CLASS MATERIAL

WEEK 2

CEL2103 WRITING ACADEMIC TEXT

SEMESTER 1, 2021-2022

Introduction to Comparison and Contrast Essay

 Pre-writing
- Generating topic
- Identifying points of comparison
 Language:
- Writing style of an academic essay

Pre-writing: Generating a Topic for Compare and Contrast Essay

Topics for compare and contrast essays can involve variety of themes. You can compare
ideas, events, people, different times in history, objects and many more.

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Activity 1
What are the features of a good topic for compare and contrast essay?
a. A topic that explains the similarities and differences between the subject.
b. At least two subjects.
c. Both should have sufficient similarities and differences.

Activity 2
Decide whether the subjects for the topics below can be compared (YES/NO). Rewrite the
topics to ensure only subjects that can be compared are included.

Yes/
No Topic New Topic
No
1 Similarities and differences of two Y
English tests: MUET and TOEFL
2 A comparison of government systems Y
between Malaysia and Thailand
3 Leonardo da Vinci vs Titanic: A N Leonardo da Vinci and
comparison Michelangelo art work
4 Comparing the environment of Y
schools and colleges
5 Comparing the effects of World War I Y
and World War II
6 Comparing and contrasting the N Causes of earthquakes and
causes of earthquakes and noise tsunami
pollution
7 Comparing oranges and apples Y
8 A comparison of health benefits of Y
Red Delicious and Granny Smith
apples
9 Differences and similarities of lifestyle N Spain and German
in Spain and New York
10 A comparison of online learning and Y
face-to-face learning
11 Similarity and difference of Android N Android and ios
mobile devices and Samsung
handphones
12 Comparing and contrasting living in N Living independently in living with
urban areas and living with parents parents.

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Activity 3
Write the suitable subjects based on the given theme and topic. The subjects must belong to
the same category and they can be compared.

1. Theme : Cultures
Topic : Comparing and contrasting the working culture of two countries
Subjects : Malaysian working culture and japan working culture

2. Theme : Events
Topic : Similarities and differences between two international sporting
events
Subjects : Olympic games and commonwealth events

3. Theme : Travel destinations

Topic : A comparison of two different popular travel destinations
Subjects : Dubai and South Korea

Activity 4
Write a possible topic and subjects of a compare and contrast essay based on the given
theme.

Theme Topic Subjects

Lifestyle Differences & similarities of 1.Malaysia
lifestyles in Malaysia and China 2. China
Prominent Diff & sim of prominent scientists 1. Nikola tesla (tesla coil)
figures in field of electricity 2. Thomas Edison (electric bulb)
Travel Diff & sim of travel Pangkor island 1. pangkor island
destinations and Langkawi 2. Langkawi island
Products Diff & sim of canon camera and 1.canon
samsung camera 2.samsung

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 Pre-writing: Identifying Points of Comparison

Activity 5
What are points of comparison in a compare and contrast essay?
Points of comparison are specific factors or main points that you will use to present
similarities or differences of the the 2 subjects.

Activity 6
In a group of five, choose a topic from Activity 2 and complete the Venn Diagram below by
listing possible points that are similar and different. Present your Venn Diagram to the class.

Topic:

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Activity 7
In the same group of five, based on the Venn Diagram in Activity 5, identify the points of
comparison for your topic. Complete the compare and contrast table below. Share your
answers with the class.

Topic: _______________________________________________
Point of Subject A: Subject B:

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 Comparison _______________ _______________
Supporting points: Supporting points:
Similarity a. a.
___________
b. b.

Supporting points: Supporting points:

Difference a. a.
___________
b. b.

Language: Writing Style of an Academic Essay

Activity 8
Rewrite the sentences below in an academic style of writing.

1. Regrettably these days lots of people don’t have jobs.

Currently the rate of unemployment is high.

2. You can’t always trust the numbers in the report.

The numbers in the report are not always reliable.

3. Sadly, the bad inflation led to poverty, social unrest and so on.
Unfortunately, the high inflation led to poverty, social unrest and other challenges.

4. What were the main causes of the Russian Revolution?

Russian revolution have some man causes that need to be solve.
Language: The Use of Caution

Activity 9
Rewrite the sentences to include caution by using the stated way.

1. Include caution by using a modifier

The company’s effort to save energy were successful.
The company’s effort\attempt to save energy were fairly/rather/quite successful.

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2. Include caution by using a modal
Crime is related to poor education.
Crime could be associated to poor education

3. Include caution by using an adverbs

Vaccination does not only keep your child safe, but it could save other children’s lives.
probabbly/generally

4. Include caution by using a verb or verb phrase

There are plausible evidence that playing games not only change brain performance but
also brain structure.
Appears to be

Language: Sentence Variation

Activity 10
Rewrite the sentences below by combining multiple short sentences or breaking long and
complicated sentences.

1. Queen Elizabeth II came to the throne in 1952. This was when her father King George VI
died. He died of lung disease.
Method : Combining sentences
Revised sentence :

2. Issues of gender, like those associated with race, are often highly complex especially in
contexts of human interaction, which are often unpredictable and also determined, to a
great extent, though not exclusively so, by emotional response, which makes people
react in unexpected and unplanned ways.
Method : Breaking sentences
Revised sentence :

3. Happiness level has remained static over the past 50 years in the Western world. This is
despite the huge increase in income. Britain and America are wealthy countries.

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 Method : Combining sentences
Revised sentence :

Activity 11
Read the paragraph below and write the paragraph by including sentence variation within
the paragraph.
Rosa Parks is a famous African-American woman. She is often called “the mother
of the civil rights movement”. She became famous quite by accident. One day in 1955,
she was on her way home from her job in a Montgomery, Alabama, department store. She
boarded a city bus with three other African-Americans. They sat in the fifth row. The fifth
row was the first row African Americans were allowed to sit in. A few stops later, the front
four rows filled up, a white man left standing. The driver then asked Parks and three other
African-Americans to get up and move. Parks refused. The other three complied. The bus
driver called the police. Parks was arrested.

Revised paragraph