Compare And Contrast Key Words

What this handout is most

This handout will help you showtime to decide whether a item assignment is asking for comparing/dissimilarity so to generate a list of similarities and differences, determine which similarities and differences to focus on, and organize your newspaper then that it will be clear and effective. It will as well explain how you lot can (and why you should) develop a thesis that goes beyond "Affair A and Matter B are similar in many ways but different in others."

Introduction

In your career as a student, you'll run across many unlike kinds of writing assignments, each with its own requirements. One of the most mutual is the comparison/contrast essay, in which you focus on the ways in which sure things or ideas—usually two of them—are similar to (this is the comparison) and/or different from (this is the contrast) one some other. Past assigning such essays, your instructors are encouraging you to brand connections between texts or ideas, engage in critical thinking, and go beyond mere description or summary to generate interesting analysis: when you reflect on similarities and differences, yous gain a deeper agreement of the items you are comparing, their human relationship to each other, and what is most important about them.

Recognizing comparison/contrast in assignments

Some assignments use words—similar compare, dissimilarity, similarities, and differences—that go far easy for you to see that they are asking you lot to compare and/or contrast. Here are a few hypothetical examples:

Compare and dissimilarity Frye'southward and Bartky's accounts of oppression.
Compare WWI to WWII, identifying similarities in the causes, evolution, and outcomes of the wars.
Contrast Wordsworth and Coleridge; what are the major differences in their verse?

Notice that some topics enquire but for comparison, others but for contrast, and others for both.

But it'southward not e'er so like shooting fish in a barrel to tell whether an assignment is asking you to include comparing/contrast. And in some cases, comparison/contrast is only office of the essay—you begin past comparison and/or contrasting ii or more things and then employ what you've learned to construct an argument or evaluation. Consider these examples, noticing the linguistic communication that is used to enquire for the comparison/contrast and whether the comparison/dissimilarity is only one part of a larger assignment:

Choose a particular thought or theme, such as romantic love, death, or nature, and consider how it is treated in two Romantic poems.
How do the different authors we take studied so far define and describe oppression?
Compare Frye's and Bartky's accounts of oppression. What does each imply most women's collusion in their own oppression? Which is more than accurate?
In the texts we've studied, soldiers who served in different wars offering differing accounts of their experiences and feelings both during and afterward the fighting. What commonalities are there in these accounts? What factors do you lot retrieve are responsible for their differences?

Y'all may want to cheque out our handout on agreement assignments for boosted tips.

Using comparison/dissimilarity for all kinds of writing projects

Sometimes y'all may want to use comparison/contrast techniques in your own pre-writing work to get ideas that you can subsequently use for an argument, even if comparison/dissimilarity isn't an official requirement for the paper you're writing. For instance, if you lot wanted to fence that Frye'due south account of oppression is meliorate than both de Beauvoir's and Bartky's, comparing and contrasting the main arguments of those three authors might assistance yous construct your evaluation—even though the topic may not accept asked for comparison/contrast and the lists of similarities and differences you generate may not announced anywhere in the final draft of your paper.

Discovering similarities and differences

Making a Venn diagram or a chart tin can aid you apace and efficiently compare and contrast two or more things or ideas. To make a Venn diagram, simply describe some overlapping circles, i circle for each particular you're because. In the key expanse where they overlap, list the traits the 2 items have in common. Assign each 1 of the areas that doesn't overlap; in those areas, you tin can listing the traits that make the things unlike. Here's a very uncomplicated instance, using two pizza places:

Venn diagram indicating that both Pepper's and Amante serve pizza with unusual ingredients at moderate prices, despite differences in location, wait times, and delivery options

To brand a nautical chart, figure out what criteria you want to focus on in comparing the items. Forth the left side of the page, listing each of the criteria. Across the superlative, listing the names of the items. You should so have a box per particular for each criterion; you tin fill the boxes in and then survey what y'all've discovered.

Here'due south an example, this time using three pizza places:

	Pepper's	Amante	Papa John'southward
Location
Price
Delivery
Ingredients
Service
Seating/eating in
Coupons

Every bit you generate points of comparing, consider the purpose and content of the consignment and the focus of the class. What do you remember the professor wants y'all to learn by doing this comparison/contrast? How does it fit with what yous accept been studying so far and with the other assignments in the course? Are there any clues about what to focus on in the assignment itself?

Here are some full general questions about different types of things you might have to compare. These are by no means complete or definitive lists; they're just here to give you some ideas—y'all can generate your own questions for these and other types of comparison. You may want to begin by using the questions reporters traditionally ask: Who? What? Where? When? Why? How? If you lot're talking about objects, you might also consider general backdrop like size, shape, color, audio, weight, taste, texture, smell, number, elapsing, and location.

Two historical periods or events

When did they occur—exercise you know the date(s) and duration? What happened or changed during each? Why are they meaning?
What kinds of work did people practise? What kinds of relationships did they have? What did they value?
What kinds of governments were at that place? Who were important people involved?
What caused events in these periods, and what consequences did they have afterward on?

Two ideas or theories

What are they nigh?
Did they originate at some particular fourth dimension?
Who created them? Who uses or defends them?
What is the key focus, claim, or goal of each? What conclusions do they offering?
How are they practical to situations/people/things/etc.?
Which seems more than plausible to you lot, and why? How wide is their scope?
What kind of testify is normally offered for them?

Two pieces of writing or fine art

What are their titles? What do they draw or depict?
What is their tone or mood? What is their form?
Who created them? When were they created? Why do you lot think they were created as they were? What themes practice they address?
Exercise you lot think one is of college quality or greater merit than the other(s)—and if so, why?
For writing: what plot, characterization, setting, theme, tone, and type of narration are used?

Two people

Where are they from? How one-time are they? What is the gender, race, course, etc. of each?
What, if anything, are they known for? Do they have any relationship to each other?
What are they like? What did/do they do? What do they believe? Why are they interesting?
What stands out most virtually each of them?

Deciding what to focus on

By at present you have probably generated a huge listing of similarities and differences—congratulations! Next y'all must make up one's mind which of them are interesting, important, and relevant enough to be included in your paper. Ask yourself these questions:

What's relevant to the assignment?
What's relevant to the course?
What's interesting and informative?
What matters to the statement y'all are going to brand?
What'southward basic or primal (and needs to be mentioned even if obvious)?
Overall, what'due south more important—the similarities or the differences?

Suppose that you are writing a paper comparison ii novels. For most literature classes, the fact that they both utilize Caslon blazon (a kind of typeface, like the fonts yous may utilize in your writing) is not going to exist relevant, nor is the fact that ane of them has a few illustrations and the other has none; literature classes are more likely to focus on subjects like characterization, plot, setting, the writer's style and intentions, linguistic communication, central themes, and then along. However, if y'all were writing a paper for a class on typesetting or on how illustrations are used to enhance novels, the typeface and presence or absence of illustrations might be absolutely critical to include in your final paper.

Sometimes a particular point of comparison or contrast might be relevant simply non terribly revealing or interesting. For example, if you are writing a paper about Wordsworth's "Tintern Abbey" and Coleridge's "Frost at Midnight," pointing out that they both take nature as a central theme is relevant (comparisons of verse often talk about themes) but non terribly interesting; your class has probably already had many discussions about the Romantic poets' fondness for nature. Talking about the different means nature is depicted or the unlike aspects of nature that are emphasized might be more interesting and bear witness a more sophisticated understanding of the poems.

Your thesis

The thesis of your comparison/contrast paper is very of import: it can assist you create a focused argument and requite your reader a route map and then she/he doesn't get lost in the sea of points you are about to make. As in whatever paper, yous will want to replace vague reports of your general topic (for example, "This newspaper volition compare and contrast two pizza places," or "Pepper'due south and Amante are similar in some ways and different in others," or "Pepper'due south and Amante are similar in many means, but they have ane major deviation") with something more detailed and specific. For case, you lot might say, "Pepper's and Amante accept like prices and ingredients, but their atmospheres and willingness to deliver set them autonomously."

Be careful, though—although this thesis is fairly specific and does propose a elementary argument (that atmosphere and delivery make the ii pizza places different), your instructor volition often be looking for a scrap more analysis. In this example, the obvious question is "So what? Why should anyone care that Pepper's and Amante are different in this way?" One might also wonder why the writer chose those two particular pizza places to compare—why non Papa John's, Dominos, or Pizza Hut? Over again, thinking almost the context the class provides may help you respond such questions and make a stronger argument. Hither'southward a revision of the thesis mentioned earlier:

Pepper's and Amante both offer a greater diversity of ingredients than other Chapel Hill/Carrboro pizza places (and than any of the national chains), simply the funky, lively temper at Pepper's makes it a better place to give visiting friends and family a taste of local civilization.

Yous may detect our handout on constructing thesis statements useful at this stage.

Organizing your newspaper

In that location are many dissimilar ways to organize a comparing/contrast essay. Here are two:

Field of study-past-subject

Begin by saying everything you have to say about the first subject you are discussing, then motion on and brand all the points you want to make nearly the second subject (and after that, the 3rd, and so on, if yous're comparison/contrasting more two things). If the paper is short, you might be able to fit all of your points about each particular into a single paragraph, but it's more likely that y'all'd accept several paragraphs per item. Using our pizza place comparison/contrast as an example, later the introduction, you might have a paragraph almost the ingredients available at Pepper's, a paragraph nearly its location, and a paragraph about its ambience. Then y'all'd take iii similar paragraphs almost Amante, followed by your determination.

The danger of this subject field-past-discipline arrangement is that your paper volition simply be a list of points: a certain number of points (in my example, iii) about i subject, then a certain number of points about another. This is usually not what college instructors are looking for in a newspaper—generally they want y'all to compare or contrast 2 or more things very directly, rather than just listing the traits the things have and leaving it upwards to the reader to reflect on how those traits are similar or different and why those similarities or differences matter. Thus, if you employ the discipline-by-bailiwick form, you volition probably want to have a very strong, analytical thesis and at least one body paragraph that ties all of your dissimilar points together.

A bailiwick-by-subject construction can exist a logical choice if you are writing what is sometimes chosen a "lens" comparison, in which you employ one subject field or item (which isn't really your main topic) to ameliorate sympathise another item (which is). For example, you might be asked to compare a poem you've already covered thoroughly in form with one you are reading on your own. It might make sense to give a brief summary of your primary ideas near the first verse form (this would be your first subject, the "lens"), and and then spend near of your paper discussing how those points are similar to or dissimilar from your ideas near the second.

Point-past-indicate

Rather than addressing things 1 subject at a time, y'all may wish to talk about one point of comparison at a fourth dimension. There are two master ways this might play out, depending on how much you lot have to say about each of the things you lot are comparing. If you have just a little, you might, in a unmarried paragraph, discuss how a sure indicate of comparing/contrast relates to all the items you are discussing. For example, I might describe, in 1 paragraph, what the prices are like at both Pepper's and Amante; in the next paragraph, I might compare the ingredients available; in a third, I might contrast the atmospheres of the two restaurants.

If I had a bit more than to say about the items I was comparing/contrasting, I might devote a whole paragraph to how each point relates to each item. For example, I might have a whole paragraph well-nigh the clientele at Pepper's, followed by a whole paragraph virtually the clientele at Amante; and so I would motion on and do 2 more paragraphs discussing my next point of comparison/contrast—like the ingredients available at each restaurant.

There are no hard and fast rules virtually organizing a comparing/contrast newspaper, of class. Just be sure that your reader tin easily tell what's going on! Exist aware, too, of the placement of your different points. If yous are writing a comparing/contrast in service of an argument, keep in mind that the concluding point you make is the one you are leaving your reader with. For case, if I am trying to argue that Amante is improve than Pepper'southward, I should terminate with a contrast that leaves Amante sounding good, rather than with a point of comparison that I have to admit makes Pepper'due south look better. If you've decided that the differences between the items you're comparing/contrasting are most important, you'll want to end with the differences—and vice versa, if the similarities seem most important to you.

Our handout on organization can help you write good topic sentences and transitions and make sure that y'all have a adept overall structure in identify for your paper.

Cue words and other tips

To help your reader keep rails of where y'all are in the comparison/contrast, you'll want to exist certain that your transitions and topic sentences are especially strong. Your thesis should already have given the reader an idea of the points you'll be making and the organization you'll be using, just you tin help her/him out with some extra cues. The post-obit words may be helpful to y'all in signaling your intentions:

like, like to, too, unlike, similarly, in the aforementioned way, likewise, over again, compared to, in contrast, in like manner, assorted with, on the contrary, however, although, yet, even though, still, but, nevertheless, conversely, at the same time, regardless, despite, while, on the ane mitt … on the other hand.

For instance, you might take a topic sentence similar i of these:

Compared to Pepper's, Amante is quiet.
Like Amante, Pepper's offers fresh garlic as a topping.
Despite their different locations (downtown Chapel Hill and downtown Carrboro), Pepper'south and Amante are both fairly easy to get to.

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