identifying similarities and differences... from reading to writing in the diary of anne frank, anne...
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Identifying similarities and differences . . .From Reading to Writing In The Diary of Anne
Frank, Anne remarks on the differences between
herself and her sister Margot. She complains that
everything Margot does is considered right, while
everything she does is wrong.
Comparison-and-Contrast Essay
Identifying similarities and differences . . .
comparison-and-contrast essay.
Comparison-and-Contrast Essay
The sisters do have similarities, however. Both are
intelligent and sensitive. One way to explore such
similarities and differences, and to gain a better
understanding of your subjects, is by writing a
BodyIntroduction Conclusion
B a s i c s i n a B o x
Comparison-and-Contrast Essay at a Glance
RUBRIC STANDARDS FOR WRITING
A successful comparison-and-contrast essay should
• introduce the subjects being compared
• state a clear purpose for the comparison
• include both similarities and differences and support each statement with examples and details
• follow a clear organizational pattern
• include transitional words and phrases to make similarities and differences clear
• summarize the comparison in the conclusion
• introduces the subjects being compared
• tells the reason for the comparison
Subject A only
Subject Bonly
Both subjects
explains similarities and differences • summarizes the
comparison
• explains new understanding
It is possible to compare just about anything,
from people to objects to feelings. Think about
why you might make such a comparison. Do
you have to make a choice or a decision? Do
you want to understand two subjects that are
related better?
1 PrewritingWriting Your Comparison-and-Contrast Essay
Planning Your Comparison-and-Contrast Essay
1. Examine the differences and similarities
between your subjects. What are their most
important features? Which are similar? Which are
different? Using a Venn diagram will help you
sort out your ideas.
Planning Your Comparison-and-Contrast Essay
2. Decide which features to compare and
contrast. What do you want to learn about your
subjects by comparing them? Compare and
contrast the features that illustrate the main idea.
Planning Your Comparison-and-Contrast Essay
3. Choose your organizational pattern. There are
two ways to organize your comparison-and-
contrast essay: subject by subject or feature by
feature. Decide which pattern is more effective
for your essay, and create a chart like the one
shown to outline your points.
Planning Your Comparison-and-Contrast Essay
Subject A
Subject B
Feature 1
Feature 2
Feature 1
Feature 2
Feature 1
Feature 2
Subject A
Subject B
Subject A
Subject B
Subject by Subject Feature by Feature
Begin to write your essay, keeping in mind
that you can revise it later. Use your
organizational chart to help keep track of the
ideas.
2 Drafting
Use your introduction to establish your
purpose.
Writing Your Comparison-and-Contrast Essay
Keep to the same organizational plan
throughout your essay.
2 Drafting
Include transitions to indicate similarities
and differences clearly.
Writing Your Comparison-and-Contrast Essay
Develop a strong conclusion to summarize
your comparison.
TARGET SKILL
SUPPORTING IDEAS WITH EXAMPLES
As you write your comparison-and-contrast
essay, you must give examples to support the
similarities and differences that you point out.
To provide an example from a work of
literature, you can quote directly from the text,
or you can summarize an event that occurred in
the story.
3 RevisingWriting Your Comparison-and-Contrast Essay
TARGET SKILL
PAST AND PRESENT PARTICIPLES
Participles are useful for helping describe the
subjects in a comparison. Most past participles
are formed by adding -ed or -d to the present
tense, but some past participles are irregular.
Proofread your essay to make sure that you have
used the correct past-participle forms.
4 Editing and ProofreadingWriting Your Comparison-and-Contrast Essay
FOR YOUR WORKING PORTFOLIO
How did comparing and contrasting your two
subjects help you to understand each of them
better? What other subjects would you like to
compare and contrast?
5 ReflectingWriting Your Comparison-and-Contrast Essay