Comparison and

Contrast
Definition: Comparison AND
Contrast

Comparison
A=B
Contrast
A≠B
Markers for Comparison and
Contrast
1. “Both”
2. Comparative Adjectives
3. Adverbs
4. Antonyms
5. Subordinators
Vocabulary
1. opportunity (noun)
I know only people of my own race, so I guess going to a foreign country
would give me the opportunity to meet people from other races.
2. facilities (noun)
My uncle has a lot of money and friends. He has the facilities to set up his
own business.
3. Pace (noun)
I was not able to understand every word he had said. His pace was too fast!
 Where to Go on Vacation: The Beach or the City
It is a fact that not all the people have the opportunity to go on
vacation. The ones who have the facilities like to go out of town
once in a while in order to leave their worries behind. When you
go on vacation, you have to decide the best place to go
according to what you have in mind. Vacation at a beach and in
a city, which can be two ways of vacationing, are different in
terms of the kinds of activities and the pace of life.
The major difference between vacationing on the beach or in a
city is the kind of activities you are able to do. On the beach, for
example, you can go sailing, fishing, surfing, skiing, or take
advantage of the sun and lie in the sand to get tan, or even in
some cases feed sharks and swim with dolphins. On the other
hand, in a city you can visit different sites such as museums,
theaters, important buildings, downtown, among other things.
This means that you have many places to know and you will
need much more time and organization in a city than on the
beach.
How To Look for
Similarities and Differences

List points of Summarize

Comprehend
difference and answer:
the material.
and similarity Does my
Identify the
using a Venn summary
topic.
diagram. make sense?
 Comprehend the
The passage presents whether the beach or a city is a
material. Identify the
topic. better vacation spot.
BEACH CITY

List points of difference
and similarity using a
Venn diagram.
sailing, fishing,
surfing, skiing, or visit different sites
take advantage of the such as museums,
sun and lie in the Vacationing theaters, important
sand, or feed sharks buildings, downtown
and swim with more time and
less time and
dolphins organization
organization

Both a beach and a city are places where one can spend his or her vacation.
Summarize and answer: However, vacation in the beach differs from vacation in a city in terms of the
Does my summary make activities you would do. The beach would let you enjoy water activities while a
sense? city would let you explore the buildings in it. Thus, vacation in a city needs more
time than vacation in the beach.
Exercise
Instructions
1. Read and understand the reading material below.
2. Highlight grammatical and lexical indicators of comparison and contrast
within the material.
3. Read and understand the reading material below.
4. Write NO MORE THAN three sentences to summarize your analysis of the
material.
5. Compare your response with the answer key after this activity.
 Elementary School and Middle School:
The Differences and Similarities
What is it like to transition from elementary to middle
school? That is a question many kids ask each year.
Having experienced both, I can tell you that there are
plenty of similarities as well as some very big
differences between the two types of schools.
Elementary schools and middle schools have many traits in
common. Typically, both are open five days a week for a set
number of hours each day. Students sit at desks in classrooms
and are expected to listen to and learn from their teachers.
There is a set time for lunch. Each day, students are given
homework assignments. Students take quizzes and tests. In all
of these ways, middle school should feel somewhat familiar to
new students.
However, there are some big changes that new middle school
students should be aware of. In elementary school, students
usually stay in the same classroom with one teacher for most of
the day. That is not the case in middle school, where students
typically have a different teacher for each subject. Students
must move to a different classroom for each subject too. Since
there is not one classroom in which to store supplies, middle
schools often provide students with lockers. For many kids,
getting a locker is a welcome rite of passage.