Compare and Contrast Essay

1. Compare and Contrast Essay

2. What Is It? • 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.

3. Purpose? Two Reasons To Explain To Evaluate • 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. • 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.

4. Comparison • When you compare items, you look for their similarities—the things that make them the same. • For example: • Apples and oranges are both fruit. • They're both foods. • Both are made into juice. • Both grow on trees.

5. Contrast • When you contrast items, you look at their differences. • For example: • Apples are red. Oranges are orange. • The fruits have different textures. • Oranges need a warmer place to grow, like Florida. • Apples can grow in cooler states, like Washington.

6. You Use It More Than You Think… • You probably use comparison all the time. Maybe you want to buy some candy, so you go to the store and look at all of the candy that is available. • You can't buy all the candy, so you have to narrow down your choices. • You compare and contrast the different kinds of candy so that you can make your decision.

7. Comparing Candy • You can compare the kinds of candy by looking at the things that makes the candy alike. • All these kinds of candy are sweet. None of them are sour. • All these kinds of candy are medium-sized. None are big or small.

8. Contrasting Candy • You also look at the things that make the candy different. • Some of the candy is chocolate. Some is hard candy. • Some pieces of the candy have a filling, like caramel or cookies. Some do not. • Some of the candy can be broken into smaller pieces while the others are harder to divide if you want to share.

9. Organizing a Paper • Comparison and contrast are used in your writing to organize an individual paragraph as well as to organize entire papers. • For instance, you might write a paper that compares a movie and a book about the same topic. In your paper you can compare and contrast the movie version with the book version.

10. Balanced Ideas • As you begin to organize your writing, it's important to make sure that you balance the information about the items that you're comparing and contrasting. • You need to be sure that you give them equal time in what you write. • If you cover character, setting, and historical accuracy for the book, for instance, you need to be sure that you cover the same elements for the movie.

11. 2 Strategies • There are three strategies to organize comparison and contrast papers: • 1. Whole-to-Whole, or Block • 2. Point-by-Point

12. Whole-to-Whole or Block Strategy • In this structure, 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.

13. Whole-To-Whole Example • Block Arrangement • I. Introduction in which you state your purpose which is to discuss the differences between vacationing in the mountains or at the beach • II. MountainA.  ClimateB.  Types of Activities  C.  Location  • III. BeachA.  ClimateB.  Types of Activities  C.  Location  • IV. Conclusion

14. Example Essay • People are always looking forward to their vacation period. There are many options where to choose. The two most common places people choose for taking a vacation are the beaches and the mountains. Both places offer a variety of fun activities. The beach offers activities that the mountain cannot offer and vice versa. The mountain and the beach are totally different. The purpose of this essay is to contrast the climate, types of activities and locations of beaches and mountains. • It is important to consider the climate, the types of activities and the location of the mountains. Climate is always important in order to enjoy vacations. If a person dislikes cold weather, he or she might have a hard time in the mountains. The cold climate in the mountains is the first barrier to enjoying them, but the climate and the temperature of these zones also determine the types of activities they offer. Snow boarding, mountain climbing, mountain biking, hiking, and skiing are some activities people can enjoy when going to the mountains. There are many regions that have mountains where people can go and have a great vacation. Canada is a country located in North America and contains many mountain vacation sites where people can go and have fun. • It is important to consider the same three aspects of the beach. Warm climate is one of the most important features that the beach has. Sun and fun are two words that describe the beach. The temperature in those places is always hot. The sea and the warm climate determine the activities that are available at the beach. People can swim, play volleyball, play soccer, and ride water bikes. In most coastal sites, there are discos and restaurants where people can dance or party throughout the night. Mexico offers many amazing coastal sites to visit. Acapulco and Cancun are two of the most beautiful and famous beaches in the word. • It doesn’t matter what place a person decides to choose. The fun is 100% guaranteed. People often choose one of these two options to spend their vacations. Depending on what the person likes is what he or she will choose. The beach is better than the mountains, but sometimes it is better to take a risk and try a different place to enjoy.

15. Point By Point Strategy • 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.

16. Point-By-Point Example • I. Introduction in which you state your purpose which is to discuss differences between vacationing in the mountains or at the beach • II. First difference between mountains and beaches is climateA.  MountainsB.  Beach • III. Second difference between mountains and beaches are types of activitiesA.  MountainsB.  Beach • IV. Third difference between mountains and beaches is the locationA.  MountainsB.  Beach • V. Conclusion

17. Essay Example: Canned Vs. Fresh • Eating is an activity that we as humans do at least two times a day. We live in a world where the variety of food is immense, and we are responsible for what we eat. We decide what we are about to eat and how it will affect our bodies. The purpose of this essay is to compare and contrast the differences between eating fresh foods instead of canned foods. The three main differences are flavor, health benefits, and cost. • The most notable difference between these two kinds of foods is their flavor. Fresh foods have great flavor and taste because they keep all their natural conditions. Canned foods however, lack a lot of its flavor characteristics because there are some other chemical products added to the natural foods. It is logical that the fresh foods will have a greater taste and flavor when consumed just because of the time in which they have been prepared. • Comparing both types of foods we notice another difference. There is a health factor that affects both of them. Canned foods lose some of the original fresh food nutrients when stored, and also it has to be tinned with many conservatives and chemical factors that prolong the shelf life and apparent freshness of the food but could also become toxic if consumed too often. • Yet another difference between these two types of foods is the cost. Canned foods are much more expensive than fresh foods. Here the benefit of buying tinned foods is that they are easier to find, for example, in a supermarket instead of the market like the fresh foods, and they require less work to prepare than fresh foods, just open and serve. • Here are the main three differences between buying fresh foods and buying canned foods. As we can see it comes down to a personal choice, based on the time each person has, the money and the importance he/she gives to his/her nutrition and health. Therefore it is important that you consider your possibilities and choose the best type of foods for your convenience and lifestyle.

18. Transitions • In comparison and contrast, transition words tell a reader that the writer is changing from talking about one item to the other. • Transitional words and phrases help make a paper smoother and more coherent by showing the reader the connections between the ideas that are being presented.

19. Transitions To Compare To Contrast • Also • As • As well as • Both • In the same manner • In the same way • Like • Likewise • Most important • Same • Similar • Similarly • The same as • Too • Although • But • Differ • Even though • However • In contrast • Instead • Nevertheless • On the contrary • On the other hand • Unless • Unlike • While • Yet

20. Checklist • There are three main things to pay attention to as you write a comparison and contrast paper: • 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.