Comparison/Contrast Essays

What is a Comparison/Contrast Essays?

Comparison and Contrast write about how things are either similar or
different. When you compare two things, places, machines, or people, you
show the reader how they are similar. When you contrast, you show how
things are different.

Always choose two equal items two cars, two vacations, two sports stars
not two unequal items, like a car and an umbrella. In both, you must
identify topics (e.g. hometown and college town) and their points of
comparison (e.g., size, location) that can be compared or contrasted.

Sharks
The great white shark lives in the
deep, cold seas. It will attack large
animals such as sea lions. The bull shark
lives mostly in shallow waters. It is
sometimes found in rivers. These sharks
are both very good swimmers and
hunters. Both kinds of sharks have lots
of teeth.

Sharks
This paragraph compares
the bull shark
The great white shark and
Comparing:
What kind
of swimmer are both sharks?
Comparing:

very good

How many teeth do these sharks have?

lots of teeth

Contrasting:
Contrasting
Where does the great white shark live?

deep, cold seas

Where does the bull shark live?

shallow waters

Great white shark

Deep, cold seas

Alike
Very good
swimmers
Lots of teeth

Bull shark

Shallow water

Key words commonly used to express

comparison include:
like

same

too

similar

as

most
important

In the same
way
have in
common

similarly

alike

as well as

both

the same as

Contrasting Key Phrases

although

yet

whereas

however

but

while

differ

instead

unless

unlike

on the contrary contrary to

in contrast

even though

the reverse

Dissimilar to

on the other
hand

SIMILARITIES
similar to
Spring weather in Gaza is similar to spring weather in Sydney.
Both
Both Gaza and Sydney have rain in winter.
Also
Sydney also has a rainy winter season.
Too
Gaza has a rainy spring season, too.
Similarly
Similarly, Sydney is very hot in summer.

DIFFERENCES
On the other hand
On the other hand, winter is much colder in Sydney.
However
However, winter is much colder in Sydney.
But
Gaza has a mild winter, but Sydney has a cold one.
In contrast to
In contrast to Gaza, Sydney has a cold winter.
Differs from
Sydney differs from Gaza by having a cold winter.
While
While Gaza has a mild winter, Sydney has a cold winter.

Short Conjunctions

Similarly,
Likewise,
...the same...
...the same as...
...also...
..., too.
Both
However,
Nevertheless,
Conversely,
In contrast,

Longer Expressions
In the same way,
X is similar to Y in that (they)...
X is different from Y in that (they)...
X and Y are similar/different in that
(they)...
Like X, Y [verb]...
Unlike X, Y [verb]
In like manner,
One way in which X is similar to Y is
(that)...
One way in which X is different from Y is
(that)...

Activity 1: Join the following Sentences

1. Hani is bachelor. His sister is bachelor
2. The River Jordan is long. The Nile River is long.
3. Amal's grades are high. Huda's grades are rather low.
4. Ahmed is very busy. Ali is busy.
5. I think Ahmed is a very hard working student. Everyone else thinks so.
6. John admits he had a lot of money. He claims he has lost everything.
7. My father usually goes to work by car. I also go to work by car.
8. I believe that physical exercise is good. I believe that nutritious food is
also good.
9. Teaching beginners requires simple techniques. Teaching advanced
students requires sophisticated techniques.

Activity 2: Complete the following

1.

Amman differs from Cairo in __________________________

2.

Taking care of children requires a lot of patience. Similarly,

_________________________________________________

3.

Universities spend a lot of money on research. In contrast,

schools___________________________________________

4.

My two friends study similar things at university. However, they

_____________________________________________

5.

The more you study, _______________________________

6.

Gaza is as crowded as ______________________________

Paragraph Organization 1: (Point by Point)

Topic

sentence: introduction of two topics to be

compared/contrasted
Body: examination of topics first point and then
the other point:

Point A
Topic 1
Topic 2

Point B
Topic 1
Topic 2

Point C
Topic 1
Topic 2

Conclusion:

evaluation of topics compared

My Hometown and My College Town

My hometown and my college town have several things in
common. First, both are small rural communities. For example,
my hometown, Gridlock, has a population of only about 10,000
people. Similarly, my college town, Subnormal, consists of about
11,000 local residents. This population becomes to 15,000 people
when the college students are attending classes. A second way in
which these two towns are similar is that they are both located in
rural areas. Gridlock is surrounded by many acres of farmland
which is devoted mainly to growing corn and soybeans. In the
same way, Subnormal lies in the center of farmland which is
used to raise cattle. In short, the similarities between my
hometown and my college town make people enjoy living in both
places.

Essay Organization: Point by Point

Introduction
All about Point X

All about Point Y

All about Point Z
Conclusion
Conclusion

Point-by-Point or Alternating Arrangement (five-paragraph essay)

.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 climate

A. Mountains
B. Beach

.III

Second difference between mountains and beaches are types of activities

A.Mountains
B. Beach

.IV

Third difference between mountains and beaches is the location

A. Mountains
B. Beach

.V

Conclusion

TOPIC SENTENCE

My (a) hometown and (b) college town are

similar.

POINT #1

Both are small rural communities.

Gridlock
Subnormal
POINT #2

Gridlock has about 10,000 people.

Subnormal has about 11,000 local residents.

It has about 4000 college students.

Both are located in rural areas.

Gridlock

Subnormal

Gridlock is surrounded by many acres of

farmland.
This farmland is devoted to growing corn and
soybeans.
Subnormal is in the center of land used for
raising cattle.

Organization 2: Block Style

Topic sentence: introduction of two topics to be compared/contrasted
Body: examination of topics first Topic and then the other
Topic 1:
Point A
Point B
Point C
Topic 2
Point A
Point B
Point C
Conclusion: evaluation of topics compared

Istanbul and Gaza

While Istanbul and Gaza are both lively cities, they

differ from each other in many ways. To start with,

stanbul is filled with industries, buildings, roads,

and lots of people. The time it takes you to get from
one place to another shows us how big it has become.
Moreover, stanbul has become a city in which its
people are usually in a hurry and have a lot of things
to do throughout the day. On the other hand, Gaza still
looks like a small town in which most of its people
know each other although the city has grown a lot in
the last years. What is more, Gaza still remains quite
a calm city where most people walk and take their
time. To conclude, while Istanbul and Gaza are different
cities in many ways, it is always good to spend time in them.

TOPIC SENTENCE

While Istanbul and Gaza are both lively cities,

they differ from each other in many ways

TOPIC #1 Istanbul
Point 1

stanbul is filled with industries, buildings,

roads, and lots of people

stanbul has become a city in which its people

are usually in a hurry and have a lot of things
to do throughout the day

Gaza still looks like a small town in which

most of its people know each other although
the city has grown a lot in the last years.

What is more, Gaza still remains quite a calm

city where most people walk and take their
time.

Point 2
TOPIC #2 Gaza
Point 1

Point 2

Essay Organization: Block arrangement

Introduction
Introduction

All about Subject

Subject A
A

All about Subject

Subject B
B

Conclusion

Block Arrangement (four paragraphs)

.I

Introduction in which you state your purpose which is to discuss the

differences between vacationing in the mountains or at the beach

.II

Mountain
A. Climate
B. Types of Activities
C. Location

.III

Beach
A. Climate
B. Types of Activities
C. Location

.IV

Conclusion

There are three main differences between eating fresh food

and canned food. The most notable difference between these
two kinds of foods is their flavor. Fresh food has great flavor
and taste because it keeps all their natural conditions.
Canned food, however, lacks a lot of its flavor characteristics
because there are some other chemical products added to the
natural foods. Secondly, there is a health factor that affects
both of them. Canned food is unhealthy because in order to
keep the shelf life for longer times it is filled with many
conservatives and chemical factors. On the other hand, fresh
food does not include any chemicals, so it is healtier. Another
difference between these two types of foods is the cost.
Canned food is much more expensive than fresh food. In
conclusion, before eating, choose the best type of food for
your convenience and lifestyle.

University or School

A university is very different from a

secondary school. First, in the university, the
professors talk a great deal and give long
homework assignments. School teachers
depend on class discussion and short
homework. Second, ______________________
_______________________________________
_______________________________________
_______________________________________
__________________. In conclusion, despite
these two main differences between university
and school, each provides great learning
opportunities to students.

University or School
A university is very different from a secondary
school. First, in the university, the professors talk a
great deal and give long homework assignments.
School teachers depend on class discussion and short
homework. Second, university final examinations are
not uniform and each professor sets his/her own
exams and often the dates of taking them. On the
other hand, all secondary school final exams are
prepared centrally by the Ministry or Educational
Authority and should be taken by all students
simultaneously. In conclusion, despite these two
main differences between university and school, each
provides great learning opportunities to students.

Our Lifestyles and our Grandparents'

Lifestyles
Our lifestyles are very different from our
grandparents' lifestyles in three important ways. __________

_______________________________________
_______________________________________
_______________________________________
_______________________________________
_______________________________________
_______________________________________
_______________________________________
_______________________________________

1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
11.
12.

Writing Problems

The internet has alot of benefit for college students.

First, It allow to you to search for an information.
Also, to communicate with university management.
First, it is help us to make a lot of ideas. about many subjects wich we
need.
using the internet in university study have two advantages.
to sum up using the internet university easy way and become common
to study.
when he was a child his father died then he work all the time to help
his family.
Then, he depend on him self in order to improvement the living
situation of his family.
Although, from the living difficulty; nevertheless he was one of a
famouse personalities.
In addition, his hair short.
I like his way in telling stories, he make me feel that Im in the middle
of a story.
He prefer to tell me stories happened with him.

Using However or Whereas

However and Whereas can be used to join two different
or opposite ideas:
My

friend prefers watching television. However, I find reading

books more interesting.
My friend prefers watching television, whereas I find reading
books more interesting.
Whereas my friend prefers watching television, I find reading
books more interesting.
NOTE: Use whereas at the beginning of a sentence or in the
middle. Use however at the beginning of a sentence.

Connect the following sentences using However or Whereas

1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.

Skiing is a popular sport. Many young people prefer

snowboarding.
My literature class has over 200 students in it. My
linguistics class has just twelve.
Dogs are more faithful. Cats are more independent.
DVDs are more common these days. I have a huge
video tape collection.
Whereas I like all types of fish, ________________.
The winter season is quite mild in Gaza __________.
My little brother likes to play __________________.
Whereas you have lots of time to do your homework
__________________________________________.

However - another difference - similarly - whereas also - on the other hand but - while

Even though Arizona and Rhode Island are both states of

the U.S., they are different in many ways. For example, the
physical size of each state is different. Arizona is large, having an
area of 114,000 square miles, __________ Rhode Island is only
about a tenth the size, having an area of only 1,214 square miles.
____________ is in the size of the population of each state.
Arizona has about four million people living in it, ___________
Rhode Island has less than one million. The two states _________
differ in the kinds of natural environments that each has. For
example, Arizona is a very dry state, consisting of large desert areas
that do not receive much rainfall every year. ___________,
Rhode Island is located in a temperate zone and receives an average
of 44 inches of rain per year. In addition, ___________ Arizona is
a landlocked state and thus has no seashore, Rhode Island lies on
the Atlantic Ocean and does have a significant coastline.

in the same way alike another similarity similarly similarity too both

Even though we come from different cultures, my wife

and I are __________ in several ways. For one thing, we
are thirty-two years old. In fact, our birthdays are in the same
month, hers on July 10 and mine on July 20. _________ is
that we both grew up in large cities. Helene was born and
raised in Paris and I come from London. Third, our hobbies
are alike _________. My wife devotes a lot of her free time to
playing jazz piano. _________, I like to spend time after work
strumming my guitar. A more important ___________
concerns our values. For example, Helene has strong opinions
about educating our children and raising them to know right
from wrong. I feel _________. Our children should receive a
good education and also have strong moral training.