TEACHER’S NOTES

Contrast
by Adrian Doff

Level: Intermediate and above

business & esp teacher’s notes

Time: 20 minutes
Aim: – To talk about contrasts, and how people and things are different.
– To contrast opposing ideas.
– To say how things are different from what people believe or expect.
There are three ways of using this worksheet:
– Give the worksheet to students to work through independently, and then in the next lesson go through the
exercises and deal with any points that arise.
– Use the worksheet for an active classroom lesson. The notes below give ideas for doing this.
– Do not give the worksheet out in class but use it as the basis for your own lesson, getting ideas and phrases
from the students and presenting language on the board (use the notes below to help you). Then give out the
worksheet at the end, and ask students to do the exercises for homework.

Warm-up
Warm-up: Establishing the concept
Tell the class about, e.g. two people, buildings or towns which are very different. Include in your description a
phrase with ‘contrast’ from the worksheet.
Then write the word ‘contrast’ on the board, and ask students how you used the word in what you said. Use this
to focus on phrases with ‘contrast’.
Give out the worksheet.

Worksheet
Language focus
1. Read through the example contexts, and ask a few questions to check comprehension:
A. Are CD sales rising or falling? Why?
B. Do you think healthcare is better in Britain or in Germany? Why?
C. Who do you think is better, the new manager or the previous manager? Why?
D. Do you think the company is in a better position than last year or a worse one? Why do you think so?
2. in contrast (to), by contrast, as opposed to. Read the examples and point out that:
• they all mean the same; they are alternative ways to express the idea of contrast.
• we can say in contrast or by contrast – these mean the same. We usually say in contrast to, rather than by contrast to.
• as opposed to is a fixed phrase (we can’t say just as opposed).
To practise, look again at the contexts at the top of the Worksheet, and see if students can express them using one
of the other phrases in the table, e.g.:
CD sales, in contrast to mobile music sales, have decreased.
In contrast to Germany and France, Britain only spent 7.6 per cent…
The previous manager was… The new manager, by contrast, is…
Last year, the CEO gave an upbeat speech. This year, by contrast, he struck a cautious tone.
If you like, you could ask them to rewrite one of the texts, then read it out to the class.
3. on the contrary. Read the examples, and check that students understand what they are about by asking a few
questions (answers in brackets), e.g.:
Read through the table, and ask students to explain them or give examples:
1. Is the government raising taxes? (No, they are lowering them.)
What is tax evasion? (= you don’t pay tax when you should, you evade tax)
What is a tax dodger? (= someone who evades tax, who ‘dodges’ paying tax)
2. How do you think the company might exploit people? (by paying them low wages, giving bad working
conditions, long hours, etc.)
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 TEACHER’S NOTES
TG or WORKSHEET
Contrast
Title
by Adrian Doff
Author

How might they provide development? (by building schools or hospitals for workers, giving clean water,
business
subject title

building roads, etc.)

If you like, make the balance of ideas clear by writing an outline on the board:
More money  A. by raising tax rates Intertabak A. exploits people
B. by making tax evasion more difficult B. provides development
Establish that on the contrary has the idea of ‘not A, but B’.
To practise, you could give a few simple statements, and ask students to add a second sentence beginning ‘On
the contrary’, e.g.:
He isn’t doing well at school. …
The company isn’t making a profit. …
The world isn’t becoming a safer place. …
4. contrary to: Point out that:
• contrary to means ‘the opposite of’ or ‘quite different from’
• we usually use it in set phrases with the meaning ‘different from what people think or expect’
Read through the phrases in the box, and ‘gloss’ their meaning:
contrary to expectations = this is different from what people expected
& esp teacher’s notes

contrary to popular belief = it is the opposite of what most people believe

contrary to popular opinion = it’s different from what many people think
Read the examples, and for each one ask students to say what they think most people believe or expected.
Possible answers:
1. Some people think mobile phones are dangerous because they make your head hotter.
2. Most people believe that the two companies started talks much later.
3. People didn’t expect her to be very successful.

Practice
1. Talk or write:
Students write sentences. Then ask them to read out what they have written.
Alternative: Give students a few moments to think about one of the topics, and possibly make a few notes. Then
ask them in turn to tell you about them.
Larger classes: Do this as pairwork, then ask a few students what their partner told them.
2. Exercise:
Do the exercises together round the class; or let students do it alone or in pairs, then go through it together.
Answers:
a) On the contrary
b) Contrary to
c) in contrast to / unlike / as opposed to
d) as opposed to / in contrast to
e) In / By contrast
Other language areas you could explore:
1. expressions with ‘different’ and ‘difference’
• different from, the difference between… and…, differences between
• rather/quite/completely/slightly different (from)
2. like’ and ‘unlike’
• Like his brother, he…; Unlike his brother, he…
• He’s like/unlike his brother in many ways.
3. expressions with ‘opposite’
• the (complete) opposite of
• What is the opposite of…?
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 WORKSHEET
Contrast
by Adrian Doff
business & esp worksheet

A B C D
Under-25s are spending Germany spent 10.6 per The new manager is quiet The CEO struck a cautious
₤107 million on mobile cent of gross domestic and a good listener, tone in yesterday’s speech,
music in the UK each year. product on healthcare last as opposed to the in contrast to the upbeat
In contrast, CD single year, and France spent previous manager, whom speech he gave at last
sales have fallen 30 to 50% 9.5%. Britain, by contrast, many considered rather year’s shareholders’
during the same period. only spent 7.6%. arrogant. meeting.

in contrast (to), by contrast, as opposed to

These have a similar meaning. In contrast or by contrast can be used to begin a new idea:

… in contrast to… France spent 9.5 per cent, in contrast to Britain, which only spent 7.6 per cent.
… as opposed to… France spent 9.5 per cent, as opposed to Britain, which only spent 7.6 per cent.

In/by contrast,… France spent 9.5 per cent. In/By contrast, Britain only spent 7.6 per cent.
…, in/by contrast,… France spent 9.5 per cent. Britain, in/by contrast, only spent 7.6 per cent.

We use these expressions to say how things or people are different. Compare these sentences:
The new manager is a good listener, in contrast to the previous manager.
The new manager is quite different from the previous one.
The new manager is a good listener, unlike the previous manager.

on the contrary
We use on the contrary to show the balance between two ideas (= not X, but Y – the opposite is true):

The government hopes to raise more money from taxation. This John Bolt, CEO of Intertabak, said yesterday: It
is not because they are raising tax rates: on the contrary, they isn’t true, as many people claim, that our company
are lowering them. But the government plans to make tax evasion exploits people in the countries where we operate.
more difficult, by reorganising the tax-collecting system and On the contrary, we play a vital role in providing
making it easier to spot tax dodgers. development to the poorest countries.

contrary to
contrary to is often used in particular phrases:

contrary to expectations Contrary to popular belief, there is no evidence that mobile phones make your head hotter.
contrary to popular belief And he reveals, contrary to what most people believe, that Vodafone and
Mannesmann were in talks as early as 1995.
contrary to popular opinion
Contrary to expectations, the new minister quickly established herself internationally
contrary to what many people think and gained the respect of other world leaders.

Exercise
Talk or write —! Fill the gaps with a suitable phrase from this worksheet.

le in your a) I don’t think the new store is a failure. ____________________,

1. Think of two peop
ry different.
it seems to be doing good business.
company who are ve
, using
Describe them both
b) ____________________ what many people think, New York is
rksheet. now one of the safest cities in the USA.
phrases from this wo c) Tariq al Tayib, ____________________ his brother Hassan,
ng that
2. Think of somethi doesn’t often appear in public.
, but
many people believe d) Our new collection emphasises bright colours,
ree with.
which you don’t ag ___________________ the greys and browns of last year’s clothes.
out it, using
Write sentences ab e) Last week, The News Show was watched by just 1,000 people
rksheet.
phrases from this wo a day. ____________________ the BBC News at Ten attracted
over nine million viewers.
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