Lab Discussions

Grammar spot
Comparing & Contrasting

Comparing: finding similarities

Contrasting: finding differences

o Comparing and contrasting is a process of analysis

o Helps to understand in depth: similarities and differences
Purpose of comparing & contrasting

To show things that are considered to be different in fact are similar

To show that things that are considered to be similar are different

Sometimes you may use the word comparing for both comparing and contrasting

You can use two basic structures in your writing

1. When comparing A & B
First write aspects of A in one paragraph
Then write aspects of B in one paragraph
Finally in your conclusion, you draw points from both paragraphs.
2. When comparing A & B
You may use aspects of both A & B in one paragraph
e.g.
aspect: 1 A & B
aspect: 2 A & B
Conclusion: points draw from A & B
Language of comparison and contrast
Differences
Introductory sentence that can be used in discussing differences;
x is different from y in a number of respects .
There are a number of important differences between x and y.
X differs from y in number of aspects.
1

Ken (2000) found distinct differences between x and y

X is distinctly different from y in ..
Hindi and Dravidian languages differ not only in their syntax but also in many other
.. .
Similarities
The mode of processing used by the right brain is similar to that used by the left brain
..
The mode of processing right brain is comparable in complexity
to that .
There are number of similarities between the left and the right brain.
Right and left brain are similar in .
Right and left brain are found to be identical in their ..

Other words that can be used in a sentence;

By contrast/in contrast
Whereas
Similarly
On the other hand
Significantly different
Marginally different

And note the following words and phrases that can be used to make a comparison more
precise (Jordan 1999) :

X is

considerably
a great deal
(very) much
rather
somewhat
a little
slightly
scarcely
hardly
only just

smaller
bigger
cheaper
etc

than...

exactly
precisely
just
virtually
practically
more or less
almost
nearly
approximately
about

X is

exactly
entirely
quite

X is not

X
i
s

the same as ...

totally
comple
tely
entirel
y
quite

X and Y are

differ
ent
from
Y.

the same as ...

X
is
no
t
qu
ite
so
/a
s

big
expen
sive
etc

a
s.
..

different
dissimilar

in every way/respect.

totally
completely
entirely
quite

different.