Comparison and Comparison and ContrastContrast

Comparison and Comparison and ContrastContrast

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Warming-up activities:

• Growing up in a small town or growing up in a large city.

• Working for large companies or running your own businesses.

• Comparing your hometown and your university town.

• Comparing Autumn and Spring.

I-1 What is Comparison and Contrast?

• Comparison: To identify similarities between two persons, places, things, or ideas.

• Contrast: To identify differences between two persons, places, things, or ideas.

• In the narrowest sense, comparison shows how two or more things are similar, and contrast shows how they are different.

• In most writing situation, however, you use the two related process of comparison and contrast to consider both similarities and differences.

• The method of development in which the writer examines the similarities and/or differences between persons, objects, or ideas to support a point.

• Please finish the following question:

• day/light=night/?

• A special form of comparison, called analogy, looks for similarities between two essentially dissimilar things. With analogy (eg. day/light=night/darkness) you explain one thing by comparing it to a second thing that is more familiar than the first.

I-2 Features

• a. A way of thinking that we use unconsciously to make decisions.

• b. It has these three types: (Handout paper NO.1)

I-3 How to recognize a Compare and Contrast essay (Handout paper

No.2)

• I-3 (A) by using the instruction words

• (directly: similarities and differences; differences)

• I-3 (B) by using the context • (indirectly: the MOD is required)

II. Why do writers use comparison?

• II-1Using Comparison and Contrast• II-2 Establishing a Basis of

Comparison• II-3 Selecting Points for Discussion• II-4 Formulating a Thesis

Statement

• To show that things which appear similar are really different

• To show that things which appear different are really similar

• To evaluate • To explain the unfamiliar in terms

of the familiar

• II-1 Using Comparison and Contrast• assignment suggests• suits the purpose• certain key words and phrases • Sometimes you may not even need such key phras

es. • e.g. Which of the two Adamses, John or Sameul, ha

d the greater influence on the timing and course of the American Revolution?

• II-2 Establishing a Basis of Comparison

• Without a common element, there would be no basis for analysis--- that is, no basis of comparison.

• Exercise:• Please establish a basis of comparison

for cats and dogs.

• III-3 Selecting Points for Discussion• Make sure that you treat the same, or

at least similar, elements for each subject you discuss.

• e.g. If you were going to compare and contrast two novels, you might consider what elements in both works?

• Suggested answer:• Novel A Novel B

• Major characters Major characters

• Minor characters Minor characters• Themes Themes

• II-4 Formulating a Thesis Statement • This thesis establishes the significance

of the comparison or contrast and perhaps the relative merits of the items discussed.

• Please create a thesis statement about autumn and spring.

• Suggested answer:• Although there is exquisite

beauty in the seasons of autumn and spring, there are also distinctions which allow each season to stand on its own.

• Filling in the blanks:• As in other kinds of essays, your

thesis statement should tell______. It should mention ______but also indicate______. Your thesis should also indicate______. In addition, it may list______.

• As in other kinds of essays, your thesis statement should tell your readers what to expect in your essay. It should mention not only the subjects to be compared and contrasted but also indicate whether you will make about them. Your thesis should also indicate whether you will concentrate on similarities or differences or whether you will balance the two. In addition, it may list the points of comparison and contrast in the order in which they are discussed in the essay.

• The structure of your thesis sentence can help to show the focus of your essay.

• e.g. (Handout No.3)

III Structuring a Comparison-And-Contrast Essay

• a. Point by point• b. Block• c. Mixed

• Using Subject-by-Subject Comparison (The divided pattern/ block arrangement)

• Do the following example:• Introdution: Thesis statement---Despite th

e fact that doctors and nurses perform distinctly different tasks at a hospital, their functions overlap when they interact with patients.

Suggested answer:

• Doctor's functions Point 1: Teaching patients Point 2: Assessing patients Point3: Dispensing medication• Nurse's function: Point 1: Teaching patients Point 2: Assessing patients Point3: Dispensing medication• Conclusion: Restatement of thesis

• Topic sentence (X vs. Y)• X Point#1 Point #2 Point #3• Y Point#1 Point #2 Point #3• Concluding sentence

• Using Point-by point Comparison (alternating pattern)

• Do the following exercise:• Introduction: Thesis statement---Melvi

lle's Mody-Dick has more fully developed characters and more complex themes than does London's The Sea Wolf.

Suggested answer:

• Minor characters Book 1: The Sea Wolf Book 2: Moby-Dick• Major characters Book 1: The Sea Wolf Book 2: Moby-Dick• Themes Book 1: The Sea Wolf Book 2: Moby-Dick• Conclusion: Restatement of thesis

Topic sentence (X vs. Y)X and Y (Point #1)• X > Special detail• Y X and Y (Point #2) X > Special detail• Y X and Y (Point #3) X > Special detail• Y Concluding Sentence

Questions• 1 As to the longer and more complicated

essays, and the short and uncomplicated essays, which pattern is more suitable?

• 2 When you write a point-by-point comparison, it is easy to fall into a monotonous, back-and forth movement between points, how to avoid this problem?

Suggested answers to Q1

• Subject-by-subject comparisons are most appropriate for short, uncomplicated papers. In longer papers, where many points are made about each subject, this organizational pattern puts too many demands on your readers, requiring them to keep track of all your points throughout your paper. In addition, because of the length of each section, your paper may seem less like a unified, coherent whole than like two separate essays weakly connected by a transitional phrase.

• Point-by point comparisons are especially useful for longer, more complicated essays where you discuss a number of different points. (If you treat only one or two points of comparison, then you should consider a subject-by subject organization.) In the point-by point pattern readers can easily follow comparisons or contrasts and do not have to wait several paragraphs to find out the differences between Moby-Dick and The Sea Wolf or to remember on page six what was said on page three.

Suggested answers to Q2

• Nevertheless, it is easy to fall into a monotonous, back-and forth movement between points when you write a point-by point comparison. To avoid this problem, use clear transitions, and vary sentence structure as you move from point to point.

IV. How does the thesis pattern for comparison and

contrast go?• One possibility: A look at ____ (objects of

comparison) in terms of ___ (the points of comparison) shows that ___ (general finding)

• Another possibility: Looking at ___ (object A) and ___ (object B) shows that although they seem ___ (similar/different), they really are ___ (different/similar).

V. How can readers and writers recognize comparison when they

see it? • Look for these items. If most of

them are there, it’s highly likely that the text is a comparison.

• a. Look for objects being compared• b. Identify the points of comparison• c. Find the purpose for the

comparison• d. Discern the structural pattern• e. Look for these transitions

Transition Signals for Comparison and

Contrast

Comparison connectors likewise, similarly, in like manner, in the same w

ay, i.e., ("id est" means "that is") note the comma, just as, by the same token, as, too, again, thus, the same, the same as, also, both, X is similar to Y in that (they)..., and,X and Y are similar in that (they)..., Like X, Y [verb]..., in like manner, both, like, One way in which X is similar to Y is (that)..., neither, in addition, as well as, Another way in which X is similar to Y is (that)..., just as… so

Contrast Connectors but, yet , however, on the contrary, on

the other hand, nevertheless, nonetheless, although , even though ,despite, in spite of, not, rather than, conversely, to the contrary, by contrast, in contrast, contrasting (to), unless, although, whereas, unlike, while, another difference, unlike, conversely

VI. How does one write a comparison essay?

Follow these steps being especially careful to observe the rules in boldface below.

a. Observe people and life and cultivate the habit of looking for fruitful comparisons.

b. Be sure that the objects are in the same class so that there is a clear basis for the comparison.

• c. Before writing, note the details briefly in the blocks.

• d. Decide whether a block or point by point organization works best for the purpose selected.

• e. Be sure to tell what one learns from making the comparison.

VII. There are several important points to

remember when writing a comparison

or contrast essay.

• 1. Know what organizational style you are using.

• 2. State your organization. • 3. Keep your audience in mind. • 4. Say what you want to say.

Assignments ：• College English Wrings with Readings• 1 Read Comparison and Contrast on p 262-264.• 2 Read Student Essays to Consider on p264-266 a

nd do QUESTIONS on p266-268.• 3 Read Developing a Comparison and Contrast E

ssay on p268-271.• 4 Read A professional Essay to Consider on page

271 and do QUESTIONS on p275-276.• 5 Prepare Division and Classification on p301-317.

• Extra-curriculum Activities (Next Period Duty Report)

• 6 Have a two-minute oral paragraph presentation in class using the comparison and Contrast method of development. (The paragraph should be of at least eight sentences with a topic sentence------ three supporting sentences and each with their own respective detail sentence------and a conclusion.) 陆佳洁，胡祺伟