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CRITICAL REVIEW

In Language Development II, there are three types of text that had been learned as
required through the syllabus which are Problem, Process and Solution text, Cause and Effect
text, and Compare and Contrast text. The type of text that I had chosen as a sample to be
critically analysed is a Compare and Contrast text regarding living on and off campus.

Compare and Contrast text is a common form of academic writing. To compare is to


analyse the similarities between two topics and to contrast is to analyse the differences between
two topics (Smith, 2017). Therefore, a Compare and Contrast text focuses on the ways which
certain things or ideas, usually two topics that are related but somehow different, are similar to
and different from one another (Comparing and Contrasting, n.d.). This could be seen from the
topic of the essay sample which discusses between living in and off campus. This essay type is
commonly use in university to encourage us in making connections between topics, engage in
critical thinking, and go beyond the mere summarization to generate interesting analysis.

The structure used in the essay is point-by-point structure. In general, a Compare and
Contrast essay has 2 structures which are block and point-by-point (Smith, 2017). For the block
structure, all of the information about one of the objects being compared or contrast is given first
then proceeds with all of the information about the other object. For point-by-point structure,
each similarity or difference for one object is followed immediately by the difference or similarity
for the other. The writer way of choosing point-by point for the essay sample makes the ideas
that were discussed clearer as it ensures that the similarities or differences are more explicit.

The introductory paragraph in the essay discusses in general of decisions student will
make once entering university. It does not specifically starts with and debate between living in
and off campus. This gives a good general idea to readers about their topic. The introductory
paragraph proceeds to specify the topic and end the paragraph by giving a thesis statement. A
thesis statement is a single sentence that tells the reader how the writer interprets the
significance of the subject matter under discussion. In other words, it is a road map for the
reader in reading the essay (Thesis Statement, n.d.). The thesis statement in the sample essay
can be found in line 5 of the introductory paragraph which is “These two types … level of
privacy.” From the thesis statement, we can expect that the writer will discuss three major topics
regarding living in and off campus. The writer also does not use long sentences to state the
thesis statement making the readers easier to analyse what the topic will be discussed about.
Next, the second paragraph discuss about the first major topic which is “differ in cost”
(para. 2, line 7). The writer introduced the topic with a topic sentence as seen in line 7 of the
essay which is “First, on campus … differ in cost.” A topic sentence is the controlling idea of the
paragraph (Paragraphs & Topic Sentences, n.d.). Readers generally took the first few
sentences as the topic sentence that is why it is in the writer’s best interest to put the topic
sentence at the very beginning of the paragraph to ease the reader. In this paragraph, it
discusses the differences of the cost in living between on-campus and off-campus housing. The
word “In contrast” (para. 2, line 8) was used to show the contrast between the two main
subjects.

Furthermore, the third paragraph starts off with a topic sentence as seen in line 15 of the
essay which is “Secondly, the level … off-campus housing.” It discusses about the differences in
level of convenience between the two main ideas. The writer also used “On the other hand,”
(para. 3 line 22) as to show the contrast between the two main ideas. It is also known as the
transition contrast. Transition words and phrases can create powerful links between ideas
(Transitional Words and Phrases, n.d.). However, this paragraph is lacking in its academic
writing. As seen in line 16 of the essay, the usage of “Because” in the start of a sentence is not
academically approved. It is technically not wrong but people tend to give the wrong sentence
structure when using “because” in the beginning of a sentence (Pratt, 2014).

Next, the writer starts the third paragraph with a topic sentence as seen in line 28 of the
essay which is “Finally, on campus … levels of privacy.” It discusses about the differences in
level of privacy between the two main ideas. The writer also used “on the other hand,” (para. 4,
line 32) as to show the contrast between the two main ideas.

For the concluding paragraph, the writer restates the thesis statement in beginning of the
paragraph as seen in line 35 of the essay which is “To conclude, living … in several aspects.”
Writers restate their thesis statement as to not leave the topic that was discussed hanging (How
Do You Restate The Thesis In The Conclusion?, 2011). The words “To conclude” (para. 5, line
35) was also used to represent the summarization of the essay.

In addition, this essay sample could be written better as it is lacking from having a
similarity as major point. If the writer had put a similarity of the two main ideas as one of the
major topic, it would make the essay much more academically approved. A Compare and
Contrast essay should be seen in both similarity and differences of the two main ideas. This is
as to have a fair judgement in all perspective of the two main ideas.
In conclusion, the writer chose a Compare and Contrast type of text to discuss about the
differences between living on and off campus. This is to give the readers an easier and better
understanding of the topic discussed.

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