Comparison Essay

WRITING COMPARISON SENTENCES AND ESSAYS

Look on this page for . . .
1. examples of comparison sentences and
2. an outline for writing a comparison essay.

WRITING COMPARISON SENTENCES

There are several ways of writing sentences which compare two or more objects or people. Here are some patterns you may use…
1. WHILE Vancouver is a large city, Abbotsford is a small city.
2. The Fraser River flows into the Pacific Ocean, WHILE the Amazon flows into the Atlantic.
3. ALTHOUGH the Nile is the longest river in the world, the Amazon holds a greater volume of water.
4. BOTH Belize and Guatemala are in North America.
5. NEITHER Edmonton NOR Yellowknife have hot winters.
6. NOT ONLY western hemlock trees are abundant in the Fraser Valley, BUT ALSO Douglas fir and big leaf maples.
7. Canada has many natural resources; ON THE OTHER HAND, Japan has few natural resources.
8. Canada is a very large country; IN CONTRAST, Cuba is a very small country.
9. Canada has a RELATIVELY SMALL population, WHILE the U.S.A, has a RELATIVELY LARGE population.
10. Europe has many countries; IN COMPARISON, South America has very few countries.
Note that a semi-colon (;) is used to join two complete sentences in order to make one sentences. Do not confuse semi-colons with commas!

WRITING COMPARISON REPORTS

There are several ways of writing reports which compare two or more countries. Here is one way…
A. Start each main paragraph with a topic sentence that compares the two places.
1. While China has many people, Canada has relatively few people.
2. Mexico has a hot climate, while England has a relatively cool climate.
3. Although Canadian winters can be cold, Mexican winters are generally warm.
4. Both France and Canada have many tourist sites.
5. England grows many cool weather crops; on the other hand, Mexico grows many crops that require hot weather.
6. Canada is a large country; in contrast, El Salvador is a very small country.
Note that a semi-colon (;) is used to join two complete sentences in order to make one sentence. Do not confuse semi-colons with commas!

B. In each paragraph, give several examples to prove your topic sentence. End each paragraph with a brief summary sentence.
E.g. Both England and Mexico attract many tourists. England is well-known for its buildings such as Big Ben, Buckingham Palace and St. Paul’s Cathedral in London. It is also known for its huge museums and art galleries such as the British Museum and the Tate Gallery. Furthermore, there are many famous towns such as Oxford, Cambridge and Stratford-upon-Avon. There are many hiking trails and other outdoor activities, but tourists from Canada generally go to England to see the man-made attractions. Mexico, on the other hand, while having important museums and galleries, tends to attract people who want to enjoy the warm weather of resorts. They go to Mazatlan and Puerto Vallarta on the coast of the Pacific Ocean. They go to Cozumel and Cancun on the coast of the Caribbean Sea. Canadians tend to prefer Mexico in winter and England in summer.
(Don’t actually put your topic and concluding sentence in bold-face. I just did that so you’d notice them.)

C. Decide what format your report will take. If you want to write an essay, add an introductory and concluding paragraph. You already know how to do this from writing essays.

[This page may be copied for use with students if the following credit is provided: ©2007 Sophie Rosen.]

 

A LITERARY COMPARATIVE ESSAY

   Never give up hope. Always persist. Happiness is possible. That encouraging theme is portrayed in many novels, including these three: ______title______ by _____author____ , ____title________ by ____author____ and _________title________ by ___author____ .

    ___character____ in _____title_____ wants… [In 4-6 sentences, describe the main conflict, the setting and the solution. Focus on how the character doesn’t give up despite many obstacles.]

    Similarly, __character___ in ___title___ learns that life can be difficult. S/he wants… [In 4-6 sentences, describe the main conflict, the setting and the solution. Focus on how the character doesn’t give up despite many obstacles.]

    __character___ in ____title___ also discovers that the road to happiness can be rather bumpy. S/he …..[In 4-6 sentences, describe the main conflict in the novel, the setting and the solution. Focus on how the character doesn’t give up despite many obstacles.]

    This theme that life is difficult but still full of happiness is important to remember.  Life truly is trying at times.  [Give some of your own real-life examples of difficult times.] But happiness is still possible.  [Tell how you have found happiness despite hardships.]

    These three authors — __author’s last name___ , ___author’s last name__ and ___author’s last name__ — all use fiction to tell us the truth about life: happiness truly is within our reach.

Remember:
1.    You may use quotations from novels to prove your point if you include the page numbers.
2.    Use some figures of speech such as alliteration.
3.    Use some transition words such as ‘in addition’ and ‘futhermore’.
4.    Do not use contractions in a formal essay.
5.    You may change any of the sentences in the outline to suit your theme and your style of writing.

[This page may be copied for use with students if the following credit is provided: ©2012 Sophie Rosen.]

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