Compare-Contrast Menu Comments

Topic Sentence - A the topic sentence of a compare-contrast paragraph clearly indicates what you are re comparing and for what purpose (i.e., to make judgments about two things or to better understand familiar things).

Point by Point - Use point-by-point organization when you want to make an immediate comparison of features or characteristics of your two subjects. Point-by-point organization compares the subjects sentence by sentence.

Topic by Topic - Use topic-by-topic organization when you want to present a complete picture of both subjects. Topic0by-topic organization completely presents one subject; then the other.

Similarities - Highlight more similarities.

Differences - Highlight more points of contrast.

Transition Similarities - Transitional phrases or words that emphasize similarities (e.g., at the same time, in the same way, and similarly) are effective in classification paragraphs.

Transition Differences - Transitional phrases that emphasize differences (e.g., conversely, on the contrary, and however) are effective for use in compare-contrast paragraphs.

Concluding Sentence - The concluding sentence of a compare-contrast paragraph should emphasize should offer some meaningful conclusion of the compare-contrast exercise (i.e., so what).