(See related pages)
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| 1. Comparison and contrast is the act of discovering similarities and differences between two people, places, events, objects, or ideas. When we are asked to compare/contrast, especially in school, we may be expected to compare or contrast or do both. |
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| 2. Comparison and contrast is a fundamental process by which we explore and evaluate unfamiliar things and circumstances in the light of those we already know. |
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| 3. Comparison may take the form of an analogy, metaphor, or simile. |
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| 4. Comparison/contrast, as in all patterns of development we have worked with in this unit, is often used to develop a single point within a paragraph in which other patterns are also used (e.g., process analysis, cause/effect, description, etc.) |
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| 5. Contrasts should be meaningful and interesting, but you should choose two topics that are similar enough to be compared. |
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| 6. Two ways to organize comparison/contrast are block and point-by-point. |
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| 7. Transitional words and other connectors are especially important to introducing each new point under discussion and in signaling the shift from one block topic to the next. |
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| 8. Comparison and contrast papers can be organized spatially or chronologically but are frequently arranged by order of importance. |
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| 9. Subtopic sentences are useful for introducing each new point of comparison or contrast. |
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| 10. The topic sentence should mention the topic, make a statement about it, and indicate that a comparison or contrast paper is forthcoming. |
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| 11. The concluding sentence should begin with a connector, link to the topic sentence, and expand the point of the paper. |
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| 12. Writing is never complete until it has gone through several revisions and careful editing. |