Understand What Comparison and Contrast Are

Comparison and Contrast

Writing That Shows Similarities and Differences

Understand What Comparison and Contrast Are

Comparison is writing that shows the similarities among subjects — people, ideas, situations, or items; contrast shows the differences. In conversation, we often use the word compare to mean either compare or contrast, but as you work through this chapter, the terms will be used separately.

Four Basics of Good Comparison and Contrast

  1. It uses subjects with enough in common to be usefully compared and contrasted.
  2. It serves a purpose — either to help readers make a decision or to help them understand the subjects.
  3. It presents several important, parallel points of comparison and/or contrast.
  4. It is organized either point by point or whole to whole (see “Organization in Comparison and Contrast”).

In the following paragraph, which contrasts the subjects, each number corresponds to one of the Four Basics of Good Comparison and Contrast.

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Many situations require you to use comparison and contrast.

COLLEGE In a business course, you compare and contrast practices in e-commerce and traditional commerce.
WORK You compare and contrast two health insurance options offered by your company in order to select the one that is best for you.
EVERYDAY LIFE Before choosing a telephone plan, you compare and contrast the rates, services, and options each offers.