Writing Exposition

compound

Football built character; it turned boys into men.

word marathon

Freewrite about a single topic for ten minutes and then focus on one of your ideas to use as a topic.

mental shopping

Imagine yourself making a purchase and compare and contrast the products you find most interesting.

word association

List word pairs with a partner to better understand a topic through comparing and contrasting.

Why is it necessary to include details that support both similarities and differences?

Showing both presents the reader with a well-balanced essay.

complex

Still, the game was basically a defensive affair in which serious injuries were common.

What is one way to strengthen the connections between your ideas?

add transitions to link ideas

Underlining Main Ideas and Checking Paragraphs Read through your draft, and underline each main idea. If you have more than one main idea within a paragraph, break that paragraph into two paragraphs. If a paragraph has no main idea, read it carefully. If it contains support for a main idea presented in another paragraph, combine the two paragraphs. If the paragraph serves a specific function, leave it as is. If the paragraph is part of a paragraph block, leave it as is. Now try to answer a few questions about paragraph types and main ideas.

A topical paragraph _____. A) revolves around a main idea

Drafting: Shaping Your Writing You are now ready to begin drafting your comparison-and-contrast essay. During prewriting, you uncovered various details about the subjects you are comparing and contrasting. Now, decide on a clear organizational strategy to keep those details from becoming jumbled and confusing.

Choose an Effective Organization You can use these two common approaches when writing a comparison-and-contrast essay: Point-by-Point Comparison Discuss one feature or aspect of both subjects, and then move on to another feature. Continue until you have covered all of your points. Subject-by-Subject Comparison Discuss one subject fully, and then move on to the next subject. Make sure that the sequence of details in the second discussion mirrors that of the first. Click or tap through the activity to see the difference between the two approaches for making comparisons

Editing and Proofreading: Focusing on Punctuation Read your draft carefully. Make your essay error-free by fixing errors in spelling, punctuation, and grammar. Read your draft carefully and fix any errors you find in punctuation. Check especially to make sure you have correctly used commas in sentences in which ideas have been combined. If you need to, review the rules of comma punctuation. Try to answer the question on the next screen to see how well you know the rules for placing commas in sentences.

Hamlet becomes a tragic hero but Macbeth becomes a villain. Where should a comma be added? A) after hero

compound-complex

He dismissed all of his coaches as soon as he became quarterback, and he began making his own decisions.

Revising Your Sentences Vary Your Sentences—During revision, identify sentence patterns that you rely on too heavily and make adjustments. An effective essay uses sentences of various lengths as well as types to create interest and flow. Recall the four basic sentence types: Simple sentence—an independent clause that is a complete thought. Compound sentence—contains two independent clauses linked by a comma and a coordinating conjunction; or linked by a semicolon. Complex sentence—contains one independent clause and one or more subordinate clauses. Compound-complex sentence—contains at least one subordinate clause and at least two independent clauses. Notebook Write these sentence types down in your notes.

Here are some examples of each of the four types of sentences: Simple Sentence Sir Laurence Olivier was a great Shakespearean actor. Compound Sentence Olivier starred in many stage productions of Shakespeare plays, and he also starred in movies of these plays. Complex Sentence Because he preferred the stage to film, Olivier made only a handful of films of Shakespeare's plays. Compound-Complex Sentence These films, although they were critically acclaimed, did not translate into box office success, so Olivier turned to more commercial films. Let's take a closer look at two of these sentence types.

Prewriting: Choosing Your Topic First, you must generate your topic by finding two or more related things or ideas. Use these strategies to select a topic you would like to develop: Writing Marathon If you have a single subject that interests you but do not know to what you could compare it, perform a "writing marathon": freewrite about your topic for at least ten minutes and jot down everything that comes to mind about the subject. When you're finished writing, read what you have written to see if you have generated any possible topics for a comparison. If so, focus your comparison-and-contrast essay on that topic. Mental Shopping Imagine yourself shopping in a store. What products might you compare before making a buying decision? You can concentrate on a large purchase, such as a bicycle or jacket, or a small purchase that affects your daily life, such as toothpaste or shampoo. As you visualize the store, jot down notes or sketches to help you focus on two or more products. Choose as a topic the products you find most interesting. Notebook Write these strategies in your notebook.

Here is one more strategy to help you generate a topic. Word Association Work with a partner to create a list of pairs. Your pairs might be opposites or closely related subjects. Take turns suggesting a person, character, subject, idea, or product, and allow your partner to respond with the first related idea that comes to mind. After listing ideas and responses, choose as a topic a pair that you could understand better through comparing and contrasting. Take a look at the chart to see how word association works. IDEA high school keats sonnet email satire RESPONSE college Shelley Dracula soliloquy World Wide Web parody

Revising Your Paragraphs To make your comparison-and-contrast essay effective, make sure you have effectively grouped your thoughts, details, and support into paragraphs. Paragraphs present a unit of thought. Some units are expressed in a single sentence; some are expressed through several. There are three good ways to organize your paragraphs effectively. These paragraph arrangements are called topical paragraphs, functional paragraphs, and paragraph blocks. Let's take a look at each.

Identify Paragraphs Topical Paragraphs A topical paragraph revolves around a main idea that is expressed in its topic sentence. All other sentences within this type of paragraph should support or relate to the paragraph's topic sentence. Functional Paragraphs A functional paragraph serves a specific purpose. For example, it may emphasize a single point, create a special effect, show a shift from one speaker to another, or provide a transition. Paragraph Blocks A paragraph block refers to a topic sentence that is supported by several paragraphs in sequence. Paragraphs blocks are useful when presenting characteristics of a subject, citing causes, distinguishing features, or enumerating components of something. Notebook Make sure to take notes on these types of paragraphs.

Prewriting: Evaluating Your Topic Choose subjects to compare that share enough similarities and have enough differences to make the comparison useful. Evaluate Similarities and Differences—To evaluate your subjects, use a chart to note similarities and differences. Review your chart to make sure your subjects share enough qualities to make an effective topic for comparison. First, take a look at this chart to see an example of ineffective comparison.

Now take a look at this next chart to see an example of effective comparison. Notice the fairly even amount of similarities and differences. Be sure you pick subjects that allow for this. Also, the individual points raised in this chart are much more specific, and will lend themselves much more easily to further elaboration. Pointing out that both plays are love stories is vague; however, pointing out that both plays explore the theme of love overcoming differences suggests that the writer has a stronger understanding of both subjects. Effective Comparison Romeo and Juliet and West Side Story Similarities Differences Both tell the same story. Both are plays that have been filmed. Both are related characters. Both explore the theme of love overcoming differences. Settings are Different. Time periods are different. One is drama; one is musical. Backgrounds of characters are different.

Prewriting: Considering Your Audience and Purpose Select details and choose a style of language that will appeal to your audience and help you achieve your purpose. Consider Your Purpose—When writing exposition, your general purpose is to inform. However, you must have a more specific purpose to guide your choices as you collect ideas, draft, and revise. For example, if you are writing a consumer report and your purpose is to educate readers, use words and details that are formal, precise, and factual. If your purpose is to warn readers, include details and language that have strong connotations and a serious impact.

Prewriting: Gathering Details By now you have chosen your topic, evaluated it, and considered your purpose. Now it is time to gather the details necessary to make your essay persuasive and interesting. As you learn about how to gather details for this type of essay, remember that you are striving to create a balanced comparison. You want to make sure that you collect details in similar categories about each of your subjects. Your essay will investigate both similarities and differences.

Publishing and Presenting: Building Your Portfolio No matter how you share your comparison-and-contrast essay, you will learn a lot from the reaction of your audience. Use the following ideas for publishing and presenting your essay: School Bulletin—Publish your consumer review in a school bulletin to share your findings with an audience. Talk with readers to see whether or not they agree with your conclusions. Class Essay Contest—Hold a class contest with a panel of student judges to determine the most effective comparison-and-contrast essays. Winning essays can be read aloud, posted, or printed in a pamphlet. Talk as a class about the qualities shared by each of the best entries. Think About It For many of us, sharing our written work with the public is overwhelming. Ask yourself why this can actually help you grow as a writer.

Publishing and Presenting: Reflecting on Your Writing Think about the strategies you used to complete your essay. Then, respond to the following questions and save your responses in your portfolio. What did you learn about your topic as you gathered details? What advice would you give to a student who is about to begin a comparison-and-contrast essay? You're almost done! First, click or tap through this rubric for self-assessment. Use it to evaluate your finished essay.

Drafting: Providing Elaboration As you draft, create a complete picture of each subject you are comparing and contrasting. Use specific details to show the extent to which or the ways in which your subjects are similar and different. Support you statements by providing details that emphasize how your subjects are similar and different, and then prove or illustrate those points of similarity or difference. Here are examples of details you could use: Example—Hugger Jeans faded after just ten washings. Statistic—Nine out of ten mechanics recommend Ignite Spark Plugs. Quotation—Skating commentator Dirk Leeland stated, "Romanov is exquisite, but Lewis is perfection."

Revising Your Overall Structure It is now time to start revising your first draft. Improve your first draft by reviewing it from a variety of perspectives. Start by evaluating the big picture, making sure that the overall structure is complete and effective. Once you are sure that the basic structure is solid, evaluate your paragraphs, sentences, and word choices. Strengthen Unity—A comparison-and-contrast essay needs a strong sense of unity, or singleness of effect, to keep it from seeming like two separate essays. Your overall structure should help make clear how your subjects are related. Complete the following exercise to strengthen your essay's unity. Circling Topic Sentences—With a colored pencil, circle the topic sentence of each paragraph of your essay. Then, review each topic sentence to make sure it directly supports or connects to your essay's topic. If you find a topic sentence that does not belong, delete the sentence and the paragraph in which it appears.

Coding to Identify Sentence Type You have learned about varying your sentences. Now here's a technique to help you identify the sentence types to help with this revision. First, read your essay and bracket each simple sentence you have used. Put a box around compound sentences. Underline the compound-complex sentences. Then, review your draft. If you have relied too heavily on one type of sentence, add complexity to your sentences, or simplify them. To add complexity Combine sentences. Add transitions to link ideas. Insert clauses into simple sentences. Use a question to create variety. To simplify Separate one sentence into two or more sentences. Add a short, emphatic statement between long sentences. Delete unnecessary phrases.

Revising for Word Choice: Transitions You have learned how to revise your sentences. Now it is time to focus on revising for word choice. Strengthen Connections—It's especially important in a comparison-and-contrast essay to make connections between the similarities and differences you are discussing. Transitions are one way to do this. Transitions make the relationships among your ideas clearer to readers. They are words, phrases, and even sentences that help explain the similarities and differences between your subjects or emphasize the relative importance of the details you present. Examples Transitional Word—The Traveler brand backpack held up under tough conditions, although it did get extremely dirty. Transitional Phrase—The Take-It brand backpack, on the other hand, fell apart after getting soaked by rain.

On our road test, we found that the Greystone Lynx X321 is a pleasure to drive. The cab is quiet, even when the engine is pushed to perform. It accelerates quickly and smoothly and handles curves like a dream. On wet roads, on curves roads, and straight ones, the Lynx out drives all others in its category. Now, let's look at the price factors—what you'll get for the money.

Select the text that is the main idea in the topical paragraph. A) On our road test, we found that the Greystone Lynx X321 is a pleasure to drive.

simple

The sport is enjoyed by fans from all continents, including Australia, Africa, and South America.

Writing Exposition Many psychologists say that you can learn about dogs by studying cats. Comparing and contrasting the two animals, rather than studying them in isolation, will give a richer understanding of both animals. Besides enriching your knowledge, skills in comparing and contrasting also help you make decisions in daily life. You could, for example, compare and contrast sports equipment in order to select the brand that's best for you, or you could choose a college or university to attend by comparing and contrasting several possibilities. In this essay, you will learn how to generate ideas for a comparison-and-contrast essay, and then develop these ideas effectively in a draft.

What is a Comparison-and-Contrast Essay? A comparison-and-contrast essay is an expository nonfiction essay that explains how two or more subjects are similar and different. Here are the features of an effective comparison-and-contrast essay: Explores two or more topics that are similar Clearly shows through details and examples how two or more subjects are similar and different Is logically and effectively organized Clearly indicates the connections among ideas Closes with a summary of main points or an evaluation of the subject's overall points of similarity and difference

List Your Questions This strategy for gathering details involves writing a list of questions. To use this technique, write a list of questions to help guide your prewriting investigation. Your questions should focus on specific categories or aspects of your subjects. To achieve a balanced essay, be sure you answer each question relating to both subjects. For example, suppose you are writing an essay comparing and contrasting two different colleges. Write each question on note cards or paper, and record answers for each subject. Keep your research plan flexible, because your answers may lead you to additional questions.

When gathering details to compare subjects, which is the most effective strategy? A) list specific questions about both subjects

Peer Review You are now ready for your peer review and the summary report. Make a Summary Report—Ask a partner to read your draft and summarize the essay aloud. Listen to your partner's summary to help you evaluate the overall effectiveness of your writing, as well as the points that stand out the most. After discussing the summary, have your partner respond to specific questions about your essay. Then, consider his or her responses as you prepare your final draft. Examples of Questions Is my topic clear and well supported? Explain. Are there enough points of comparison and contrast? If not, explain. Which, if any, sections of the essay confused you? Was my writing exciting, or predictable? Explain. If you could make one change to this essay, what would it be?

Who is the peer reviewer in this photograph? How can you tell? A) Most likely the peer review is the student on the right. She is the one who appears to be talking.

In a point-by-point comparison, you _____.

discuss one feature or aspect of both subjects, and then move on to another feature

Put the steps of the writing process in order from start to finish.

generate topics Correct Target 2 evaluate subjects to find an effective topic Correct Target 3 select details and language to achieve purpose Correct Target 4 write using an effective organizational strategy Correct Target 5 revise to give essay a sense of unity Correct Target 6 edit and proofread to make essay error-free Correct Target 7 publish and present essay to an audience

Word association is a tool for _____.

generating topics

Good subjects for a comparison should _____.

have similarities and differences

Comparison-and-Contrast Essays I In this section, we have learned the following: Find two or more related things or ideas to form the topic of your comparison-and-contrast essay. Choose subjects to compare that share enough similarities and have enough differences to make the comparison useful. Select details and choose a style of language that will appeal to your audience and help you achieve your purpose. Create a balanced comparison by collecting details in similar categories about each of your subjects. Investigate both similarities and differences in your essay. Organize your comparison-and-contrast essay point by point or subject by subject. Use specific details to show the extent to which, or the ways in which, your subjects are similar and different. Comparison-and-Contrast Essays II In this section, we have learned the following: Make sure that the overall structure has a strong sense of unity to keep it from seeming like two different essays. Check that your thoughts, details, and support are grouped into effective paragraphs. Identify sentence patterns that you rely too heavily upon and make adjustments. Add transitions to strengthen the connections between your ideas. Ask a partner to read your draft and summarize the essay aloud. Check that you correctly used commas in sentences in which ideas have been combined. Publish your comparison-and-contrast essay in a school bulletin, or hold a class essay contest.

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