other tourists prefer traveling on their own.
not the same as
e.g. This book is not the same as the one you bought.
not as … as
e.g. Some people feel that doing exercise is not as fun as watching
TV.
different from
e.g. That style of shirt is different from the style most people wear.
in contrast
e.g. The lakes we swam in were very clean and beautiful. In
contrast, the lakes in my country are polluted.
however
e.g. The new store sells its clothing at low prices. However, other
stores have better quality clothing.
on the other hand
e.g. My boyfriend likes playing sports. On the other hand, I prefer
doing yoga.
206     Chapter 8 | Comparison and Contrast Paragraphs

ACTIVITY 4: Contrastive Structures

Complete these sentences with phrases from above.

1. Some tourists enjoy taking part in a tour group,………………….many

other tourists prefer travelling on their own.
2. The two books are very ………………..……….. each other.
3. The cost of studying in a college or university in the United States is
very high. ………………………….., in many other countries, the cost
is much lower.
4. Changes in technology are occurring ……………………… quickly
…………………..in the past.

ACTIVITY 5: Similarities and Differences

Choose two subjects (people, places, things, ideas, situations, etc.). Then
write eight sentences, using the comparative and contrastive structures
above. Write about four similarities and four differences.
1.

2.
 First Steps in Academic Writing 207

3.

4.

5.

6.

7.

8.
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PART 3: COMPARISON / CONTRAST ORGANIZATION

Two methods for organizing a comparison and contrast paragraph

Method 1: Block Organization

First, write about supporting points for the first topic. Then compare or
contrast those same points to the second topic. This type of organization
could be outlined like this:

Example Paragraph 1

• Topic sentence Reading a story in a book is often very different from seeing
comparing / it as a movie. When you read a story, you need to use your
contrasting two topics
(A and B) imagination. A book usually gives a lot of description about
• Points of comparison / the people, places, and things in the story, so you can
contrast about topic A create pictures in your mind. In addition, the conversations
between people are usually written with details that
describe how the people look or feel while they are talking.
When you read, you use a lot of imagination to help “see”
the characters in the story. However, when you see a
movie, it is a different experience. When you watch a
movie, you don't need to use your imagination, the
• Points of comparison /
pictures on the screen give you all the details about the
contrast about topic B
people, places, and things in the story. The conversations
are spoken out loud, so you just listen and watch. The
feelings of the people come through their faces, body
movements, and voices. Although a book and a movie
• Concluding sentence might tell the same story, reading a book and watching a
movie are very different experiences.
 First Steps in Academic Writing 209
Method 2: Point-by-Point Organization

First, compare or contrast one point about the two topics, then a second
point, then a third point, and so on. This type of organization could be
outlined like this:

Example Paragraph 2

• Topic sentence Marilyn Monroe and Princess Diana lived at different times in
comparing /
contrasting two topics different countries, but their lives had some surprising
(A and B)
similarities. First of all, both women had a difficult childhood.
• First point of Monroe spent many years without parents in an orphanage, and
comparison / contrast
Diana’s mother left the family when she was only six. Later in
(A1, B1)
their lives, both women married famous men. Princess Diana
• Second point of married Prince Charles, and Marilyn Monroe married a
comparison / contrast
famous baseball player and later a famous writer. Another
(A2, B2)
similarity between Monroe and Princess Diana was that they
• Third point of were both very popular. Diana was called “The people’s
comparison / contrast Princess” because she was so friendly. Although Monroe was
(A3, B3)
famously sexy, she was well-liked because she seemed very

• Fourth point of innocent. However, although they both seemed to have very
comparison / contrast happy lives, both women actually had emotional problems and
(A4, B4) often felt sad and depressed. Monroe went through serious
depression and had to go to a hospital for treatment. Likewise,
Diana suffered from an eating problem and was depressed
during parts of her marriage. A last similarity between the two
• Fifth point of women was their deaths at an early age. In fact, they were both
comparison / contrast
thirty-six years old when they died, Monroe in 1962 and Diana
(A5, B5)
in 1997. Maybe their similar life circumstances and lifestyles
• Concluding sentence explain why Princess Diana and Marilyn Monroe also had
similar personalities.
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ACTIVITY 6: Comparative and Contrastive Organization

Read the two paragraphs above and answer the questions.

1. Which paragraph mostly compares and which mostly contrasts?

2. Finish filling in the following outlines for each paragraph.

Block Organization: Example Paragraph 1

Topic sentence: Reading a story in a book is very different from seeing it

as a movie.

Topic A: Supporting points

1. ………………………………………………

Reading a book . ………………………………………………

2. ………………………………………………

. ………………………………………………

Topic B: Supporting points

1. ………………………………………………

…………………… . ………………………………………………

2. ………………………………………………

. ………………………………………………
 First Steps in Academic Writing 211
Point-by-Point Organization: Example Paragraph 2

Topic sentence: Marilyn Monroe and Princess Diana lived at different

times in different countries, but their lives had some
surprising similarities.

1st point of comparison: A1. ……………………………..…………………………

difficult childhood ……………………………..……………………………

B1. Princess Diana – mother left family

2nd point of comparison A2. Princess Diana married Charles, later separated from
him

B2. ……………………………..…………………………
……………………….
…..……………………………………………………

3rd point of comparison A3. ……………………………..…………………………

……………………….…………………………………

………………………… B3. ……………………………..…………………………

………………………..…………………………………

4th point of comparison A4. Marilyn Monroe……………….…………………….

……….…………..………………..……………………
had emotional problems
B4. ………………………………………………..............

……………………………………….……………….

5th point of comparison A5.…….………………………………………………….

B5. ………………………………………………..............
……………………….. …………………..……………………………………. .
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ACTIVITY 7: Comparative and Contrastive Organization

Look at the second paragraph on page 201. Does it use point-by-point or
block organization? How do you know?

ACTIVITY 8: Comparative and Contrastive Organization

Read a list of details about two popular sports. Then make a list of
similarities and differences below. Discuss your answers with a partner.

Golf Tennis
• played outdoors on large, open area • a racket is used to hit a ball
• played with at least two people • played by pairs of people
• clubs are used to hit a ball • played on a court with a net
• both men and women play • played outside or inside
• very expensive to play in some countries • both men and women play
• accuracy is an important skill • fairly cheap to play
• few spectators • speed is an important skill
 First Steps in Academic Writing 213

Similarities between the sports Differences between the sports

…………………………………… ……………………………………
…………………………………… ……………………………………
…………………………………… ……………………………………
…………………………………… ……………………………………
…………………………………… ……………………………………
…………………………………… ……………………………………
…………………………………… ……………………………………
…………………………………… ……………………………………
…………………………………… ……………………………………
…………………………………… ……………………………………
…………………………………… ……………………………………
…………………………………… ……………………………………
…………………………………… ……………………………………
…………………………………… ……………………………………
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ACTIVITY 9: Comparative and Contrastive Organization

Write a comparison or contrast paragraph, using the details given in
Activity 8. Use either point-by-point or block organization.
 First Steps in Academic Writing 215

PART 4: WRITING ABOUT ADVANTAGES AND

DISADVANTAGES

Another way to compare and contrast is to talk about advantages (positive

points) or disadvantages (negative points) of a topic. If you are writing
about one topic, it is usually best to discuss advantages and disadvantages
in two separate paragraphs. If you are comparing or contrasting two topics,
you could organize the paragraph in either point-by-point or block style.

ACTIVITY 10: A Comparison and Contrast Paragraph

Read this paragraph from a school newspaper. List the supporting points.
Does the paragraph discuss advantages or disadvantages?

Studying abroad and studying in your own country both have definite benefits for
a student. Living in another country can be an exciting experience because everything
seems new and different. The challenge of living in a new environment can give you
courage and self-confidence, too. If you want to learn another language, living abroad is
a great way to do that because you can read magazines and newspapers, watch
television programs, or make friends with people who are native speakers. Another
good reason to live abroad is to learn more about another culture. On the other hand,
there are also advantages to staying in your own country to study. It is cheaper than
living abroad, so you can save more money. Also, in your home country everything is
familiar. You do not need to worry about taking classes in a foreign language, and you
can understand the culture and the expectations of teachers. Finally, if you stay in your
own country, you can be close to your family and friends. So, if you are thinking about
where to study, consider all of these benefits and make a decision that is right for you.
216     Chapter 8 | Comparison and Contrast Paragraphs

PART 5: WRITING PRACTICE

ACTIVITY 11: Comparative and contrastive structures
List five words or phrases of comparison and five of contrast. Use them to
compare and contrast two things in your college. Share your sentences
with the rest of the class.

Comparison Contrast
…………………………………… ……………………………………
…………………………………… ……………………………………
…………………………………… ……………………………………
…………………………………… ……………………………………
…………………………………… ……………………………………
…………………………………… ……………………………………
…………………………………… ……………………………………
…………………………………… ……………………………………

ACTIVITY 12: Comparison and Contrast Paragraphs

A. Work with a partner. Separate these ideas into advantages (A) and
disadvantages (D).
Studying English
a……. takes a lot of time
b…….classes are fun
c …….grammar is difficult
d…….useful for talking to people from other countries
e…….good for using the Internet
 First Steps in Academic Writing 217
f…….lots of vocabulary to learn
g…….too many tests to take
h…….helps to understand English-language movies
i…….my friends like English
j…….pronunciation is difficult

B. Now in pairs, one person should write a paragraph about the

advantages and the other person should write about the disadvantages of
studying English. Add one idea of your own to your paragraph.

C. Share your paragraphs with other pairs of students.

218     Chapter 8 | Comparison and Contrast Paragraphs

ACTIVITY 13: Writing Practice

Write one or two paragraphs comparing or contrasting topics of your
choice or one of these.

• action movies / romantic movies

• the advantages / disadvantages of living abroad
• living in a small town / living in a big city
• playing sports / watching sports
• the advantages of having a job while in college