Paragraphs
of Comparison
General Overview
The
comparison essay is used to highlight similarities between things. In order to
do this you have to make sure that you have picked two things which are
actually comparable. They need to share some features. This can be done for
humorous effect when comparing things that are not normally compared. For
example, like categories of things (like people, places and things) are what we
usually compare. People are generally compared to other people, but if you
decide to compare your friend to a garbage dump it can be quite funny.
Let's
look at a sample comparison paragraph and analyze the structure and expressions
used.
It's
really hard to choose between the two applicants, Sebastian Slime and Mordecai
Rossi, because they have so much in common. Firstly, they each have an MBA from
Harvard and performed equally well in their course work. Since finishing
graduate school, Sebastian has been able to use his personality to assume a
responsible position in a trade company. In the same way, Mordecai has been
able to assume a responsible position in a manufacturing company. Both seem to
have performed well in those jobs. What is most remarkable though, is that they
have identical hobbies and are members of the same clubs. They enjoy skiing,
golf and bridge and have membership of the Snob Valley Country Club and the
Brown Nose Beach Bridge Association.
The
topic sentence should clearly indicate that the paragraph's purpose is that of
comparison and also clearly indicate what is being compared. In this case, the
words much in common indicate that the paragraph is a comparison.
Sebastian Slime and Mordecai Rossi are the two applicants being contrasted.
Here`s
another, similar, paragraph to look at.
It
is really hard to choose between the two applicants, Sebastian Slime and
Mordecai Rossi, because they have so much in common. Sebastian Slime completed
his MBA at Harvard and performed well in his course work. Since finishing
graduate school, he has used his personality to assume a position of
responsibility in a company and perform well in that job. His hobbies include
skiing, golf and bridge and he maintains membership of the Snob Valley Country
Club and the Brown Nose Bridge Club. Similarly, Mordecai Rossi completed his
MBA at Harvard and performed well in his course work. Since finishing graduate
school he has also used his personality to assume a position of responsibility
in a company and perform well in that job. Remarkably, he too enjoys skiing,
golf and bridge and maintains membership of the Snob Valley Country Club and
the Brown Nose Beach Bridge Club.
The
two paragraphs differ in how the points are arranged. In comparison (as well as
contrast writing) there are basically two ways of organizing points; according
to point or according to subject. The first paragraph is organized according to
point, while the second one is organized by subject. It is impossible to say
which way is better it is up to you to choose which ever one you like better.
Just make sure that you pick one of them and stick to it. Do not switch
organization patterns in the middle of your writing.
Comparison
and Contrast Paragraphs
Skills
in writing comparisons and contrasts are very useful and are needed in many
situations such as in college and business. Literature majors, for example, may
be required to compare and/or contrast two characters in a play by Shakespeare.
Your boss may want you to survey certain equipment the company is considering
buying and prepare a report contrasting the relative advantages and
disadvantages of each.
In
all these examples and in general, contrast and comparison writing is used to
gain further understandings of a thing, person or place in relation to another.
The
Contrast Paragraph
The
contrast paragraph is used to highlight differences. You might be contrasting
the physical appearance of two brothers, the differences between two
universities or two types of music. Let`s begin by studying 2 contrast
paragraphs and analyzing the structure and expressions used.
There
are many differences between my two brothers, Paul and Patrick. Paul is very
tall and muscular whereas Patrick is very short and thin. Paul likes energetic
hobbies like basketball, boxing and soccer unlike Patrick who prefers sedentary
hobbies like stamp collecting and chess. Paul really dislikes studying and does
very poorly in exams but Patrick loves study and is one of the brightest
students in his class. Paul wants to be famous for his sporting achievements in
contrast to Patrick who wants to be famous for his academic achievements.
The
topic sentence of a contrasting paragraph should always contain a clue that the
writing which follows is a contrast. In this example, the topic sentence (the
1st sentence) contains the word `differences` which indicates that a
contrast will follow. It should also clearly indicate what or who is being
contrasted - the subjects
Note
that transitional expressions are frequently used in this paragraph.
The
paragraph has been written by dealing with each point separately. The author
contrasts Paul and Patrick in terms of physical appearance, followed by
hobbies, study attitude and academic ability and lastly, in terms of ambition.
The paragraph outline could be represented as follows:
Point
1. Paul and Patrick
Point
2. Paul and Patrick
Point
3. Paul and Patrick
Point
4. Paul and Patrick
Now
read the following paragraph which also compares the two brothers but organizes
the ideas differently:
There
are many differences between my two brothers, Paul and Patrick. Paul is very
tall and muscular and enjoys active hobbies like basketball, boxing and soccer.
He dislikes studying and does poorly in exams. Paul`s ambition is to be famous
for his sporting achievements. Patrick, on the other hand, is very short and
thin and enjoys sedentary hobbies like stamp collecting and chess. He loves
studying and is one of the brightest students in his class. Patrick`s ambition
is to be famous for academic achievements.
The
information contained in the two examples are the same and the topic sentences
are identical. The difference is in the arrangement of information. In the
first paragraph, the information is organized by point whereas is the second
paragraph, the information is arranged according to subject (Paul and Patrick).
This difference will be much clearer if we view the paragraph outline below.
Paul
Point 1
Point
2
Point
3
Point
4
Patrick
Point 1
Point
2
Point
3
Point
4
Notice
that in this arrangement, only one transitional expression is used.
Which
arrangement is better? Which one makes easier reading? Generally, the first
arrangement is preferred when there are many points. It makes it easier to go
back and forth so that the reader can keep the contrasts in mind. For example,
if we used the second arrangement for something with 20 points, the first few
points about A would probably be forgotten by the time the reader gets to read
about the first few points about B thus making contrast difficult. On the other
hand, the second arrangement is preferred when there are only a few points. In
this case, the paragraph reads much more smoothly. The first arrangement would
seem monotonous and a little redundant for short paragraphs. Look at the
paragraphs about Paul and Patrick: the second arrangement is preferred because
there is only a small amount of information in 4 points.
*
Written by Stephen van Vlack for his class, Advanced Speaking and
Composition, in Sookmyung Women¡¯s University.
