We are going to start off with brainstorming. As a class, we will need to come up with five different nouns. I will list them on the board and select two of the five nouns.
You will then get into groups of two or three and write down ways in which these nouns are similar.
Each group will then present one way in which the two nouns are similar. Talking about how things are similar is called making a comparison. You compared two nouns.
We will brainstorm another list of nouns. As a class, we will need to come up with five different nouns. I will list them on the board and select two of the five nouns.
You will then get back into groups and write down ways in which these nouns are different.
Each group will then present one way in which the two nouns are different. Talking about how things are different is called contrasting. You contrasted two nouns.
Now that you have established the difference between compare and contrast, consider the following sentence.
The University of Illinois has a large international population like New York does.
Is a comparison being made here or is it a contrast? How can you tell? What are some words that can signal this type of relationship?
Take a look at the COMPARISON/CONTRAST SIGNAL WORDS on this document. These words signal that a comparison is being made.
Half of the class will work on numbers 1 and 2 of Exercise I. The other Half will work on numbers 3 and 4 of Exercise I.
Now consider this sentence.
The University of Illinois has a large international student population whereas Northern Illinois University does not.
Is a comparison being made here or is it a contrast? How can you tell? What are some words that can signal this type of relationship?
Take a look at the COMPARISON/CONTRAST SIGNAL WORDS on this document. These words signal that a contrast is being made.
Half of the room will work on numbers 2 and 3 of Exercise III. The other half of the room will work on numbers 4 and 5 of Exercise III.
