Compare and contrast one word

Казалось бы, что может быть сложного в том, чтобы сравнить два предмета или явления, а потом противопоставить их? Да, задание на самом деле не самое трудное, учитывая то, что, как правило, мы понимаем сущность предметов или явлений, знаем, чем они похожи, что в них разного, но оформить свои мысли в длинный связный рассказ бывает очень трудно. Задумывались ли вы, почему так происходит? Ответ очень прост: для того, чтобы ваша речь звучала логично, связно и доступно нужно знать особую лексику, которая употребляется для сравнения и противопоставления вещей.

Полезные выражения-связки для сравнения и противопоставления

1. Similarly (likewise) – аналогичным образом, так же.
   

   56% of the male respondents answered negatively. Similarly, 34% of female respondents said they would never give up smoking. – 56% опрошенных мужчин ответили отрицательно. Аналогичным образом, 34% женщин сказали, что никогда не бросят курить.

2. Contrast between – контраст между, разница.
   

   There is a contrast between country life and city life. – Существует различие между жизнью в городе и в пригороде.

3. To be (more) likely to – более вероятно, быть более склонным.
   

   Women are more likely to shop in this mall than men. – Женщины более склонны к тому, чтобы делать покупки в этом торговом центре, чем мужчины.

4. Conversely (vice versa) – наоборот.
   

   Conversely, men will do shopping at that mall across the street. – И наоборот, мужчины будут делать покупки в торговом центре, что через дорогу.

5. Unlike – в отличие.
   

   Unlike your brother I work as a manager. – В отличие от твоего брата я работаю менеджером.

6. Whereas – в то время как.
   

   Nurses’ salaries have risen substantially, whereas teachers’ pay has not changed a bit. – Зарплаты медсестер выросли значительно, в то время как зарплаты учителей не изменились никак.

7. Rather than – скорее чем; а не.
   

   Jim decided to break up with her rather than admit his fault. – Джим решил порвать с ней, а не признавать свою вину.

8. On the one hand, on the other hand – с одной стороны, с другой стороны.
   

   On the one hand, expansion of the Internet made a lot of improvements. On the other hand, it brought about a lot of problems. – C одной стороны, экспансия Интернета сделала много улучшений. С другой стороны, она принесла много проблем.

9. The reverse is true – наоборот.
   

   In the north, the weather is colder. In the south the reverse is true and warm weather is common there. – На севере погода холоднее. На юге наоборот, и теплая погода – это обычное дело там.

10. Pale in comparison – блекнет в сравнении с.
    

    Jane is pale in comparison with her sister. – Джейн блеклая (в смысле ничем не выделяется) в сравнении со своей сестрой.

11. To be polar opposites – быть полярными противоположностями.
    

    His attitude to me and other people is polar opposites. – Его отношение ко мне и другим людям – это полярные противоположности.

12. There is a yawning gap (world of difference) between – существует огромная разница (пропасть) между.
    

    There is a yawning gap between rich and poor that grows every day. – Огромная разница (пропасть) между богатыми и бедными растет каждый день.

13. Something is a far cry from something – что-то очень далеко от чего-то (имеется в виду разница, а не расстояние).
    

    London is a far cry from the town I was born in. – Лондон очень далек от того городка, в котором я родилась.

Эта лексика будет полезна всем, даже тем, кто только начал осваивать английский язык. Кроме того, если вы будет сдавать экзамен на сертификат международного образца, то вам тоже следует знать слова для сравнения и противопоставления. Потому что, например, в устной части таких экзаменов, как FCE (First Certificate in English), CAE (Certificate in Advanced English), CPE (Certificate of Proficiency in English) есть задание описать картинки. Вам будет дано 5-6 картинок приблизительно сходной тематики, и ваше задание будет compare and contrast these pictures, то есть сравните и противопоставьте эти картинки и ответьте на вопрос. В таком случае эта лексика будет как нельзя кстати!

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like, similar to, also, unlike, similarly, in the same way, likewise, again, compared to, in contrast, in like manner, contrasted with, on the contrary, however, although, yet, even though, still, but, nevertheless, conversely, at the same time, regardless, despite, while, on the one hand … on the other hand.

What are signal words for compare and contrast?

Comparison and Contrast Words
These are words that are used to point out similarities and differences between two items. Comparison words include words like likewise, equally, just as and many more.

What is a good sentence for comparison?

1) My shoes are small in comparison with my sister’s. 2) I’ll just cite some figures for comparison. 3) Comparison with other oil-producing countries is extremely interesting. 4) I enclose the two plans for comparison.

What are the 6 types of signal words?

• Signal Words: A Definition.
• Transition Words, Transitional Adverbs and Sentence Connectors.
• Types of Signal Words or Road Sign Words.
• Signal Words: Types, Functions and Examples.
• Listing, Addition, Agreement, Comparison or Similarity Signal Words.
• Transition Signal Words.
• Summary, Restatement or Conclusion Signal Words.

What are contrasting words?

comparison, contradiction, disagreement, disparity, distinction, divergence, diversity, opposition, variation, contradict, diverge, vary, antithesis, contradistinction, contrariety, converse, differentiation, dissimilarity, dissimilitude, foil.

How do you write a sentence for comparing two things?

Comparing two things
“She’s a lot more intelligent than him.” “This car is much faster than the other one.” “They are much less wealthy than they used to be.” “He’s a little taller than his sister.”

What are the 3 Comparison of adjectives?

Adjectives have three degrees that compare one thing to another. The three degrees of adjectives are positive, comparative and superlative. The comparative and superlative degrees are used to compare between two or more subjects or objects.

How do you start a sentence with comparing?

Sentence Starters – to compare and contrast

1. Similarly, …
2. In the same way …
3. Likewise, …
4. In comparison …
5. Complementary to this …
6. Then again, …
7. However, …
8. This is in contrast to …

What are signal words examples?

Here are some examples of signal words and phrases: “as a result,” “nevertheless,” “at the same time,” and “similarly.” Yes, I have used a signal word here (“similarly”) to let you know that I am about to point out something that is like using turn signals.

How do you identify signal words?

Consider words and phrases that indicate relationships between ideas, like also, however, as a result, in addition, for example, and in contrast. These are signal words, and they are sentence superheroes. The ability to identify and understand the meaning of signal words is like having X-ray vision while reading.

What are concession words?

Words in This Story
concession – n. grammar. a clause which begins with “although” or “even though” and which expresses an idea that suggests the opposite of the main part of the sentence.

What is comparing and contrasting?

Comparing involves identifying similarities and/or differences (e.g., apples and oranges are both fruit) whereas contrasting involves comparing two or more objects or events in order to show their differences (e.g., an apple has a thin skin that we can eat; an orange has a thick skin that we cannot eat).

What is comparison and contrast examples?

Generally speaking, comparing is showing the similarities, and contrasting is showing differences between two things that are related in some way. For example, you wouldn’t compare/contrast reading a book to driving a car, but you would compare reading a book to reading with an e-reader.

How do you make a good comparison?

Writing a comparative essay

1. Read the topic carefully. Make sure that you understand exactly what the topic is asking you to do.
2. Give roughly equal weight to each text.
3. Choose your preferred structure.
4. Focus on differences as well as similarities.
5. Use linking words and phrases.
6. Explore a range of elements.

How do you describe comparison?

Comparison or comparing is the act of evaluating two or more things by determining the relevant, comparable characteristics of each thing, and then determining which characteristics of each are similar to the other, which are different, and to what degree.

What is a comparison essay examples?

For example, Red Delicious apples are sweet, while Granny Smiths are tart and acidic.For a comparison essay, you likely would not choose two apples or two oranges because they share so many of the same properties already. Rather, you might try to compare how apples and oranges are quite similar.

Is it more little or littler?

If little means “small in size,” the comparative is littler or more little, and the superlative is littlest. If little means “small amount of,” the comparative is less, and the superlative is least. Examples: He was the littlest boy in the class. Please give me less milk than he has.

What are the types of comparisons?

There are three kinds of possible comparisons: equal, comparative and superlative.

How do you compare writing?

1. Overview.
2. Address Both Similarities and Differences.
3. Make Sure You Have a Clear Thesis Statement.
4. Use Clear Transitions.
5. Structure Your Paper.
6. Include Analysis.
7. Make Analogous Comparisons.
8. Related Webinar.

What are the 5 signal words?

Common signal words show emphasis, addition, comparison or contrast, illustration, and cause and effect.

What are the 3 signal words?

There are three signal words in use today: CAUTION, WARNING and DANGER. These three signal words are associated with toxicity categories established by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

Even if you’ve only started learning English, this vocabulary will be useful for you. Also, if you are about to sit an English exam for an international certificate such as FCE, CAE, TOEFL, IELTS, etc, or simply need to write an essay for homework, this post will be extremely useful for you. So, let’s dive into words and phrases you use for comparing and contrasting in English.

Comparative form 

First of all, we use the comparative form of adjectives and adverbs to compare things or people.

• London is a far bigger city than Vienna.
• People sleep less as they are older.
• Ryan drives faster than I do.

Compared to/with

This phrase is normally used for comparing, especially when it is about numbers and amounts of something.

• This novel is ridiculous compared to/with his previous one.
• The number of people who died in air crashes last year was 13% smaller compared to/with this year.
• It’s nothing compared to/with the amount of pain I felt when you left and broke my heart.

In case you want to emphasize a large difference in something, you can also use the phrase “as compared to”

• The life expectancy of women in the UK is 78 as compared to the life expectancy of 49 a century ago.
• The profit they made this year is much higher as compared to the profit they made in the first year.

Comparing and contrasting in English

Likewise 

Meaning: the same, in the same way.

• Pam took a pencil and started writing and told the students to do likewise.
• When Boris started running in the morning before work, his girlfriend thought it would be good for her to do likewise.
• ‘I hate to write reports from the meetings.’ ‘Likewise’

Similarly

Meaning: similar, in a similar way.

• All his letters were similarly written.
• Similarly to his brother, he showed great interest in literature and film.
• In order to grow, plants need water. Similarly, they must have sufficient light, as well.
• Two years after the Coronavirs pandemic started, the cost of food has risen. Similarly, the cost of clothing has gone up.

Comparing and contrasting in English

Unlike

Meaning: untypical, different from.

• Tom was very polite, unlike most children in the camp.
• He felt that the woman he met last night was unlike any other woman he’d ever met before.
• Unlike you, I am always on time.

In proportion to 

Meaning: use it to compare something concerning amount or size.

• American national debt is higher than British in proportion to their average incomes.
• Indian people consider a man happy in proportion to the number of children he has.
• The dog’s ears were big in proportion to its head.

In contrast

Use it to express the difference between things, people, ideas.

• In contrast to boys, baby girls usually start talking earlier.
• Young rabbits have an appearance like adult ones, in contrast with baby swans which don’t look like their parents at all.
• In the summer months, the weather on the island is dry and warm. In contrast, the rest of the year is rainy, especially between November and March.

Comparing and contrasting in English

As opposed to

Meaning: instead of, in contrast of.

• You should write what you think about this matter, as opposed to copying it from the Internet.
• As opposed to some other animals, we know that chimpanzees can recognize themselves in the mirror.
• The cost of this car is $23,000, as opposed to the last year’s $25,000.

Different from

• Although they are twins, they are very different from each other.
• This book is quite different from anything I’ve ever read before.
• Ever since he got back from prison, he’s different from the man we used to know.

Whereas

Use it to contrast two people or things.

• He’s a slim, tall man whereas his wife is short and chubby.
• Whereas butter is made from the butterfat of milk, margarine is made mainly of refined vegetable oil and water.
• I like oatmeal for breakfast whereas Sara prefers a big English breakfast.

Make/draw a parallel

Use the phrase to say how similar two or more things or people are.

• In her documentary, the director makes a parallel between the eating habits of people now and 30 years ago.
• Tom drew a parallel between the two writers’ lives and works in his paper.

Comparing and contrasting in English

Make/draw a distinction

This phrase is to show how different two or more things or people are.

• In his book, he drew a clear distinction between the habits of people living in rural and urban areas.
• The law draws a clear distinction between employed and unemployed people related to paying taxes.

On the one hand, on the other hand

Use these phrases to compare two different facts of the situation.

• On the one hand, while I enjoy the benefits of living in the country, on the other hand, I sometimes miss hustle and bustle of the city.
• On the one hand, he wanted a job with a higher salary, but on the other hand, he didn’t want to leave his colleagues as they made good friends.

You can use these idioms to emphasise the difference between two people or things.

Comparing and contrasting in English

 A far cry from

• The village she was born in was a far cry from the big city she has been living in now.
• What the government did during their mandate was a far cry from what they had promised to do.

A world of difference

• A new roof made a world of difference in the old house.
• There’s a world of difference between saying and doing, isn’t there?

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Imagine you are participating in a discussion about ideas. It’s not small talk. It’s a discussion about how you feel about something important, like your beliefs, politics, who you feel is better for a job, and so on. Using the right phrases and grammar structures can help you express your ideas well. Knowing how to compare and contrast is a particularly useful tool to get your point across in an interesting way.

Words and Short Phrases Used to Compare

The following words or short phrases compare two items or ideas:

• like
• likewise
• same as
• as well as
• also, too
• likewise

Here is a short paragraph using some of these expressions:

Time, like money, is a limited resource. You can’t buy everything you want, likewise, you don’t have enough time to do everything you want to do. Our time is the same as our money: it’s limited. Also, time is a resource when work needs to be done.

Words and Short Phrases Used to Contrast

The following words or short phrases contrast two items or ideas:

• unlike
• in contrast to
• as opposed to
• different from
• whereas

Here is a short paragraph using some of these expressions to contrast:

Unlike time or money, desire is an unlimited resource. Think about it: In contrast to money which can run out, your desire for new experiences and ideas will never end. Whereas there is never enough time to do everything you want, your desire will always come up with something new and exciting.

Forms Used When Comparing Ideas

The most important form to use when comparing two ideas is the comparative form. For three or more ideas, use the superlative form.

Comparative Form

These sentences use the comparative form to discuss ideas concerning the difficult economy:

Employment issues are more important than political problems at this point in time.
Job training is more critical to a sustained well being than food stamps and other welfare programs.

Politicians are more worried about reelection than truly improving the economy.

As … as

A related form to the comparative is the use of «as … as.» The positive form shows something is equal. However, when using «as … as,» do not modify the adjective as in the comparative form.

The loss of manufacturing jobs is as unfortunate as the drop in pay.
Spending on education in my state is as high as in some foreign countries like Korea.

The negative form shows that something is not equal.

It isn’t as easy as you think.

The loss in production isn’t as great as in the past.

Superlative Form

These sentences use the superlative form to state what someone feels are the most important aspect of success at university:

Dedication is the most important factor in success at University.

Opening my mind to new perspectives was the most rewarding part of my time at university.

Conjunctions and Connectors

Use these subordinating conjunctions, connecting words, and prepositions to contrast positive and negative aspects.

Though, Although, Even Though​

Although the initial cost will be high, we will eventually profit from the time spent.

It’s important to remember that time is money even though many believe that money is more important.

However, Nonetheless

We need to improve the local infrastructure. However, we must also respect nature.

The government should invest in job training programs. Nonetheless, that would be expensive.

Despite, In Spite Of

Despite the difficulty, students will soon see the benefit of this topic of study.

The situation will improve in spite of the economy.

Practice Situations

Find a partner and use these suggestions to practice comparing and contrasting ideas, events, and people. Make sure to vary the language you use when practicing rather than using the same phrase over and over again. For practice, you could try the following topics:

• Discuss the economic situation in your country
• Speak about the positive and negative aspects of a politician or political party
• Compare and contrast two different courses at school
• Consider both sides of an important decision such as an investment, a career change, etc.

When you are trying to compare and contrast different things, it helps to have the right words and phrases to explain your ideas clearly. This is where compare and contrast transition words come in handy.

A transition word or phrase guides the listener or reader through what the speaker or writer is saying. We use transition words, also known as ‘discourse markers‘, or ‘signal words’, to help us structure what we say and make our meaning clearer.

So, let’s take a look at some common transition words for comparing and contrasting – as well as some which you may not be familiar with. We have included plenty of example sentences so you can understand how to use them correctly.

Comparing and contrasting involves explaining how one thing is the same as or different to something else, and examining alternatives. You may get a compare and contrast essay assignment, for example, or you might need to write a business plan exploring different possible outcomes.

Whatever the situation, these transition words for comparing and contrasting will help you transition from one point to the next in a clear and logical way.

Transition words for comparing similarities

When you want to highlight the similarities between two things, or talk about how they are the same, these are the comparison transition words you should use.

The following signal words can be used to compare two things in the same sentence:

• as … as
• like
• similar

“Cats are as friendly as dogs.”
“That cloud looks like a face.”
“I look similar to my mother.”

The next group of comparing words are used after one point has been stated or mentioned, and they begin the following sentence that contains the second point:

• equally
• in the same way
• likewise
• similarly

“The sales team need to work hard to meet their targets this month. Similarly, all warehouse staff must make an effort to despatch all orders on time.”

Find more examples of alternative words for ‘similarly’ here.

Transition words for contrast emphasis

When presenting something that contrasts with what was previously written or said, or what would be expected as a result of a previous point, we can use these contradictory transition words.

In a simple sentence when presenting the two pieces of information together, we can use:

• but
• unlike
• whereas

“I’m really good at playing the guitar but I can’t play the flute.”
“Alan is a great singer whereas Anna is an excellent painter.”
“Spain is good for beach holidays, unlike Austria, which is good for skiing.”

To add information that contradicts or contrasts with what has previously been said in a separate sentence, we can use one of the following:

• conversely
• however
• in contrast
• on the contrary
• On the one hand… On the other hand

Here are some sentences with discourse markers to express contrast:

“Our children’s products have performed very well this year. Conversely, sales of menswear have fallen slightly.”
“It’s been sunny today; however, I think it’s going to rain tomorrow.”
“I’m not sure if we should continue working with this supplier. On the one hand, they have the best pricing in the market and a good reputation. On the other hand, we have had many problems with their service recently.”

Transition words to signal contrast in an outcome

When talking about one thing happening in spite of another thing (in contrast to the expected outcome), we can use transition words and phrases such as:

• all the same
• even so
• in spite of this
• mind you
• nevertheless
• nonetheless
• still
• yet

“The away team fought really hard to secure a victory. Still, the home team eventually won 2:1.”
“I will try to pick up some groceries on the way home. All the same, it would be nice if you had time to do the shopping this afternoon.”
“It has been a very tough year for the hospitality sector. In spite of this, our restaurant has managed to turn a good profit.”

In the same situation as above, but with the two points joined in the same sentence, you can use these signal words:

• although
• despite
• in spite of
• even though

“Even though the kids hadn’t met before, they got on really well at the party.”
“We managed to afford a holiday despite our financial problems.”
“We had a great time at the beach, in spite of the clouds.”

Find some more transition words for ending and concluding here.

Transition words for contrasting solutions and suggestions

And finally, these signal words can be used when you’re making a suggestion or offering a solution that contrasts with another suggestion or solution:

• alternatively
• instead of
• another option is to
• what about

“Instead of cooking dinner tonight, why don’t we get a takeaway?”
“We could hire a new staff member for this project. Alternatively we could just use a consultant on a temporary basis.”

And that concludes this list of compare and contrast transition words. If you have any other examples or are unsure how to use these compare and contrast words in a sentence, please leave a comment below.

If you found this article useful, take a look at these others which cover different categories of transition word:

Transition words for addition
Transition words for cause and effect
Transition words for giving examples
Transition words for time order and sequence

Finally, if you have a compare and contrast essay assignment, this resource might help you structure it well and cover the topic in full.