CLASS MATERIAL

WEEK 4
CEL2103 WRITING ACADEMIC TEXTS
SEMESTER 1, 2021-2022

Developing Introductory Paragraph in Comparison

and Contrast Essay
 Components of an introductory paragraph of a
compare and contrast essay
- Thesis statement
 Language
- Tenses and Subject-Verb Agreement
 Components of an Introductory Paragraph: Thesis Statement

A thesis statement is an important component in an introductory paragraph of a compare

and contrast essay.

Activity 1
What is the purpose of a thesis statement in a compare and contrast essay?
_________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________

Activity 2
What are some characteristics of an effective thesis statement for a compare and contrast
essay?

a. ___________________________________________________
b. ___________________________________________________
c. ___________________________________________________

Activity 3
Below are examples of thesis statement for compare and contrast essays.

i. Underline and label the subjects (S)

ii. Underline and label the points of comparison that will be discussed (P)
iii. Underline and label the transition signal used to compare the subjects (T)

Example:

While (T) high school and college (S) share similarities in terms of class management (P),
they also have differences especially in emotional maturity that is required for success (P).

1. Although authoritative and permissive parenting styles are seemingly complete opposites
especially about setting up rules, both styles have one key similarity where parents who
practise the parenting styles encourage their children to make decisions.
2. Many people cannot tell the taste difference between Coke and Pepsi, but there are
distinct differences in nutritional content and advertising.

3. While many public and private schools make student safety a high priority, they differ in
aspects of funding and administration.

4. Hitler and Stalin were both powerful and strategic leaders, but they caused different
impacts on World War II.

Activity 4
Below are poorly written compare and contrast thesis statements, identify the reasons and
rewrite the thesis statements.

Thesis statement 1

Living in an urban and a rural area are similar in some ways but different in others.
Reason:
Correction:

Thesis statement 2

Plan A and Plan B offer inexpensive and good line reception with no binding contracts;
moreover, Plan B offers better value for the money for people who do not have a landline.
Reason:
Correction:

Thesis statement 3

Electric vehicles and biodiesel vehicles share some similarities as both have better fuel
economy and energy security.
Reason:
Correction:
Thesis statement 4

Coffee and tea seem to be very different. They are quite similar in some ways.
Reason:
Correction:

Thesis statement 5

Although online classes may require a great amount of work, they allow better flexibility.
Reason:
Correction:

Activity 5
Write a thesis statement for each of the topics below.

Topic 1: The similarities and differences of attending public school and home school
_________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________

Topic 2: The comparison between the benefits of drinking coffee and drinking tea
_________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________

Topic 3: A comparison between the benefits of studying abroad and studying locally
_________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________

Topic 4: A comparison between the benefits of medicines and natural remedies

_________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________

Topic 5: The similarities and differences between e-books and textbooks

_________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________
 Language: Tenses

Using the correct tenses is important to make your writing clearer.

Activity 6

Which tense would you use in the following situations?

Situation Tense

A common knowledge

What happened in an experiment

Ideas that were held in the past

Something that has changed over time

Someone’s opinion

The results of an experiment

A habitual action in the present

Recent research and its present impact

A theory

A claim which is no longer valid

A fact

Activity 7

Fill in the blanks with the correct tenses (simple present / simple past / present perfect) of
the verbs in the parenthesis.

The Covid crisis __________ (make) people to work from home, so all the learning
activities had to take place online. However, is it a good substitute for traditional learning?
Online learning takes place over the internet and __________ (be) a form of distance
learning. It can be teacher lead at a specific time (synchronous) or student-paced working
through the material unguided (asynchronous). Content can be delivered as text, images
and video, and features could include online assessment or interactive activities. Traditional
learning occurs in a classroom with a teacher who __________ (plan) and __________
(present) a particular topic lesson. The teacher can use various educational tools such as
introducing information on a chalk or whiteboard, student presentations, group or partner
work, and individual exercises or activities. Class quizzes, informal assessments and
homework assignments can be set. Both online learning and traditional learning require
students to use study materials, but they differ in flexibility.

Both online learning and traditional learning need students to use study materials. These
students typically __________ (has) Internet access, so websites and research materials are
equally available. For example, textbooks and online resources are used for classroom
assignments. Textbooks used are the same for both types of learning, so there __________
(be) no discrepancy in content. It is the requirement for the students in both styles of learning
to use course textbooks to prepare for and complete their reading and writing assignments.
Even though a course may be taken online, __________ (textbook) are still central to
learning relevant information. Some __________ (course), however, may allow the students
to purchase the material in an "e-book" format, which is an electronic book. Whether they
buy the material as an e-book or as a hardcover book, they will have to learn and use the
materials. Smith (2020) __________ (identify) that whether online classes or traditional
physical setting, students will be assigned homework to complete. Like traditional courses,
students are expected to do a series of reading and writing assignments relevant to the
course they __________ (enrol) in.

Although there is a similarity in study materials, online learning and traditional learning are
different in terms of flexibility. A traditional learning __________ (take) place at a specific
location and a set time. For example, the teacher __________ (give) the students a
timetable of their classes for the week, so the teacher will expect them to attend the course
at the specified time. The students will have missed the teacher’s lesson if they __________
(be, not) attend the class. However, there may be an opportunity to catch up on some work,
but this catch-up work will, in most cases, not be of the same standard as the lesson
presented. In some __________ (situation), if the students missed too many classes, they
might not be allowed to sit for the final exam. This time dependency __________ (make) the
traditional education approach difficult for some students with outside commitments, such as
family or work. On the other hand, the online learning approach provides much-needed
flexibility. Students can log into a course at any time of the day and __________ (complete)
the course content at their own pace. They will receive the same lesson content as other
students and not be penalised if they did not log in simultaneously. Communication in these
 courses can be asynchronous through an online forum, where students can leave messages
and reply to other students at any point. Students can fit in their learning as and when they
have the time for courses without a set completion date. Watson (2020) __________ (find)
that most online courses have set completion requirements such as reading or viewing all
material and completing an online assessment and not set times spent online. This means
online learning __________ (offer) the flexibility for students who have full-time jobs or might
need to care for a family member.

Adapted from: McNulty, N. (2021). Online Education vs Traditional Education.

https://www.niallmcnulty.com/2021/04/what-is-the-difference-between-online-education-and-
traditional-education/

Language: Subject-verb Agreement

Activity 8
The text below contains TEN subject-verb agreement errors. Identify and correct the errors.

Although the function of formal and informal communication are similar in getting
the message across in an organisation, they differ in the purpose of use. Formal
communication channels are those channels which is specifically designed to pave ways
of information flow in an organisation. Usually, these communication channel are included
within the job descriptions of individual employees and general standard procedures of a
business. The management is responsible for timely and accurate implementation of
formal communication channels for smooth running of its organisations. Although informal
communication channels exists in every organisation, they are not officially used. They
serve as a medium for employees to meet their social, emotional and personal needs.
Besides that, formal communication channels is developed to regulate the day-to-day
operational activities of a business. Larger business recruit special officers or personnel
for efficient and timely dispersal of information in all directions of the organisation including
top-to-bottom and bottom-to-top. On the other hand, informal communication channels are
unofficial and is not directly related to the day-to-day activities of the business; however,
employees of an organisation uses these channels to perform their daily tasks along with
formal communication channels. According to Harappa (2020) formal communication is
also called official communication where formal communication often follow a specific
structure or channels such as emails to the clients, whereas informal communication can
often flow freely in any direction.

Adapted from: Formal vs informal communication. (2020). https://www.termscompared.com/formal-

vs-informal-communication/