Chapter 11 (Patterns)

Revising a Comparison-and-Contrast essay

Have you included transitional words and phrases that indicate whether you are discussing similarities or differences?

Editing a Comparison-and-Contrast essay

Have you used commas to separate three or more parallel elements in a series?

Editing a Comparison-and-Contrast essay

Have you used parallel structure with paired items linked by correlative conjunctions?

Editing a Comparison-and-Contrast essay

Have you used parallel structure with parallel elements in a series?

Editing a Comparison-and-Contrast essay

Have you used parallel structures with paired items linked by as or them?

Revising a Comparison-and-Contrast essay

What basis for comparison exists between the two subjects you are comparing?

transitional paragraph

a paragraph that connects one part of an essay to another; can be a single sentence that signals a shift in focus or a longer paragraph that provides a summary of what was said before; enable readers to pause and consider what has already been said before moving on to a new subject

comparison transition words

also; in comparison; in the same way; likewise; similarly

Contrast Transition Words

although; in contrast; on the one hand . . . ; but; instead; on the other hand . . . ; conversely; nevertheless; still; despite; nonetheless; whereas; even though; on the contrary; yet; however

Subject-by-subject comparison

an organizational rhetorical strategy in which you essentially write a separate section about each subject, and you discuss the same points for both subjects. basis of comparison guides the selection of points. Points are arranged in some logical order, usually in the order of their increasing significance; antonym of point-by-point comparison.

Point-by-point comparison

an organizational rhetorical strategy in which you make a point about one subject and then follow it with a comparable point about the other. This alternating pattern continues throughout the body of your essay until all you points have been made; antonym of subject-by-subject comparison.

Most appropriate use for Point-by-point comparisons

complicated essays in which you discuss many different points.

Revising a Comparison-and-Contrast essay

consider the items on page 66.

Revising a Comparison-and-Contrast essay

does your assignment call for comparison and contrast?

analogy

explains an idea or thing by comparing it to a second, more familiar thing (David K. Cohen use analogy to shed light on the nature of contemporary American High Schools).

Editing a Comparison-and-Contrast essay

focus on the grammar, mechanics, and punctuation issues that are particularly relevant

Editing a Comparison-and-Contrast essay

follow guidelines on pages 83, 86, and 89

Parallelism

--the use of matching nouns, verbs, phrases, or clause to express the same or similar ideas--frequently used in the comparison-and-contrast essays to emphasize the similarities and differences between one point and another.

example of a thesis statement that highlights differences

Although Melville's Moby Dick and London's The Sea Wolf are both about the sea, the minor characters, major characters, and themes of Moby-Dick establish its great complexity.

Revising a Comparison-and-Contrast essay

Do you discuss the same or similar points for both subjects?

Revising a Comparison-and-Contrast essay

Does your essay have a clear thesis statement that identifies both the subjects you are comparing and the points you are making about them?

example of a thesis statement that emphasizes similarity

Even though television and radio are distinctly different media, they use similar strategies to appeal to their audiences.

Revising a Comparison-and-Contrast essay

If you have written a subject-by-subject comparison, have you included appropriate transitions and varied your sentence structure to indicate your shift from one point to another?

Strategy usage rule

In general, you should use subject-by-subject comparison when your purpose is to emphasize overall similarities or differences, and you should use point-by-point comparison when your purpose is to emphasize individual points of similarity or difference.

Comparisons should . . .

lead you beyond the obvious. for instance, at first the idea of a comparison-contrast essay based on an analogy between bees and people might seem absurd: after all, these two creatures differ in species, physical structure, and intelligence. After further analysis, you might decide that bees and people have quite a few things in common. Both are social animals that live in complex social structures, and have tasks to perform and roles to fulfill in their respective societies. Therefore, you could write about them, but you would focus on the common elements.

when you compare and contrast . . .

make sure you treat the same (or at least similar) points for each subject you discuss. for instance, if you were going to compare and contrast two novels, you might consider the following points in both works. Novel A Novel B minor characters/minor characters major characters/major characters themes/themes

basis for comparison

must be sure this exists before you can compare and contrast two things for example: although cats and dogs are very different, they share several significant elements: they are mammals, they make good pets, and they are intelligent. (Without these shared elements, there would be no basis for comparison and nothing important to discuss.

when to use parallelism

paired items or with items in a series example: According to Bruce Catton, Lee was strong, aristocratic, and dedicated to the Confederacy Parallelism: strong, aristocratic, and dedicated to the Confederacy

After you decide which subjects to compare and contrast, you need to . . .

select the points you want to discuss. You do this by determining your emphasis--on similarities, differences, or both--and the major focus of your essay example: If you purpose in comparing two types of houseplants is to explain that one is easier to grow than the other, you would select points having to do with plant care, not those having to do with plant biology.

Most appropriate use for Subject-by-subject comparisons

short, uncomplicated essays

contrast

shows how two or more things are different

comparison

shows how two or more things are similar

the two basic comparison-and-contrast strategies used in body paragraphs

subject by subject or point by point

what should the thesis statement do?

tell the readers what to expect in your essay, identifying not only the subjects to be compared and contrasted but also the point you will make about them. should also indicate whether you are will concentrate on similarities, differences, or both.

after selecting the points you want to discuss, what do you develop next?

thesis statement