Chapter 9 Comparing and Contrasting

When you want to decide between opinions, you compare and contrast. You compare to find similarities and contrast to find differences. The exercise of comparing and contrasting can help you make judgements about things. It can also help you to better understand familiar things.

People use comparison and contrast in their daily lives. For instance, at home, you might explain to a parent why Version X of a smartphone is better than Version Y. At college, students often compare two courses. In workplaces, salespeople compare their new products with competing products to highlight the differences.

This chapter provides exercises for students to create a comparison and contrast essay including exploring topics, writing the thesis statement, generating supporting ideas, developing an essay outline, and writing up the draft and revising and editing the essay.