To compare is to tell how 2 things are

alike.

To contrast is to tell how

2 things are different.

When you read, you can compare and contrast

information from two sources to see what is alike
and different.

Let's look at two articles about the Erie Canal.

Opened in 1825, the Erie Canal was the engineering marvel of the 19th
Century. When the
planning for what many derided as “Clinton's Folly” began, there was not a
single school of
engineering in the United States. Then - New York Governor DeWitt Clinton
envisioned a
better way: a Canal from Buffalo on the eastern shore of Lake Erie to Albany
on the upper
Hudson River, a distance of almost 400 miles.

In 1817, Clinton convinced the State legislature to authorize $7 million for

construction of a
Canal 363 miles long, 40 feet wide and four feet deep.

In 1825, Governor Dewitt Clinton officially opened the Erie Canal as he sailed
the packet boat
Seneca Chief along the Canal from Buffalo to Albany. After traveling from the
mouth of the
Erie to New York City, he emptied two casks of water from Lake Erie into the
Atlantic Ocean,
celebrating the first connection of waters from East to West in the ceremonial
"Marriage of the
Waters". *

It is a long way from Lake Erie to the Hudson River - about 360 miles. Some
people thought it
would be impossible to build a canal that long. After all, the land had to be
cleared of thousands
of huge trees and flattened. Then a channel wide and deep enough for a boat to
travel would
have to be dug. It would cost at least $7 million to dig the canal. Many people
made fun of the
idea. They began calling it "Clinton's Ditch".

The Erie Canal was finally finished in the fall of 1825. A boat named the
Seneca Chief left
Buffalo on October 26, 1825. Governor Clinton was aboard. The boat carried
two barrels of
water from Lake Erie. The Seneca Chief reached New York Harbor on
November 4. Clinton
poured the water from Lake Erie into the Atlantic Ocean to represent the new
link between the
East and the West. This was called the "Wedding of the Waters." **

Lets' compare and contrast the information on the Erie Canal.

Compare Contrast
Alike Different
First article referred to
"Clinton's Folly"
Erie Canal cost $7 million.
while the other called it
"Clinton's Ditch".
First article called in the
"Marriage of
Erie Canal was completed in 1825. the Waters", while the other
called it
"Wedding of the Waters".
First article referred to
Governor Clinton rode on the two casks of
Seneca water, while the other said
Chief. two barrels
of water.
Erie Canal connected Lake Erie to First article said 363 miles, while
the the
Hudson River. other said 360 miles.

Rememb To compare and contrast, find what is alike and

er: different.