Comparison-and-Contrast

Comparison and Contrast

A Brief Introduction

比较和对照的写作方法

Definitions of comparison and contrast comparison: You are

asked to explain how two or more things are alike.

Contrast: You are asked to explain how two or more things are

different.

一．目标：掌握英语作文中比较和对照的写作方法（比较着重相似点，而对照强调不同之处）；

二．使用比较和对照写作方法的一般是说明文与论说文，常见的比较对照有两种方式:

1. 块状比较方式（block presentation or the subject-by-subject），先A后B，即A1, A2, A3...；B1，B2，B3...。

2. 逐点比较方式（alternating presentation or the point-by-point），AB交错，即A1，B1；A2，B2；A3，B3...。

Comparison and contrast is a method that is often used by writers to

analyze the similarities and differences between two subjects. To compare is

to bring out the similarities between two things， and to contrast， which is a

form of comparison， is to emphasize the differences between them. As a

result， we can understand the two subjects better than we would do if we just

examine the two individually.

In writing a comparison and contrast essay， you may emphasize either

the similarities or the differences between the two subjects， or if you like， you

may include in your essay both the similarities and differences. No matter what

you may emphasize in your essay， remember you should make a point in

your essay， that is， there should be a purpose for making the comparison

and the contrast. If the two items are too similar or too different， there won’t

be any point in comparing or contrasting them.

Three purposes for making a comparison and contrast:

A. To present information about something unfamiliar by comparing it with

something familiar.

B. To show the superiority of one thing by comparing it with another.

C. To show the reader of the similarities and differences of two things to

help the reader understand or evaluate them.

The organization of a comparison and contrast essay：

A .How to introduce a comparison and contrast essay

You can introduce your comparison and contrast essay by explaining clear

your purpose for making the comparison and/or contrast. You can also present

the background information that promotes you to write the essay.

B. How to organize the body of a comparison and contrast essay：

When you come to the body of a comparison and contrast essay， you

should follow the following two steps：

Identifying the points： If you don’t know what points to compare and/or

contrast about the subjects， you can create a list of potential points for each

of the subjects. Then you can rearrange these points.

2. Choosing an effective pattern to organize the similarities and differences.

a） The subject-by-subject pattern： to present each of the two subjects

separately， that is， to present first about one of the subjects， covering the

points completely， then proceed to the other subject， also covering all the

points completely. In general， this way works better in short essays where few

aspects are considered， or where the writer’s interest is in the whole. Its

pattern is like the following：

b） The point-by-point pattern： to discuss the two subjects for each point of

comparison and contrast， that is， you write about the first point in terms of

the similarities and differences between the two subjects， then proceed to the

next point， and so on. This way is preferable in long essays where many

aspects are mentioned， for a long discussion of the various aspects of one

item puts too much burden on the reader’s memory. Its pattern is like the

following：

c） The sim-diff pattern： The writer puts all the similarities between the

subjects together and all the differences together. This technique is suitable for

those subjects whose similarities and differences are more balanced. In an

essay using this pattern to organize the body part， the whole essay will be

arranged in the following way：

Introduction

Similarities

Differences

Conclusion

C. How to end a comparison and contrast essay：

Your conclusion should help your readers draw conclusions. You may

propose an action， stimulate the reader or make a generalization. You can

also restate your purpose in a fresh way.

Country Life and City Life

It is really hard to say which is better than the other, city life or rural life.

Both have their merits and shortcomings.

Living in the city has a great many advantages. First, you can enjoy various

kinds of foods, both foreign and domestic. Second, there are more cultural

activities in the city – you can go to the concert, the theatre, the movies or the

disco club after a day’s hard work. But city life has many problems, too. The

overcrowded population, traffic jam, industrial pollution, and the lack of

understanding between people may result in disease and unhappiness. Living

in the country, however, you can watch the magnificent sunrise and sunset

and listen to the bird singing in the tree. If you want, you can certainly have a

huge garden when a small green space seems a luxury in the city. In the

country, you don’t have so much worries. You can enjoy the pleasure of work

by planting seeds in the earth and watching them grow into flowers and finally

into fruits or food. But rural life may not be that perfect. Things are going so

slowly that sometimes you may feel that you are absolute left behind in some

remote corners of the world. You may again miss the parties, friends and

movies in the city.

Like anything else, country life and city life have their advantages and

disadvantages. The best solution may be that you enjoy pleasures of both

lives and get rid of their inconveniences.

Middle School Life and College Life

There are many differences between middle school and the college.

First，in middle school，we have to listen to what the teacher says in class, to

understand the content of the text. But in college，we must study by

ourselves before class. If not，we couldn't follow the teacher. Second，there

are lots of rules in middle school. For example，we should wear the uniform，the girls must have their hair cut short， and we are not allowed to make boy-

or girlfriends. However，in college，we have more freedom. We can wear the

clothes we like. And the girls could have long beautiful hair. We are also free

to make boy or girlfriends. The third，in the middle school，we must study first.

That means we could do nothing but study. In contrast，we have to do

everything by ourselves in college. That means we must plan our time

carefully. There are also other differences between our school life and our

college life. We have to learn to adapt ourselves to college life.

三．写作步骤

1. 写前阶段：写作提纲

1) 对两个对象或一个对象的两个方面进行比较与对照分析，找出相似点/不同之处。

如分析Online shopping or in-store shopping（网络购物还是店内购

Advantages

Convenient;

Online shopping Cheap;

A lot of selections

Personal, talk;

In-store

Know the quality;

shopping

Good for health

tiring

Time-consuming;

Disadvantages

Cheated;

Cannot see the items in

person;

Expensive;

2. 写作阶段：利用相关资料，组织结构与内容

1) Useful words and phrases:

by contrast, on the contrary, while, whereas, on the other hand, unlike, instead,

but, conversely, different from, however, nevertheless, otherwise, whereas,

unlike, yet, in contrast, even so, less/han, although, in opposition

to, on the contrary, on the other hand, on the opposite side

2）Useful expressions

Just like a coin has two sides, everyting has its advantages and disadvantages,

and … is no exception.

The advantage far outweigh the disadvantages.

The advantages of A are much greater than those of B.

A may be preferable to B, but A suffers from the

For all the disadvantages, it has its compensating advantages.

Like anything else, it has its faults.

A and B has several points in common.

A bears some resemblances to B.

However, the same is not applicable to B.

A and B differ in several ways.

Evidently, it has both negative and positive effects.

The same is true of B.

Wondering as A is ,it has its drawbacks.

It is true that A ... , but the chief faults (obvious defects )are ...

比较型作文常用句型

首段

It is widely accepted / an undeniable fact that…

There used to be a heated discussion over …

Nowadays, there are two ways to…, such as A and B.

Some people prefer ….,

while others insist that… T

hose who are in favor of A argue that…

But I am in favor of … / But I prefer to do…/But I agree with the former/latter one

中立的观点：

As for me, I ‘m in favor of a combination of A and B./ I prefer to combine A and B.

Personally, I prefer to strike a balance between A and B.

主体部分

First and foremost,…

What’s more,…

Last but not least,

First of all,…

Moreover,…

Most importantly,…

It is true that A is…,but B…

There are several strong points of A.

The advantages of A are much greater than those of B

However, the advantages of A outweigh it disadvantages.

结尾段

For this reason, I like doing….

Of course, A has its own merits.

But I’m still in favor of B.

3）Useful Writing Patterns

（1）块状比较模板：

模板一

It is really hard to say which is better than the other, A or B. Both have their merits and

shortcomings.

A has a great many advantages. First, …. Second, …. Third, …. Wondering as A is , it

has its drawbacks. First of all, …. Besides, …. B is quite different from B in many ways.

Its positive sides are as follows. Firstly, …. Sencondly, …. Like anyting else, B has its

faults, such as….

Evidently, both A and B have their positive and negative best solution may

be that you enjoy pleasures of the both and get rid of their inconveniences. 模板二

The topic of ____ (主题) is becoming more and more popular recently. There are two

sides of opinions about it. Some people say _A__ is their favorite. They hold their view for

the reason of ______(A理由一). What’s more, _____(A理由二). Moreover, _____(A理由三).

While others think that __B__ is a better choice in the following three reasons.

Firstly,______ (B理由一).Secondly/Besides, ______ (B理由二). Thirdly/ Finally, ______(B

理由三).

For my point of view, I think ______(我的观点). The reason is that _____ (原因). As a

matter of fact, there are some other reason to explain my choice. For me, the former is

surely a wise choice.

模板三

There is a heated debate over ______(主题). It is commonly accepted that __A__ . In

contrast, others think that __B___ .

Those who hold the first opinion suggest that ______(A理由一). In their view, ______ (A理由二).

However, others think ______(B理由一).They argue that _______(B理由二) .

Considering one after another, I stand on the side of _A/B__ . First of all, ______(原因

一). Furthermore, _______(原因二). Thirdly, ______(原因三). Therefore, I am in favor of

the idea _____ (我的观点).

（2）逐点比较框架：

Both A and B are very popular in today’s society. Just like a coin has two sides, everyting

has its advantages and disadvantages, and A and B are no exception.

There are many differences between A and B. In the first place, A…. On the contrary,

B…. In the second place，A …. Unlike A, B…. Last but by no means the least, A …. By

contrast, B….

Both A and B have their strong points and weak points respectively. People can choose

which way to use according to their own likes and dislikes.

Beijing and Shanghai

As we all know, Beijing and Shanghai are two major cities in China. But they have

some similarities and differences.

Beijing is the national capital, the political and cultural center of the nation while

Shanghai is the most populous city in China and a very modern economic powerhouse.

Beijing is the emperor’s seat in the north; conversely, Shanghai is the giant of the south. In

winter, it’s much colder in Beijing than in Shanghai.

Besides differences, they also share some similarities. For example, there are traffic

jams in both cities. Like Shanghai, Beijing also has a large population. And the people and

government in both cities are very capable. Beijing held Olympic Games in 2008 while

Shanghai holds the 2010 World Expo.