Comparing and contrasting 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.

Выражение	Комментарий
A comparison between something (someone) and something (someone).	Используется, когда 2 вещи сравниваются. She doesn’t like when somebody draws a comparison between her and her sister. – Она не любит, когда кто-то сравнивает ее и сестру.
A comparison of	Используется, когда сравниваются несколько аспектов одного предмета. Linguists make a comparison of different approaches to teaching. – Лингвисты сравнивают разные подходы к обучению.
In comparison with/to	With и to используются с одинаковым значением. В американском английском чаще употребляют compared with. In comparison to/with the last film I saw this comedy was awful. – В сравнении с последним фильмом, который я видел, эта комедия была ужасной.
As compared to	Употребляется для того, чтобы подчеркнуть большую разницу в чем-то. 35% of teenagers smoke, as compared to 45% adults. – 35% подростков курят в сравнении с 45% взрослых.
Analogies between	Сравнение между вещами, у которых есть похожие особенности, черты. Our CEO made an analogy between sport and business. – Наш генеральный директор провел аналогию между спортом и бизнесом.
Differences and similarities between	Различия и сходства между чем-то. Between – когда разные группы вещей или людей сравнивают. Differences and similarities between generations. – Различия и сходства между поколениями.
Differences in	In – когда некоторые аспекты одного явления сравниваются. There is a big difference in the attitudes of village and city people. – Есть большая разница в отношении людей из деревни и города.
The distinction between	Различие между двумя похожими вещами. Do you have the same distinction between amateurish and professional sport as we do? – У вас есть те же различия между профессиональным и любительским спортом, как у нас?
Different from	Что-то от чего-то отличается. From – чаще всего употребляется в речи. To – используется при академическом письме. Different that – встречается в американском английском. Today the environment is different from the one we had 20 years ago. – Сегодня окружающая среда отличается от той, которая была 20 лет назад.

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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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.

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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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).

Linking words ( or transitional words, conjunctions) are words or phrases that connect ideas or sentences within a text. Using linking words helps your text more readable and allows the reader to comprehend the opinion or information you’re representing. In this post, we’re going to learn some useful linking words for comparison and contradiction.

But

But is coordinating conjunction used to connect contrasting ideas. Coordinating conjunctions connect items that are the same grammatical type.

For example:

• She always wants to be successful but she is so lazy.
• I’m not sure what you are planning to do but I will always support you.

However

However, is more formal than but. You can use however at the beginning of a sentence, yet you can’t use but at the beginning of a sentence (in written English).

For example:

• We have failed many times; however, we still keep trying.
• I want to come to your party tonight. However, I have to visit my parents. (In case you use but, the sentence should be:  “I want to come to your party tonight but I have to visit my parents.”)

Nevertheless

We can use either however or nevertheless to indicate the second point we wish to make contrasts with the first point. The difference is that nevertheless is a bit more formal and emphatic than however.

For example:

• Milos said his English is terrible. Nevertheless, he got an 8.0 on his IELTS Writing test.
• I knew a lot about the subject already, but his presentation was interesting nevertheless.
  

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Although / even though

These linking words are the same, and they are both followed by a clause (subject + verb). Even though is stronger, more emphatic than although.

Besides, even though is used when the given condition is negative but the outcome/result is positive.

For example:

• Even though Ram hadn’t studied, he passed the exam.
• She still loves him, even though he treated her very badly.

On the other hand, although is used when the given condition is positive while the outcome/result is negative.

For example:

• Although Ram had studied very hard, he did not score well.
• Although he’s trying to be more healthy, he finds it easier to eat fast food.

Despite /in spite of

In spite of and despite having a similar meaning to although or even though. They both are more common in writing than speaking and are used to show a contrast between two things. They are both more common in writing than in speaking. These two prepositional expressions are followed by nouns or gerunds (verb + ‘ing’). They are not followed by clauses (subject + verb). Despite is a little more formal than in spite of.

For example:

• Despite being one of the most successful people in the world, Mike has never felt happy.
• In spite of studying hard, Mike didn’t get a good grade on the final exam.

If you want to use a clause with despite and in spite of, you need to add the fact that.

For example:

• Despite the fact that Mike is one of the most successful people in the world, he has never felt happy.
• In spite of the fact that Mike studied hard, he didn’t get a good grade on the final exam.

While / Whereas

We use the conjunctions whereas and while to indicate a contrast between two facts or ideas in one sentence. These words can be placed at the beginning of the sentence or in the middle.

For example:

• While I accept that she’s not perfect in many respects, I do actually like her.
• He must be about 60, whereas his wife looks about 30.
• She likes going to parties whereas I prefer somewhere quiet.

On the other hand

You use on the other hand to introduce the second of two contrasting points, facts, or ways of looking at something.

For example:

• She lacked experience, but on the other hand, she was hard-working and willing to learn.

Yet

Yet as a conjunction means ‘but’ or ‘nevertheless‘. We use it to show contrast. It often occurs after ‘and’.

For example:

• So many questions and yet so few answers.
• It’s hard to stay focused. And yet, we know we’ll only do our best work if we stay focused.

By contrast / In contrast

These two conjunctions are exactly the same and are used in a similar way to however or on the other hand to introduce a contrast or a comparison. Put By / In contrast at the beginning of a sentence, with a comma (,) after contrast.

Example

• Unemployment rose in the UK. By contrast, the number of unemployed people in Canada fell.

On the contrary

We use “on the contrary” to deny that something is true and to explain that the opposite is true.

For example:

– Mike:  “You didn’t like the movie, did you?”
– Lauren: “On the contrary, the movie was great. I think I’ll watch it again.”

So far, you’ve just learned some of the most common linking words for comparison and contradiction. Now it’s time to put them into practice. Don’t forget to check out our post about linking words for adding information to improve your writing!

And now, make a sentence with one of those linking words and share it with us in the comments below.

>>> Learn more linking words to perfect your English writing here!

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I also recommend you use eJOY extension to search for more linking words meaning while reading. It is handy, instant, and helps enrich your vocabulary. You can also use the Say it features to learn how to use such linking words in a real-life context.

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