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What Are Compare & Contrast Essays?

While past and present communication methods share similarities in utilizing both written and oral forms, they differ greatly in speed and available tools. Specifically, letters once took days to arrive but emails are now nearly instant, and the range has expanded from primarily letters and phones to include video calls, social media, and more. Overall, communication has advanced immensely over fifty years through technological progress.

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30 views

What Are Compare & Contrast Essays?

While past and present communication methods share similarities in utilizing both written and oral forms, they differ greatly in speed and available tools. Specifically, letters once took days to arrive but emails are now nearly instant, and the range has expanded from primarily letters and phones to include video calls, social media, and more. Overall, communication has advanced immensely over fifty years through technological progress.

Uploaded by

milagros curi
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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Compare & contrast essays How things are

similar or different

Compare and contrast is a common form of academic writing,


either as an essay type on its own, or as part of a larger essay
which includes one or more paragraphs which compare or
contrast. This page gives information on what a compare and
contrast essay is, how tostructure this type of essay, how to
use compare and contrast structure words, and how to make
sure you use appropriate criteria for comparison/contrast.
There is also an example compare and contrast essay on the
topic of communication technology, as well as
someexercises to help you practice this area.

What are compare & contrast essays?


To compare is to examine how things are similar, while
to contrast is to see how they differ. A compare and contrast
essay therefore looks at the similarities of two or more objects,
and the differences. This essay type is common at university,
where lecturers frequently test your understanding by asking
you to compare and contrast two theories, two methods, two
historical periods, two characters in a novel, etc. Sometimes
the whole essay will compare and contrast, though sometimes
the comparison or contrast may be only part of the essay. It is
also possible, especially for short exam essays, that only the
similarities or the differences, not both, will be discussed. See
the examples below.
Compare and contrast Newton's ideas of gravity with those
proposed by Einstein ['compare and contrast' essay]
Examine how the economies of Spain and China are similar
['compare' only essay]
Explain the differences between Achaemenid Empire and Parthian
Empire ['contrast' only essay]

Structure
There are two main ways to structure a compare and contrast
essay, namely using a blockor a point-by-point structure. For
the block structure, all of the information about one of the
objects being compared/contrasted is given first, and all of the
information about the other object is listed afterwards. This type
of structure is similar to the block structure used forcause and
effect and problem-solution essays. For the point-by-
point structure, each similarity (or difference) for one object is
followed immediately by the similarity (or difference) for the
other. Both types of structure have their merits. The former is
easier to write, while the latter is generally clearer as it ensures
that the similarities/differences are more explicit.
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The two types of structure, block and point-by-point, are shown


in the diagram below.

Block

Introduction
Object 1 - Point 1
Object 1 - Point 2
Object 1 - Point 3
Transition sentence/paragraph
Object 2 - Point 1
Object 2 - Point 2
Object 2 - Point 3
Conclusion

Point-by-point

Introduction
Point 1

Object 1 Object 2

Point 2

Object 1 Object 2

Point 3

Object 1 Object 2

Conclusion

Compare and Contrast Structure Words


Compare and contrast structure words are transition
signals which show the similarities or differences. Below are
some common examples.

Compare
Similarly
Likewise
also
both... and...
not only... but also...
neither... nor...
just like (+ noun)
similar to (+ noun)
to be similar (to)
to be the same as
to be alike
to compare (to/with)

Examples
Computers can be used to communicate easily, for example via
email. Similarly/Likewise, the mobile phone is a convenient tool for communication.
Both computers and mobile phones can be used to communicate easily with other
people.
Just like the computer, the mobile phone can be used to communicate easily with
other people.
The computer is similar to the mobile phone in the way it can be used for easy
communication.
Contrast
However
In contrast
In comparison
By comparison
On the other hand
while
whereas
but
to differ from
to be different (from)
to be dissimilar to
to be unlike

Examples
Computers, although increasingly small, are not always easy to carry from one place
to another. However, the mobile phone can be carried with ease.
Computers are generally not very portable, whereas the mobile phone is.
Computers differ from mobile phones in their lack of portability.
Computers are unlike mobile phones in their lack of portability.
Criteria for comparison/contrast
When making comparisons or contrasts, it is important to be
clear what criteria you are using. Study the following example,
which contrasts two people. Here the criteria are unclear.
Aaron is tall and strong. In contrast, Bruce is handsome and very
intelligent.

Although this sentence has a contrast transition, the criteria for


contrasting are not the same. The criteria used for Aaron
are height (tall) and strength (strong). We would expect similar
criteria to be used for Bruce (maybe he is short and weak), but
instead we have new criteria, namely appearance (handsome)
and intelligence (intelligent). This is a common mistake for
students when writing this type of paragraph or essay.
Compare the following, which has much clearer criteria
(contrast structure words shown in bold).
Aaron and Bruce differ in four ways. The first difference is height.
Aaron is tall, while Bruce is short. A second difference is strength.
Aaron is strong. In contrast, Bruce is weak. A third difference is
appearance. Aaron, who is average looking, differs from Bruce,
who is handsome. The final difference is intelligence. Aaron is of
average intelligence. Bruce, on the other hand, is very intelligent.

Example essay
Below is a compare and contrast essay. This essay uses
the point-by-point structure. Click on the different areas (in the
shaded boxes to the right) to highlight the different structural
aspects in this essay, i.e. similarities, differences, and structure
words. This will highlight not simply the paragraphs, but also
the thesis statement and summary, as these repeat the
comparisons and contrasts contained in the main body.

Title: There have been many advances in technology over the past fifty
years. These have revolutionised the way we communicate with people
who are far away. Compare and contrast methods of communication
used today with those which were used in the past.

Before the advent of computers and modern technology, people


communicating over long distances used traditional means such as
letters and the telephone. Nowadays we have a vast array of
communication tools which can complete this task, ranging from email to
instant messaging and video calls. While the present and previous
means of communication are similar in their general form, they differ in
regard to their speed and the range of tools available.

One similarity between current and previous methods of communication


relates to the form of communication. In the past, both written forms such
as letters were frequently used, in addition to oral forms such as
telephone calls. Similarly, people nowadays use both of these
forms. Just as in the past, written forms of communication are prevalent,
for example via email and text messaging. In addition, oral forms
are still used, including the telephone, mobile phone, and voice
messages via instant messaging services.

However, there are clearly many differences in the way we communicate


over long distances, the most notable of which is speed. This is most
evident in relation to written forms of communication. In the past, letters
would take days to arrive at their destination. In contrast, an email arrives
almost instantaneously and can be read seconds after it was sent. In the
past, if it was necessary to send a short message, for example at work, a
memo could be passed around the office, which would take some time to
circulate. This is different fromthe current situation, in which a text
message can be sent immediately.

Another significant difference is the range of communication methods.


Fifty years ago, the tools available for communicating over long
distances were primarily the telephone and the letter.By comparison,
there are a vast array of communication methods available today. These
include not only the telephone, letter, email and text messages already
mentioned, but also video conferences via software such as Skype or
mobile phone apps such as Wechat, and social media such as Facebook
and Twitter.

In conclusion, methods of communication have greatly advanced over


the past fifty years. While there are some similarities, such as the forms
of communication, there are significant differences, chiefly in relation to
the speed of communication and the range of communication tools
available. There is no doubt that technology will continue to progress in
future, and the advanced tools which we use today may one day also
become outdated.

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