RWS 5 Q3

READING AND WRITING SKILLS
COMPARISON CONTRAST
Comparison in writing discusses elements that are similar while contrast in writing discusses elements or ideas that are
different. A compare-and-contrast essay, then analyzes two subjects comparing them, contrasting them, or both. However, its
purpose is not to simply state the obvious but rather to illustrate subtle differences or unexpected similarities between two
subjects.
As a writer, you should help the readers see how these two ideas are similar or different by showing their advantages and
disadvantages so they can weigh the pros and cons before they make judgment or decision. Take a look at this example.
Source: Jenn, Kepka, Oregon Writes Open Writing Text. 2015, accessed May 21, 2020,
https://openoregon.pressbooks.pub/oregonwrites/chapter/comparison-and-contrast/
Example 1:
My sisters are as different as yin and yang in terms of personality, appearance and intelligence. Tina, the middle child in
the family, prefers staying at home than going out with her friends. She is slim, petite and has dark skin. As she is not sociable,
she finds friends with the characters from the books she reads most of the time. In addition, she is very clever in subjects like
Math and Science which made her graduate with Highest Honors from Senior High School. In contrast, my youngest sister, Joni,
is the opposite. She has an outgoing and friendly personality. There is never a dull moment as she is always ready with stories to
tell. She is tall with a round plump face and fair skin. Being the youngest in the family, she is often asked to perform during
family gatherings since she sings and dances well. My sisters may be different from each other but they adore one another.
There are two common ways to organize comparison/contrast paragraph or essay. The Block Method is used to compare
and contrast two subjects one at a time. You may begin by saying everything you have to say about the first subject you are
discussing then move on and write everything about your second subject. If you are writing a short paragraph or essay, you might
be able to fit all of your points about each item. However, if you would want to address one subject at a time, you may use Point-
by-point comparison.
Some cohesive devices you can use in showing similarities are likewise, similar to, same with, like, in the same manner.
To show contrast, cue words such as: on the other hand, however, while, different with, in contrast and the like.
SIGNAL WORDS FOR CONTRASTING
Although Despite Instead Otherwise
And yet Even so However Still
As opposed to Even though Nevertheless The fact remains
But In contrast Nonetheless Unlike
Conversely In spite of On the contrary Whereas
Counter to In the meantime On the other hand Yet
Source: Williams, Madalyn. February 21, 2017, accessed May 20, 2020 https://prezi.com/hdigz1iuziht/comparing-the-block-
method-and-the-point-by-point-method/
SIGNAL WORDS FOR COMPARING
Also Equally In the same way Similarly
As In a similar fashion Like To compare
Both In comparison likewise
Example 2:
Are you not sure yet which phone to buy? To help you decide, this review will inspect the basic similarities and differences of the
flagship phones of two giant companies: Apple’s iphone6 and Samsung’s Galaxy S5. Both brags to be the best smart phone in the
market to date. While these state-of-the-art phones have similarities in the form of their sleek design, multi-touch screen, and
multimedia feature, they have their distinctive features as well. First, Galaxy S5 has a larger screen at 5.1 inches as compared to
iPhone 6’s 4.7 inches. As for the operating system, iPhone 6 uses iOS (8.x) while S5 uses Android (5.0,4.4.2). In terms of the
camera, S5 has a 2.1-megapixel front-facing camera which is higher than iPhone’s 1.2 megapixels. Unlike S5, iPhone’s battery is
not user-replaceable and has a shorter talk time, but when it comes to built-in storage, iPhone 6 outperforms S5. Now that you
know the basic differences of two phones, you can decide!

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READING AND WRITING SKILLS

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