ESSAY WRITING 4: PRESENTING COMPARE & CONTRAST RELATIONSHIP

PART 1: INTRODUCTION TO THE TOPIC

Discuss the questions below with a partner

1. What is distance education?

2. What could be the benefits and drawbacks of distance education?
3. Do you think traditional education will disappear one day?

PART 2: READING AND ANALYZING AN ESSAY

Below you will find an opinion essay question and the essay written in response. Read it
carefully and do the tasks to understand how the ideas are presented.

Topic of the sample essay:

In recent years, it has been argued that with the advances in technology, online education has
become an alternative to traditional education. What is your opinion on this issue?
1. What is the The word “college” might make you think of students 3. Underline
purpose of the thesis
this text? hanging out in dorm rooms or gathering for classes in statement in
enormous lecture halls. However, that depiction is the
2. Circle the introduction.
two subjects becoming increasingly out-of-date as technology What will
that the writer the writer
is comparing provides students with more and more ways to learn. In focus on in
in the fact, online and distance learning has gradually grown in this essay?
introduction.
popularity among college students, but whether it is an
appropriate choice or not is still controversial. However,
it is clear that online and traditional education are
different from each other in terms of time and interaction.
5. Underline the
topic One of the differences between online and face-to-face 4. How is
online
sentence of education is the ability to choose the time when one education
each body
different
paragraph. focuses on their schoolwork. A benefit of taking online
from
What is their
courses is that they offer flexibility to the students. This traditional
purpose?
education in
a. to show is a great option for those who already have time terms of
contrast
commitments with family and work. Online classes will time?
b. to introduce
the point of
allow them to log into their online course at a time that
comparison
c. both a & b works best for them as opposed to having to attend a
lecture at a specific time. For instance, if students follow
a weekly format where they are expected to do course
work online such as contributing to forum discussions,
they will be able to fit this work around other
responsibilities. Unlike online learning, traditional
education requires students to follow a tight schedule,
which leads to students’ arranging their outside work
according to the school’s timetable. This may create
some difficulties, especially if they are planning to work 6. How are the
body
while in school. paragraphs
organized
and
Social interaction is another area in which online learning
expanded?
is dissimilar to traditional education. In this regard, some Are there
any other
 students need interaction with their peers and instructors ways of
organizing
to succeed and stay motivated while others can thrive in ideas?
7. Which of the
transition words an independent study environment. Social interaction
does the writer
use in the sample
with instructors and other students is not as common in
essay? online courses as it is in traditional education. Traditional
education is more likely a better option for those who
thrive on face-to-face communication. In other words, if
you are a social learner who likes to ask questions, seeing
and interacting with your instructors on a regular basis
can be more motivating for you and can help you gain a
deeper understanding of assigned materials. Online
education, on the other hand, does not have as many
8. How did the opportunities for such face-to-face interaction. Overall,
writer conclude
the essay? students’ learning styles is the main factor to help
Underline the
sentence that students decide which style of education is the best for
restates the thesis. them.

To sum up, both online education and its traditional

counterpart have similarities and differences and it is
important for students to understand what to expect
before they make a decision. Although distance learning
is much more flexible compared to traditional education,
face-to-face learning seems to be more advantageous for
social learners. As long as students know how they learn
best, both of these learning formats can be effective.

Adapted from http://www.rasmussen.edu/student-life/blogs/college-life/online-vs-traditional-

education-answer-never-expected/

Read the definitions below and answer the questions 7 and 8

Compare and contrast relationships are used to show the similarities and differences of two things.
Anything can be compared or contrasted such as periods in history, characters in stories, how
something or someone has changed, and different kinds of equipment or concepts. These meaning
relationships are used to show the ideas of the writer about two things. The chart below indicates
the language to talk about similarities and differences.
Showing similarities - Comparing Showing differences - Contrasting
similarly / likewise / also / too / just as / on the other hand / in contrast / conversely / however
like / just like / alike / similar to / the same as / / but / yet / although / though / even though /
both ….and ….. / not only …. but also…….. whereas / while / different from / to differ from /
dissimilar (to) / unlike / compared to / compared with

PART 3: GUIDED PRACTICE

A. OUTLINING: Read the essay again and fill in the outline below.
INTRODUCTORY PARAGRAPH
Thesis Statement (main idea):

______________________________________________________________

BODY PARAGRAPHS

First paragraph

Topic sentence:

_________________________________________________________________________

o Supporting Idea 1:

___________________________________________________________

▪ Further detail 1:

_______________________________________________________

▪ Further detail 2:

_______________________________________________________

Further Detail 3:

_______________________________________________________
 o Supporting Idea 2:

___________________________________________________________

▪ Further detail 1:

_______________________________________________________

▪ Further Detail 2:

_______________________________________________________

▪ Further Detail 3:

_______________________________________________________

Second paragraph

Topic sentence:

_________________________________________________________________________

o Supporting Idea 1:

_________________________________________________________________

▪ Further detail 1:

_______________________________________________________

▪ Further Detail 2:

_______________________________________________________

▪ Further Detail 3:

_______________________________________________________

o Supporting Idea 2:

_________________________________________________________________

▪ Further detail 1:
B. ORGANIZATION
When you compare and contrast subjects, it is important to reveal important similarities
and differences between them and arrive at an insight. To develop a compare & contrast
relationship in your essay, you need to …

• brainstorm as many similarities and differences as possible to fully understand what is most
significant or meaningful about the two items in relation to each other. Choose the key
points of comparison.

e.g.

• decide how to structure your essay. You can either alternate from one aspect/point of
the first subject to the same aspect/point of the other subject in each paragraph or
first discuss about one subject and describe each point of comparison with specific
details before moving to another subject in the next paragraph.
• give background information about the subjects that you are comparing in the
introduction and make sure your thesis statement …

o includes the two subjects that you are comparing.

o lists the points of comparison by using parallel structure.
o uses the language that shows if you will focus on similarities, on differences, or on
both.

e.g. Online and traditional classes are similar because they both require students
to participate, take exams, and work in groups.

• connect your ideas by using transitional words and phrases that emphasize how the
subjects are similar or dissimilar.
• make sure the main points apply equally to both subjects.
 C. COHESION & COHERENCE: WORD CHOICE
Vocabulary is another way of creating cohesion and coherence. Using repetition,
synonyms/antonyms, collocations, and words in the same lexical set (e.g. "army", "soldiers",
"barracks", "weapons") allows for the central themes to be reiterated in a way that avoids
monotony for the reader.
Exercise 1: Read the descriptions below and match the examples with appropriate methods of
cohesion and coherence.

I. Repetition of This method includes both exact repetition and the use of
the key words different grammatical forms of the same key word.

II. Synonyms It involves the use of lexical items which are in some sense
synonymous and helps to show the relationship between ideas.

III. Antonyms Relationships are shown by using a word with the opposite
meaning (antonyms).

IV. General and One way to develop ideas and information in an academic text
specific is to show hierarchical meaning relationships amongst
words vocabulary across the text.

V. Collocations Collocation is lexical cohesion which depends upon the

tendency of some words to co-occur in texts.

A. Brazil, with her two-crop economy, was even more severely hit by the Depression than
other Latin American states and the country was on the verge of complete collapse.

B. The other problem associated with human activities is the loss of animal species. Animals
are an important feature of this earth and the past decades have witnessed the extinction of
a considerable number of animal species. This is the consequence of human violation of
wildlife habitats through deforestation, for example, to expand human cities.

C. Pick up a handful of soil in your garden. It is one of nature’s miracles and one of her most
complex products. Your success as a gardener will largely depend on its condition, so take
the first step in gardening. Get to know your soil.

D. People have become reliant on modern technology, which can have adverse effects on the
environment. Even seemingly innocent devices, such as computers and mobile phones, use
electricity, most of which is produced from coal-burning power stations, which further
adds to environmental pollution. If we do not curb our direct and indirect use of fossil
fuels, the harm to the environment may be catastrophic.
 E. Men and women are also different psychologically. For example, women have better
communication skills than men. Even as young kids, it is common that girls talk more and
use richer vocabulary than boys.

Exercise 2: Identify the connections in the essay that you read about education between each of
the words listed in the left-hand column. Put a tick in the appropriate column to show how the
words are each related to "online education".

Words Related to Relationship between each word and "online education"

“Online Synonym Antonym General / Specific Collocation
Education”
online learning

face-to-face
education
taking online
courses
technology

log into online

course
learning formats

distance learning

independent study
environment
traditional
education
online forum
discussions
D. LANGUAGE: Fill in the blanks with the correct transition words that you studied in Part
2. In some questions more than one answer is possible.

COMPARATIVE
1. The summer in New England has been very rainy. _______________, the West Coast has
been getting record levels of rainfall.
2. _______________ New England, the West Coast has been very rainy. Both have been getting
record levels of rainfall.
3. _______________ New England _______________ the West Coast receive 80 mm of snow
annually.
4. New England receives 80 mm of snow per year. The West Coast gets 80 mm of snow,
_______________
5. Both New England and the West Coast receive 80 mm of snow annually. Those two places
are _______________ in terms of climate.

CONTRASTIVE
1. Traditional education has a strict schedule students have to follow, _______________
distance education provides students with flexibility.
2. Traditional education has a strict schedule students have to follow. _______________,
distance education provides students with flexibility.
3. _______________ traditional education, distance education enables students to gain more
useful skills such as time management.
4. _______________ distance education, traditional education makes students obliged to attend
lessons.
5. Traditional education _______________ distance education in terms of scheduling,
interaction and resources.
6. Traditional education and distance education are quite _______________ each other in terms
of scheduling, interaction and resources.
7. In traditional education students can establish face-to-face interaction with their teachers and
peers. In distance education, on the other hand, students have to send e-mails to interact. This
shows that those two systems are quite _______________.
8. _______________ traditional education system has some drawbacks, it is the best education
system.

PART 4: INDIVIDUAL STUDY

A. ANALYSIS OF THE WRITING PROMPT
Many students enter higher education expecting the experience to be the same as the one they
had while at high school. What is your opinion?

What is the topic and the controlling

idea?
What are the key points?

What is your opinion?

A. BRAINSTORMING

POINTS OF
HIGH SCHOOL
COMPARISON
• don’t need to pay tuition;
government funded
• don’t need to pay for residence,
cost rent, or other accommodation
e.g. can live at home for free
• don’t need to pay for books
e.g. books provided by school
UNIVERSITY
• tuition: 1,500 - 2,000 TL per
term
• must pay for residence, rent,
or other accommodation if
living away from home
• must pay for books

workload

social aspects
 B. OUTLINING: Decide which of the ideas you will include in your essay and complete
the outline.

INTRODUCTORY PARAGRAPH

General description/info:
Thesis Statement (main idea):

BODY PARAGRAPHS

First paragraph
Topic sentence:
Supporting Idea 1:
▪ Further detail 1:
o Examples/ explanation/illustration:
Supporting Idea 2:
▪ Further detail 1:
o Examples/ explanation/illustration:

Second paragraph
Topic sentence:
Supporting Idea 1:
▪ Further detail 1:
o Examples/ explanation/illustration:
Supporting Idea 2:
▪ Further detail 1:
o Examples/ explanation/illustration:

CONCLUSION:

C. WRITING
Write your essay in response to the prompt above. When you write your essay, make sure
that
• you follow your outline.
• you use parallel structure in your thesis statement.
• you have cohesion in your word choice.
• your points of comparison apply both subjects.
• you use discourse markers that you have studied accurately and appropriately.
• your ideas follow a logical order.
 D. SELF-EVALUATION
Having written your essay, please use the following checklist to evaluate your own writing:
Yes No
1. The essay consists of 4/5 paragraphs.
2. The introduction states clearly what the essay will be about.
3. There is a Topic Sentence introducing Body Paragraph 1.
4. There is a Topic Sentence introducing Body Paragraph 2.
5. There is an example or further detail for each point of comparison mentioned.
6. There is a concluding sentence for each Body Paragraph.
7. The conclusion summarises the main points and makes a personal comment.
8. There are linking words/phrases.
9. Compare and Contrast vocabulary is used.

PART 5: FREER STUDY

A. Below are some topics that you can discuss by presenting compare & contrast relationship.
Choose one topic that interests you. Brainstorm about the topic and organise your ideas logically
with the problem and the solutions you suggest.

1. Some people believe that university students should be required to attend classes. Others
believe that going to classes should be optional for students. Which point of view do you
agree with? Use specific reasons and details to explain your answer.

2. Some people think that they can learn better by themselves than with a teacher. Others
think that it is always better to have a teacher. Which do you prefer? Use specific reasons
to develop your essay.

3. Some people prefer to work for a large company. Others prefer to work for a small
company. Which would you prefer? Use specific reasons and details to support your
choice.

B. Find a classmate who has chosen the same topic. Share your ideas and compare the
solutions you have suggested.
C. Make an outline and show it to your instructor. Get feedback. Then, start writing.