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This is the podcast for the Compare and Contrast Essays page of EAPFoundation.com
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the website for all your academic English needs. Compare and contrast is a common form of academic writing
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either as an essay type on its own or as part of a larger essay which includes one or more paragraphs which compare or contrast
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This podcast gives information on what a compare and contrast essay is
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how to structure this type of essay, how to use compare and contrast structure words
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and how to make sure you use appropriate criteria for comparison and contrast
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On the website there is also an example, compare and contrast essay on the topic of communication technology
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as well as some exercises to help you practice this area. So first off, what are compare and contrast essays
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To compare is to examine how things are similar, while to contrast is to see how they differ
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A compare and contrast essay therefore looked at the similarities of two or more objects and the differences
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This essay type is common at university where a lecturer has frequently test your understanding by asking you to compare and contrast to theories two methods two historical points two characters in a novel etc
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Sometimes the whole essay will compare and contrast, though sometimes the comparison or contrast may be only part of the essay
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It's also possible, especially for short exam essays, that only the similarities or the differences, not both, will be discussed
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The following are some examples of the short exam essays, that only the similarities or the differences, not both, will be discussed. of compare and contrast essay titles
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Compare and contrast Newton's ideas of gravity with those proposed by Einstein
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This would be a compare and contrast essay. Examine how the economies of Spain and China are similar
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This would be a compare only essay. Explain the differences between the Acumenid Empire
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and Nepathian Empire. This would be a contrast only essay. So let's go on to look at structure
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There are two main ways to structure a compare and contrast essay, namely using a block or a point-by-point structure
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For the blog structure, all of the information about one of the objects being compared or contrasted is given first
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and all of the information about the other object is listed afterwards This type of structure is similar to the blog structure used for cause and effect and problem solution essays
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For the point by point structure, each similarity or difference for one object is followed immediately by the similarity or difference for the other
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Both types of structure have their merits. The former is easier to write, while the latter is generally clearer as it ensures that the similarity
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or differences are more explicit. Diagrams of the two types of structure, block and point by point, can be found on the website
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So let's look now at compare and contrast structure words. Compare and contrast structure words are transition signals which show the similarities or differences
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The following are some common examples. First, compare structure words. These are words like similarly, likewise, also
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both x and y not only x but also y neither x nor y just like which is followed by a noun phrase similar to which is also followed by a noun or noun phrase
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to be similar to be the same as to be alike to compare to or to compare with Examples of these in sentences Computers can be used to communicate easily for example via email
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Similarly, the mobile phone is a convenient tool for communication. Both computers and mobile phones can be used to communicate easily with other people
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Just like the computer, the mobile phone can be used. used to communicate easily with other people. The computer is similar to the mobile phone in the
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way it can be used for easy communication. And then looking at contrast structure words, these are
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words like, however, in contrast, in comparison, by comparison. On the other hand, while, whereas
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but, to differ from, to be different from, to be dissimilar to
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to be unlike. And examples of these in sentences computers, although increasingly small
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are not always easy to carry from one place to another. However, the mobile phone can be carried with ease
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Computers are generally not very portable, whereas the mobile phone is
