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
- Reading a paperback and Reading an e-book
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
- contains the main idea of the paragraph. In this case, you introduce the two subjects and clearly state whether the focus is on similarities, differences, or both.
Supporting Sentences
- develop the main idea in the topic sentence with specific points to compare and/or contrast. Because a single paragraph is a short composition, you might want to focus on only the similarities or differences between the two subjects.
- are presented in a logical order.
Concluding Sentence
- makes a final statement, perhaps suggesting your overall opinion of the two subjects, which of the two is superior, etc.
Exercise
Please click the Exercise link to continue.