How to Write a Comparison/Contrast
What Was It Like to Live in 1900?
Have you ever wondered what life was like for young people in the past? Life in the year 1900 was very different than it is today. To better understand what it was like, you could compare and contrast the life of a child in 1900 to your own life.
One way that history writers can help their readers better understand the past is by doing comparison/contrast writing. When learning about two or more new ideas, people, and events, you might find it helpful to compare them to one another. A comparison describes ways that topic areas are the same. A contrast describes ways that topic areas are different.
Follow these steps to write a comparison/contrast.
1. Decide on Your Topic Areas
Before you begin writing, you should decide what people, places, things, or events you would like to compare and contrast. You may wish to write about two or three different topic areas.
2. Gather and Sort Information
collect as much information as you can about each of your topic areas. Decide how your topics are alike and how they are different. Create a chart or Venn diagram to sort your information into "same" and "different" categories.
STEPS IN Writing a Comparison/Contrast
3. Use Adjectives and Signal Words
Begin writing about your topics, keeping a focus on comparing and contrasting them as you write. Words such as taller or smaller compare two subjects. Words such as tallest or smallest compare three or more subjects.
0 Signal words such as same, similar, like, both, as, also, and too can tell how topic areas are similar. Words such as unlike, but, more, less, than, better, worse, and different show how things are different.
0 Adjectives used to compare and contrast can end in -er, or -est.
Children in 1900 usually worked harder than children do today.
The largest libraries were in the cities.
0 Adjectives used to contrast sometimes use the word more.
Usually life was more difficult for poor children than for children from wealthy families.
TIP: Making a Venn diagram is an easy way to organize details as you prepare to write. Draw two large, overlapping circles. Write distinguishing details about each topic in the outer part of each circle. List things that are the same about both topics in the middle.