THE SEARCH FOR EARLY AMERICANS

Unit 2

Writing a Compare/Contrast Essay

All you need do in writing a compare and contrast essay is take two subjects and show their similarities and their differences.

When writing a compare and contrast essay, the basic essay form of title, introduction, three paragraph body, and conclusion makes it one of the easiest essays to write.

Writing a Compare/Contrast Essay

Before you begin writing, brainstorm to find similarities and differences between your subjects.

ExampleApples and

Oranges

Writing a Compare/Contrast EssaySubject Similarities Differences

Both are tree fruits, grown commercially in large orchards

Oranges tropical, apples temperate

Apples and Oranges Apple juice and orange juice

Apple juice has no pulp. Orange juice has pulp.

Sauce Pulp and peeling from oranges is used in sauce. Applesauce contains only the pulp of the pared apple.

Use your essay introduction to introduce both subjects and present the points you intend to make.

Ex: Although apples and oranges are both

fruits, they each ripe with differences, some of which are shown in the way they are grown and processed.

1. You can compare and contrast different elements of each subject in each paragraph of your essay body.

This is also called “point by point” comparison and contrast.

“point by point” comparison and contrast essay

Example 1: (Compare) Apples and oranges are both tree fruits often grown

commercially in large orchards. (Contrast) However, apples grow in every climate and oranges need tropical temperatures to produce fruit.

(compare) Although both fruits can be juiced, (contrast) apples are pressed and only the juice is bottled while both pulp and juice is squeezed from oranges.

(Compare) Again, while fruit sauce is made from both apples and oranges, usually applesauce comes from the pared and pureed apple (contrast) while orange sauce may contain both the rind and the pulp of the orange.

Cue WordsAnother technique in

writing the compare and contrast essay is to use cue words.

Cue words are clues to whether you are comparing your subjects or contrasting them

These words make it easier for your reader to understand your points.

Cue WordsSimilarities (compare)

Differences(contrast)

•is similar to •on the other hand

•both •however•also •but•too •although•as well •unlike•like •while

Like in any essay, finish your essay by summarizing the points you made in the body.

Ex: Although each is a commercially grown tree fruit, growing temperatures and differences in processing apples and oranges clearly makes a distinction between the two fruits.

Appropriate use of transitions and cue words help make your essay conclusion easy to summarize.

Write a compare/contrast essay about two ancient civilization you learned about in The Search for Early Americans.

Use your Venn diagram to help you plan your compare-contrast essay.

In the outside portion of each circle (where the two do not overlap) write how each subject is different.

In the section where the two subjects overlap, list the characteristics that the two subjects share.

Venn Diagram

DifferencesMesa Verde

Used clay bowl, mugs, and jars that

were strong and polished

Painted black on white with lighting

designs.

DifferencesGrand Gulch

Used rough, coiled pots, gray, no

designs

After completing your Venn diagram use the information you used to write your compare-contrast essay.

You can get with your partners and work together. Pick one person a have him or her visit other groups to get compare and add additional information.

I will walk around the room and check your progress.

Remember to use classroom voices.

Word Knowledge1. photograph telephoto photosynthesis

photosensitive

The words in line one contain the Greek root photo. Photo means “light”

Knowing this information, what is the meaning of photosensitive?

(sensitive to light)

2. precaution preview prewash preheat The words in line each contain the prefix pre-. Remember that adding a prefix in the beginning of a root word

forms a new word.

3. largest wildest greatest nearest The words in line 3 contain words with the

suffix –est. Remember a suffix is a syllable added to the

end of a root word. When a root word ends with a silent e, the e

is dropped before adding -est. (fine, finest). When a root word ends with y, the y is

changed to an i before adding the suffix –est (funny/funniest).

4. Prehistoric preserved professor postscript The words in line 4 introduce the prefixes pro-, pre-,

and post-. Sentences

1. To enhance her presentation, Amy distributed photocopies of her research.

Define photocopies. Remember photo, Greek root photo to define.

2. My father likes to precook dinner in the morning. Identify the word in sentence 2 that contains the

prefix pre- (precook)

3. Tara is the fastest runner in our class.

Which word in sentence 3 contains the suffix -est? (fastest)

4. The archeology professor studied prehistoric artifacts.

Identify the words in sentence 4 that contain prefixes. (professor, prehistoric)

Adjectives describe or modify nouns or pronouns. An adjective can come before or after the word it modifies:

Example:A sunny day.

The day was sunny. A compound adjective is made of two or more words. It is

usually hibernated when it precedes the word it modifies.

ExamplesHer gray-brown hair.Her hair was gray brown.

Compound Adjectives

http://www.englishmedialab.com/Quizzes/advanced/compound%20adjectives%20match.htm Strong-willed Hot-tempered Hard-nose Blue-eyed cool-headed Fair-minded

vocabularyCliff dwelling: a

cave or hollow in cliff where ancient Native Americans of the southwest lived

prehistoric: period before recorded history.

exploration: examination of inhabitants and features of an area.

preserve: protect, to save.

ancestor: person from whom one is descended.

Spelling

1. postdate 11. protest2. postscript 12. prefix3. procedure 13. preview4. progress 14. proclamation5. propose 15. precaution6. provoke 16. prearrange7. predict 17. prehistoric8. preface 18. preserved9. preparation 19. professor10. premature 20. protected