Chapter 8: Recognizing Comparison/Contrast and

Cause/Effect Patterns

Active Reading Skills, 2/eKathleen McWhorter

Brette McWhorter Sember

PowerPoint by Gretchen Starks-Martin

Comparison/Contrast Patterns

Comparison: Explains how items, people, or events are alike.

Contrast: Explains how items, people, or events are different.

Compare and Contrast Two Professors

Similarities:

Both require attendance.

Both give essay exams.

Both are fair.

Both have a sense of humor.

Both wear casual clothes.

Differences: Only Miller assigns a term

paper. Only Wright demands class

participation. Wright is married, while

Miller is single. They graduated from

different universities.

Items A and B: Professor Miller and Professor Wright

Comparison Pattern Map

Item A Item B

Similarity 1

Similarity 2

Similarity 3

Transitions Used in the Comparison Pattern

alikesamesimilarsimilaritylike

likewisebothjust as eachin common

Contrast Pattern Map

Item A Item B

Difference 1

Difference 2

Transitions Used in the Contrast Pattern

unlikedifferentdifferenceon the other handinstead

in contrastdespiteneverthelesshoweverbut

Using Both Comparison and Contrast

Similarities:

Both require attendance.

Both give essay exams.

Both are fair.

Both have a sense of humor.

Both wear casual clothes.

Differences: Only Miller assigns a term

paper. Only Wright demands class

participation. Wright is married, while

Miller is single. They graduated from

different universities.

Items A and B: Professor Miller and Professor Wright

Cause/Effect Patterns

Writers use the cause/effect pattern to explain why an

event or action causes another event or action.

Single Cause/Multiple Effects

Cause

Effect A

Effect B

Effect C

Single Cause/Multiple Effects

Overexposure to the sun

Burned skin

Wrinkles andage spots

Skin cancer

Multiple Causes/Single Effect Map

Effect

Cause A

Cause B

Cause C

Multiple Causes/Single Effect Map

Good Exam Grade

Attend class

Take Notes

Study the text

Transitions in the Cause/Effect Pattern

cause effectbecause consequently

because of as a result

since one result is

due to therefore

reasons thus

Other Useful Thought Patterns

Classification

Statement and Clarification

Summary

Addition

Spatial Order

Classification Pattern

Topics are divided into parts and each part is explained.

Transitions: • another, another kind• classified as• include• is composed of• one• types of

Statement and Clarification Pattern

Writers make a statement of fact and then clarify or explain that statement.

Transitions:• in fact• in other words• clearly• evidently• obviously

Summary Pattern

A summary is a condensed statement that provides the key points of a larger idea or piece of writing.

Transitions: • in summary• in conclusion• in brief• to summarize• to sum up• in short• on the whole

Addition Pattern

Writers introduce an idea or make a statement and then supply additional information about that idea or statement.

Transitions:

• furthermore• additionally• also• besides• further• in addition• moreover• again

Spatial Order Pattern

Spatial order is concerned with the physical location or position in space. (photography or automotive technology texts as an example)

Spatial Order Transitions

Transitions:

• above• below• besides• next to• n front of• behind• inside• outside• opposite• within• nearby

Evaluating Your Progress

Use the “Patterns of Organization-New York” module in the Reading Skills section on the MyReadingLab Web site at http://www.ablongman.com/myreadinglab.

For more practice visit the Companion Web site.

http://www.ablongman.com/mcwhorter