COMPARISON PARAGRAPH

Sample 1:
My hometown and my college town have several things in common. First, both are small rural
communities. For example, my hometown, Gridlock, has a population of only about 10,000
people. Similarly, my college town, Subnormal, consists of about 11,000 local residents. This
population swells to 15,000 people when the college students are attending classes. A second
way in which these two towns are similar is that they are both located in rural areas. Gridlock
is surrounded by many acres of farmland which is devoted mainly to growing corn and
soybeans. In the same way, Subnormal lies in the center of farmland which is used to raise
hogs and cattle . . . .
Sample 2:
There are three important similarities between The Eastern Woodland Peoples and the
Northwest Coast Peoples. First of all, neither group had a written language. The Iroquois
relied on oral storytelling to recall their history. Similarly, The Nootka used totem poles and
spoken words to tell their story. A second similarity is the way these First Nations traveled in
their territory. Both groups relied on canoes- birch bark in the east and cedar in the west.
Finally, like the majority of First Nations, both had a respect for nature not found in Western
cultures. For example, during a hunt, the hunter would make an offering to the dead animal.
He thanked the animal for giving up his life. He hoped the animal would let the other animals
know of his generosity so that they would give their lives in the future. In sum, there are many
commonalities among first nations despite diverse environments and great distances.

CONTRAST PARAGRAPH
Sample 1:
Although Linda and Glinda are twins, they are totally different people: Linda has blonde hair,
while Glinda has brown hair. Linda is very lady- like and is easily hurt by her emotions.
Glinda is more a tom-boy than a lady and is the cause of hurt feelings. You would think Linda
was the popular girl, but shes not. Glinda has always been considered the popular girl
Sample 2:
What a joy to the palate is fresh fruit! And yet, even the more common varieties have many
differences. An apple has a smooth, often freckled skin of crimson or gold, while an orange is
orange and covered with craters and valleys of minuscule size. The aroma of an apple is sweet
and mellow, that of the orange is richly tart. After a quick polish, you may bite into an apples
crunching goodness. But, alas, poor orange must be stripped of its armor before its dripping
sections may be savored.

Sample 3:
Even though Arizona and Rhode Island are both states of the U.S., they are strikingly different
in many ways. For example, the physical size of each state is different. Arizona is large,
having an area of 114,000 square miles, whereas Rhode Island is only about a tenth the size,
having an area of only 1,214 square miles. Another difference is in the size of the population
of each state. Arizona has about four million people living in it, but Rhode Island has less than
one million. The two states also differ in the kinds of natural environments that each has. For
example, Arizona is a very dry state, consisting of large desert areas that do not receive much
rainfall every year. However, Rhode Island is located in a temperate zone and receives an
average of 44 inches of rain per year. In addition, while Arizona is a landlocked state and thus
has no seashore, Rhode Island lies on the Atlantic Ocean and does have a significant coastline.

ANALOGY PARAGRAPH
This paragraph develops an idea by means of a comparison with a similar
idea.
Examples:

1)Pupils are more like oysters than sausages. The job of teaching is not to stuff them
and then seal them up, but to help them open and reveal the riches within. There are
pearls in each of us, if only we knew how to cultivate them with ardor and persistence.
(Sydney J. Harris, "What True Education Should Do," 1964)

2) The "great Argentine footballer, Diego Maradona, is not usually associated with
the theory of monetary policy," Mervyn King explained to an audience in the City of
London two years ago. But the player's performance for Argentina against England in the
1986 World Cup perfectly summarized modern central banking, the Bank of England's
sport-loving governor added. Maradona's infamous "hand of God" goal, which should have been
disallowed, reflected old-fashioned central banking, Mr King said. It was full of mystique and "he
was lucky to get away with it." But the second goal, where Maradona beat five players before
scoring, even though he ran in a straight line, was an example of modern practice. "How can you
beat five players by running in a straight line? The answer is that the English defenders
reacted to what they expected Maradona to do.
way.

Market

interest

rates

react

to

what

.
the

. Monetary policy works in a similar

central

bank

is

(Chris Giles, "Alone Among Governors," Financial Times, September 8-9, 2007)

expected

to

do."