Comparison and Contrast Essay

Comparison and contrast are ways of looking at objects and thinking about how they are alike and different. For instance, all of these items are alike because they are kinds of food, but there are many ways that they are different. For instance, they belong to different food groups. Some must be cooked before eating, and some can be eaten raw. When you write comparison and contrast, you will pay attention to these kinds of details.

There are two main reasons that people use comparison and contrast: 1. To Explain--You might compare and contrast kinds of food, for instance, to help someone understand which food need to be refrigerated and which can be stored in a cabinet or in a bowl on the counter. 2. To Evaluate--You might compare and contrast kinds of food to show why one kind of food or brand of food is better than another. For example, apples are a better snack than butter.

When you choose items to compare and contrast, make sure that you choose items that have similarities. You have to choose things that will make sense for comparison and contrast. For instance, it wouldn't make sense to compare a truck with crayons or crayons with a birdhouse. Be sure to compare things that belong together. Compare crayons to pencils or pens, or compare trucks and cars.

There are three strategies to organize comparison and contrast essay: 1. Whole-to-Whole, or Block 2. Similarities-to-Differences 3. Point-by-Point

Whole to Whole/ Block Strategy It uses a separate section or paragraph for each item you're discussing. You say everything about one item then everything about the other. For instance, say everything about the characters, setting, and plot for the book then everything about the characters, setting, and plot for the movie.

Whole to whole/ block strategy pattern

Similarities to Differences Strategy It uses a separate section or paragraph for similarities and differences. In other words, the body of your essay would have two large sections: one for similarities, and another for differences. In this structure, you explain all the similarities about the items being compared and then you explain all the differences. For instance, you might explain that the characters and plot were similar in both the book and movie in the one section. In the next section, you could explain that the settings were different. The book took place during the summer while the movie took place during the winter.

Similarities and differences strategy pattern

Point by Point Strategy It uses a separate section or paragraph for each point. In this structure, you explain one point of comparison before moving to the next point. For instance, you would write about the characters in the book and movie in one section; then you would write about the setting in the book and movie in the next section.

Point by point strategy pattern

There are three main things to pay attention to as you write a comparison and contrast essay: 1. Purpose & Supporting Details 2. Organization & Structure 3. Transitions & Coherence In addition, be sure to pay attention to the usual requirements for writing, such as spelling, punctuation, and grammar.

Purpose & Supporting Details The essay compares and contrasts items clearly. The essay points to specific examples to illustrate the comparison. The essay includes only the information relevant to the comparison.

Organization & Structure The essay breaks the information into the whole-to-whole, similarities -to-differences, or point-by-point structure. The essay follows a consistent order when discussing the comparison. The essay breaks the information into appropriate sections or paragraphs to the ideas.

Transitions & Coherence The essay moves smoothly from one idea to the next. The essay uses comparison and contrast transition words to show relationships between ideas. The essay uses a variety of sentence structures and transitions.

WHERE TO GO ON VACATION: THE BEACH OR THE CITY Example 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 we go on vacation, we have to decide the best place to go according to what we have in mind. The purpose of this essay is to contrast the differences between vacation at a beach or in a city. We will look at the kinds of activities, the clothing required and the pace of life available while vacationing on the beach or in the city. The first 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.

Cont.. Another difference between vacationing on the beach or in a city is the clothing and equipment you need to take with you. If you decide to go to the beach, you will have to take mainly a bathing suit, shorts, short-sleeve shirts, sandals, sunglasses, goggles, and sun block. Considering that you are going to the city where you will have to walk a lot, you will need comfortable and casual clothing such as jeans and tennis shoes. You will also have to take fancy clothes in case you want to go, for example, to watch a play or to a concert. The final difference between vacationing on the beach or in a city is the pace of life. If you want a relaxing plan, your option will be the beach. When you are on the beach you just let things happen while in the city you will have to schedule all your activities in order to have time to visit the different sites you want to. In conclusion, here you have these differences to consider when deciding where to go on vacation. Although both places are interesting and exciting, it all depends on what you are looking for. Keep in mind that wherever you decide to go you will enjoy it.