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Sentence Strategies for Comparison and Contrast

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Writers frequently use comparison and contrast in writing of almost all genres to present ideas and information. You, too, are likely to use comparison and contrast in your writing, so these sentence strategies may provide a jumping-off point for articulating your thoughts. Remember to make them your own as you revise.

To Define Using Comparison or Contrast

[Topic] is [similar to/different from] in these ways: , , and .
Many people think that [topic] means , but it might be more accurate to say it means .
[Topic] is similar in some ways to [similar concept]: [list areas of similarity]. However, unlike [similar concept], it [list areas of difference].
[Concept], a kind of [grown-up, children’s, bigger, smaller, local, international, or other adjective] version of [similar concept], [is/does/has] .
Similarly, .
[In contrast/however/on the other hand], .
[Topic 1] and [topic 2] are frequently confused, but they are not the same; [topic 1] [has/is/does] , whereas [topic 2] [has/is/does] .

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To Argue Using Comparison or Contrast

Most people assume ; however, .
and are the usual suspects, but let’s look at a totally new possibility: .
It’s not but .
[People] focus on [X], which is characterized by , and they don’t even notice [Y], which is characterized by .
Whereas supporters of have argued that , opponents such as [list individuals/groups] contend that .
Although some argue , I think because .
On this issue, X and Y say . Although I understand and to some degree sympathize with their point of view, this is ultimately a question of . What’s at stake is not but . Therefore, we must .
This issue is dividing our community. Some people argue . Others contend . And still others believe . It is in all of our interests to , however, because .
Conventional wisdom is that . But I take a different view: .
One common complaint is . In recent years, however, .