Writing%20a%20Comparison%20and%20Contrast%20Essay

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Writing a Comparison and Contrast Essay
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Writing Assignment 2

• You will write a comparison and contrast essay.
  You will compare and contrast two things,
  deciding which is better.
• Examples of topics
• 1. Comparing and contrasting two cities The
  benefits of living in Seoul versus living in a
  smaller town like Daejeon.
• 2. Comparing and contrasting two times in
  history When was a better time to live? Present
  or past? Why?
• 3. Comparing and contrasting two ideas or
  theories Think of two theories or theorists.
  Which theory was better? Why or why not?
• Minimum 4 paragraphs
• Maximum 5 paragraphs

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Whats a comparison and contrast essay?

• Compare and contrast two subjects.
• Compare- Show how two things are alike.
• Contrast- Show how two things are different.

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Review Essay Formation

• Every essay must be composed of the following
  elements
• Introduction- Tells us what the essay is about
  (thesis statement).
• Body- Gives us support and examples for the
  opinion or idea in the thesis.
• Conclusion- Ends the essay. Returns us back to
  the original thesis statement.

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Introduction

• Proceeds from general to specific ideas.
• The last sentence is the thesis statement. It is
  the most specific idea in the introduction.
• Thesis statement must communicate a clear idea or
  opinion it can never be a statement of fact.

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Body

• Gives support for the opinion or idea in the
  thesis statement.
• Support can include facts, reasons, statistics,
  explanations, examples, comparisons and
  contrasts, and recommendations

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Conclusion

• Brings an essay to a close.
• Refers to ideas in the introduction and the
  thesis statement.
• Should not bring up new unrelated ideas.

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How to set up Comparison and Contrast Essay
Brainstorming

• Brainstorm everything you know about each
  subject.
• Look for connections that show similarities and
  differences.
• Example Compare and contrast two seasons Spring
  and Autumn. Are there any similarities and are
  there differences?

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Thesis Statement

• The thesis statement of an essay creates unity
• What is unity? An overarching idea.
• A good thesis statement is supported by the other
  ideas, explanations, and examples in the
  introduction, body paragraph(s), and conclusion.

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What makes a good thesis statement or bad
statement?

• Look at these thesis statements and decide which
  one is a good thesis statement or bad thesis
  statement.
• Hunger persists in Zimbabwe because jobs are
  scarce, the farmers are having difficulty farming
  on the infertile land, and the government does
  not allow democratic dissent.
• Hunger persists in Zimbabwe.

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What makes a good or bad thesis statement?

• The concept of global warming should not receive
  the amount of attention because the earth
  periodically goes through a state of warming and
  cooling, and therefore it is out of human
  control.
• The concept of global warming should not receive
  the amount of attention that is currently focused
  on this issue.

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Thesis Statement Comparison and Contrast Essay

• Look at our list and lets ask some questions.
• Is there something important, significant, or
  interesting about my list? Are there any
  differences or similarities between the two
  seasons?
• What have I discovered about the two seasons?
• Example Although there is exquisite beauty in
  the seasons of Autumn and Spring, there are also
  differences which allow the season to stand on
  its own.

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How to Organize Comparison and Contrast Essay

• Paragraph 1- Introduce the topic
• Paragraph 2- Talk about 1st subject
• Paragraph 3-Talk about 1st subject/2nd subject
• Paragraph 4-Talk about 2nd subject
• Paragraph 5- Conclusion

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How would you organize this paper?

• Your writing topic
• Your experiences before and after giving up a bad
  habit.

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Paragraph Unity

• Each paragraph of an essay must have unity.
• A paragraph must have one main idea.
• Every sentence in the paragraph must be relevant
  to that main idea.

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Example of Paragraph Unity

• As you manage your time, think about how long
  certain activities will take. A common mistake is
  to underestimate the time needed to do something
  simple. For example, when you are planning to go
  to the store, there may be a line of people. Last
  week in line I met a woman I went to high school
  with, so we chatted. It turns out she has two
  children just the same age as mine. When you are
  estimating time for a more complex activity, such
  as reading, block out more time than you think
  you will need. It is better to allow too much
  time than too little.

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Topic Sentences Connecting the Body to the Thesis

• Topic Sentence is usually the first sentence of
  each body paragraph.
• Restates one of the ideas or reasons from the
  thesis statement.
• The rest of the paragraph describes the idea
  found in the topic sentence.
• Topic sentences connect the ideas in the body
  paragraphs to the thesis statement.

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Controlling Idea

• Topic sentences usually contain a controlling
  idea.
• A controlling idea is when you make the reader
  curious.
• You make the reader question How? Why? or
  What does it mean?

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Examples of Controlling Ideas

• English is one of the most difficult languages.
  (Why is it difficult? How is it difficult?)
• When I went to Seoul last month, I had an
  interesting experience on the subway. (What
  experience did you have? Why was it interesting?)

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Examples of Not Good Controlling Idea

• Over winter break, I went to Canada and the
  United States to visit my family.
• Why is this not a good controlling idea?

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Transitional Sentences

• Connect ideas logically.
• Remind the reader of ideas from the last
  paragraph and they introduce ideas that come in
  the next paragraph.
• Can be the first or last sentence of a body
  paragraph
• May be an internal transition within a paragraph.

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Example of Transitional Phrases, Words, or
Sentences

• For continuing a line of reasoning
• To contrast a line of reasoning
• For opening a paragraph
• For the final points of a paragraph
• To signal conclusion
• To restate a point
• Sequence of time

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Connectors Showing Comparison

• Both
• And
• Like
• Similar to
• The same as
• Similarly
• In the same way
• Just as
• In the same way that

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Connectors Showing Contrast

• But
• Yet
• Unlike
• Different from
• In contrast
• However
• Nevertheless
• Whereas
• While
• Although/even though
• Despite/despite the fact that