Part One: Discussion

The pairs below are things that seem very similar. With a partner or group, brainstorm the ways in which these things are different.

  • Nike and Adidas
  • Canada and the US
  • holidays and weekends

Part Two: Writing

One of the most common academic writing tasks is the "Compare and/or Contrast" composition. The key to an interesting comparison is to avoid the obvious; if two subjects appear similar, focusing on the differences will result in more interesting and unexpected ideas. In this unit, you will write a single paragraph comparing/contrasting two subjects. The paragraph should follow the basic structure covered in Unit One:

Paragraph Structure

Topic Sentence

  • This is a sentence, usually the first or second one, that describes the main idea and focus of your paragraph.
  • In order to be effective, a topic sentence can’t be too narrow, too broad, incomplete, or an announcement.

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Exercise

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