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Comparison and Contrast
DS 014 Writing
Weston
Today's Agenda
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Sign-In
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What is Comparison and Contrast?
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Topic Sentences and Transitions
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Establishing a Basis for Comparison
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Example Essays
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Assignment
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Coming Up...
What is Comparison/Contrast
writing?
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Comparison/Contrast is basically a type of
writing that takes two
items/situations/events and discusses their
similarities and differences.
Many, many essay examinations are based
on comparison/contrast writing.
Topic Sentences for
Comparison/Contrast
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A topic sentence in this style of writing should
introduce the two items being compared with
whether the focus will be on similarities or
differences (if there is such a focus).
Examples-
“Although some people think high school has a lot in
common with college, I find them to be very different.”
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“Pepper's and Amante are similar in many ways, but they
have one major difference.”
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“My hometown and my college town have several things
in common.”
Transitions
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Transition words and phrases that might be
useful in comparison and contrast essays
are as follows...
Comparison-Also
Both, neither
In the same way
Just as
Like
Similarly
Contrast-Although
But
In contrast
However
On the other hand
Unlike
Establishing a Basis for
Comparison
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Once you've selected your topic(s) and focus,
you need to figure out what characteristics you
will be comparing.
On page 98, your book uses the example of
two computers. If you were to write a
comparison/contrast paragraph on two
computers, you might want to compare them
on price, warranty, software included, and
ease of use. This pulls in a “parallel” quality to
your writing.
Example Essay I
My Hogs
Although I raised Marcee and Obbie from puppies, they have completely
diverse personalities. Obbie is a six year old, male, toy Pomeranian
whereas Marcee is a one year old, female, Boston terrier. Obbie is
small and soft, unlike Marcee who has bristly hair and is much bigger.
Marcee insists on sleeping on the bed, under the covers every night.
On the other hand, Obbie will only sleep on the floor, under the bed.
Obbie is tremendously loyal and uptight; however, Marcee is hyper
and friendly to anyone she meets or sees. Around other dogs, Marcee
cowers to the larger dog, yet Obbie will always stand his ground,
never giving up until he is scolded. Given that they were both treated
the same way all their life, it is hard to believe that they are so different
in everything they do.
~© 2005 Kayla Marie Anfinson~
Example Essay II
Telephone Service
Although VCI and Qwest have some similarities, they are also very different. VCI
charges a $150 connection fee that you pay $25 the first time, and $10 a
month addition to your regular phone bill for 1 year. They charge $15 a month
for local service plus tax; in addition, they offer call waiting, three way calling,
and caller Id. There is no long distance offered in this package. The bill would
total anywhere from $35 to $45 a month. If your bill is late they charge an
additional $10 for a late fee; on the other hand, Qwest offers no connection
fee for service and free local calls for the first three months with no deposit,
just for hooking up service with them. They charge $15 a month for local
service + tax with voice mail, call waiting, and caller Id. They also offer
unlimited long distance for $20 a month. They charge no late fees for late
payments; however, with long distance the bill would total about $50 a month.
Both VCI and Qwest offer necessary service to the public; However, their
service rates are different.
~© 2005 Rubyee Brown~
Example Essay III
My hometown and my college town have several things in common. First,
my hometown, Gridlock, is a small town. It has a population of only
about 10,000 people. Located in a rural area, Gridlock is surrounded
by many acres of farmland which are devoted mainly to growing corn
and soybeans. Gridlock also contains a college campus, Neutron
College, which is famous for its Agricultural Economics program as
well as for its annual Corn-Watching Festival. As for my college town,
Subnormal, it too is small, having a population of about 11,000 local
residents, which swells to 15,000 people when students from the
nearby college are attending classes. Like Gridlock, Subnormal lies in
the center of farmland which is used to raise hogs and cattle. Finally,
Subnormal is similar to Gridlock in that it also boasts a beautiful
college campus, called Quark College. This college is well known for
its Agricultural Engineering department and also for its yearly HogCalling Contest.
Assignment
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Take a look at the forty topic ideas to get
you thinking.
Fill out three (3) of the graphic organizers
for three different topics.
Let me see what you've done before you
leave so you'll get credit for it.
Coming Up...
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Wednesday-
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More on Comparison and Contrast
Friday-
Rough Draft due
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Peer Review day