ACADEMIC WRITING UNIT II

COMPARISON/CONTRAST PARAGRAPHS

 COMPARISON: Identifies and analyses similarities between two persons, places, things or ideas. CONTRAST: identifies and analyses differences between two persons, places, things or ideas. Both are used to explain a topic. More often, they are used to support the evaluation of two persons, places, things, or ideas. For example, X is better, more beautiful, easier, more helpful, etc. than Y, and so X is preferable to Y.

Criteria Population Location Average daytime temperature Colleges and universities

City X 15,000 Central Java Rainy: 25 C Dry: 35 C Vocational-technical school, community college Two movie theatres, community collegeathletic

City Y 225,000 West Java Rainy: 22 C Dry: 39 C State university, two private colleges, three vocational schools 26 movie theatres, city opera and ballet, two theatre companies

entertainment

Organization of Comparison/Contrast Paragraphs

There are two ways to organise a comparison/contrast paragraph: Application of one criterion to both of the sub-topics within the topic at the same time; Discussion of each sub-topic separately, using all criteria with each sub-topic

Basic Outline
TOPIC SENTENCE 1. X and Y (criterion 1) A. supporting detail B. supporting detail 2. X and Y (criterion 2) A. supporting detail B. supporting detail 3. X and Y (criterion 3) A. supporting detail B. supporting detail CONCLUDING SENTENCE

Alternative Outline
TOPIC SENTENCE 1. X A. criterion 1 (1). supporting detail (2). supporting detail B. criterion 2 (1). supporting detail (2). supporting detail 2. Y A. criterion 1 (1). supporting detail (2). supporting detail B. criterion 2 (1). supporting detail (2). supporting detail CONCLUDING SENTENCE

Below are two paragraphs. Both are about the same topic; both contain the same information. However, the organization of the paragraphs differs.

Colorado snow conditions are much better than Japanese snow conditions for downhill skiers like me. First, Colorado mountain snow is drier than Japanese snow. For example, in ski areas like Vail and Aspen, I cant make a snowball because the snow isnt sticky enough, but in Japanese ski areas, making snowballs is easy. The drier snow in Colorado has two advantages: my clothes stay dry even when I fall, and my skis move through the powder snow quickly because they do not stick. In addition to the quality of the Colorado snow, the weather conditions make the ski season both more pleasant and longer in the US. Most Japanese ski areas open in the middle of December and close in mid-March, but Colorado skiers can begin skiing in November, and sometimes the ski areas are open until the end of April. Moreover, ski areas in Japan are known for their cloudy, damp weather, but in Colorado, the bright sun and dry weather make it possible to ski comfortably, sometimes even in shorts and a shirt! For this information, many Japanese skiers dream of coming to the US to ski.

 Colorado snow conditions are much better than Japanese ski conditions for downhill skiers like me. Most, Japanese ski resorts have wet, sticky snow; I can easily make snowballs with it, but it is not easy to ski on wet snow. Moreover, the ski season in Japan is short and not always pleasant; most areas are open in mid-December and close by mid-March, and the weather at these resorts is generally cloudy, damp, and consequently very cold. In Colorado, however, conditions are far better. First, Colorado snow is dry; for example, in ski areas like Vail and Aspen, I cant make a complete snowball because the snow isnt sticky enough. This dry snow has two advantages: my clothes stay dry even when I fall, and my skis move through the powder snow more quickly because they do not stick. In addition to the quality of Colorado snow, the ski resorts open early in November and sometimes stay open until the end of April, giving skiers a long season. Finally, the bright sun and dry weather in Colorado make it possible to ski comfortably, sometimes even in shorts and a shin! For this information, many Japanese skiers dream of coming to the US to ski.

Comparison/Contrast Connectors
Common Comparison Connectors: likewise, . also . Similarly, .. too. in like manner, the same . in the same way, the same as .. Common Contrast Connectors , but However, Although , yet In contrast, Even though On the other hand, Nevertheless,

Unlike whereas

Read the paragraph below. Use appropriate contrast connectors to complete the paragraph.
There are many differences between my grandmother and me. I think the first and greatest difference is our age. She is 70 years old, ___and/but___ I am only 25. Second, my grandmother has blue eyes, _although/even though_, we are brown. In addition, my grandmother is very fat. In fact she weighs about 200 pounds. _but/whereas_, I weigh only 120 pounds. We also have different personalities. ____ my grandmother is always happy, I am often angry. She smiles all the time, even at people on the street. ____ her, I smile only when I feel very happy. Finally, my grandmother talks so much that her sons say, Dont talk all the time because it is very boring, and she always answers, Its good for you to hear me. ____, I dont talk much. I prefer to think. _____ my grandmother and I are very different, I am fortunate because we are good friends.
What are the criteria used in the paragraph to contrast the two persons? Is the paragraph organized according to the basic outline or the alternative outline?

Examples of Comparison-Contrast Paragraphs:

Comparison I am the same with my brother in many ways. First, his face is similar to mine. He has brown skin with wide ayes, and he wears glasses. I also have brown skin and need glasses. He and I have the same height: 1.85 meters. His hair is brown; similarly, I have brown hair. When he is walking, his steps are long like mine, as my relatives tell me all the time. For these reasons, many people, even my close friends, often think that my brother is me when they see him.

Contrast
There are main differences between advertisements on television in Hong Kong and advertisements on television in the US. First, there are only a few kinds of advertisements in Hong Kong. For example, almost all the ads on television in Hong Kong are about food and cigarettes. In the US, however, there are different kinds of ads: in addition to food and cigarettes, there are also ads for cars and cosmetics, household utensils and clothes, and many other items. Second, the TV ads in Hong Kong waste a lot of time. There is a five-minute break every ten minutes for the breaks is short. For example, the longest ad I have seen lasted only for three minutes. Therefore, the watcher will not be disturbed and forget the situation of a good program. Third, ads in Hong Kong are very boring, they all have the same style: for instance, all the cigarettes ads have the same scene of a beautiful beach. On the other hand, the ads in the US have different styles, and they are interesting, too. For example, the special effects in one car ad amazed me, and the creativity in the ads for jeans is very stimulating. In conclusion, I love to watch TV ads in the US, but Hong Kong, I turn off the TV when the ads come on.

HOMEWORK
Make your own comparison/contrast paragraphs using two methods given.