1. Compare and Contrast

2. Compare and Contrast
Comparison emphasizes the similarities between two things, ideas, concepts, or points of view.
ie. The Walking Dead and Fear the Walking Dead are two multi-camera shows about a zombie apocalypse.
Contrast emphasizes the differences between two things, ideas, concepts, or points of view
ie. The Walking Dead and Fear the Walking Dead are set in different times and places and focus on different aspects of the zombie apocalypse.

3. Compare and Contrast
A great way to support your judgements is by comparing and contrasting your textual evidence with other examples.
However, these examples must be fair and grounded in the same larger class of things or genre.
ie. Lori on The Walking Dead fails to register the appropriate emotion for the situations she finds herself in. If we compare her reactions with the acting of Hilary Swank in Boys Don’t Cry, we can see just how lacking The Walking Dead is. (Bad example!)

4. Compare and Contrast
By using fair and grounded comparisons, you strengthen both your criteria and your evidence.
ie. Lori on The Walking Dead fails to register the appropriate emotion for the situations she finds herself in. If we consider the reactions of Madison Clark—a similar mother figure on Fear the Walking Dead—we can see an example of acting that conveys appropriate reactions and makes the unbelievable encounters with zombies more believable for viewers. (Good example!)

5. Compare and Contrast
We can strengthen our criteria, evidence, and judgements by choosing appropriate subjects to compare and contrast.
By presenting examples of things that meet the chosen standards, you establish a scale.

6. Two Methods: Slice and Block

7. Two Methods Compares the items one criterion at a time.
Slice
Block
Compares the items one criterion at a time.
The topic sentence focuses on the criterion being used as the basis of comparison rather than the item.
Compares the all of the similarities in one section and all of the differences in another.
The topic sentence focuses on the basis of comparison rather than the criterion being used.

8. Slice or Block?
If you were to write a comparison of college and high school, you might decide on the following four criteria: cost, workload, social aspects, and future benefits. You could use either method to present your ideas in a compare and contrast essay.

9. Slice
Block
Introduction: opening, thesis— items to be compared, reason for comparison, and main criteria
Cost of attending high school and college
Workload in high school and college
Social aspects of high school and college
Future benefits made possible by high school and college
Conclusion: summarize or restate the main points and perhaps indicate a preference for one of the two items being compared
Introduction: opening, thesis— items to be compared, reason for comparison, and main criteria
Similarities between High School and college*
Differences between high school and college*
Conclusion: summarize or restate the main points and perhaps indicate a preference for one of the two items being compared
*these body paragraphs will likely be longer than one paragraph.

10. People should own boxers and underwear
People should own boxers and underwear. When wearing boxers under pants, the boxers bunch up in different places, forming little hills out of the pants. When wearing underwear under pants, they do not bunch up, leaving the pants smooth. Boxers come up high on the waist, so people can see them above the pants unless the shirt is tucked in, but underwear do not come up high on the waist, so no one can see them above the pants. However, boxers can be worn without any clothes on top, but this cannot be done with underwear. Wearing boxers without any pants on is very comfortable. Underwear is very comfortable with pants on. Because of the advantages and disadvantages of each, people should own both boxers and underwear.

11. People should own boxers and underwear
People should own boxers and underwear. When wearing boxers under pants, the boxers bunch up in different places, forming little hills out of the pants. They come up high on the waist, so people can see them above the pants unless the shirt is tucked in. However, they can be worn without any clothes over them without any embarrassment. When worn like this, they are very comfortable. Underwear do not bunch up under pants, leaving the pants smooth. Usually they do not come up high on the waist, so people cannot see them above the pants. They cannot be worn without clothes on top without violating the law. They are very comfortable when worn under pants. Because of the advantages and disadvantages of each, people should own both boxers and underwear.

12. Fighting the Battle against Drugs
The use of drugs has increased in recent years, according to numerous articles in medical journals. They threaten communities all over the world because of how affect the organs of the body and their functions. Crack and cocaine are two of these dangerous drugs. Thus, it is important for health care professionals to have knowledge about them in order to deal with any problems related to their use that patients may experience. While they may appear similar at first glance, in fact they have three major differences.
Crack and cocaine have three similar effects on the human body. Although crack is heat resistant and cocaine is destroyed by heat, both cause hypertension. Also, crack and cocaine bring about physiological and psychological damage, depending on pre-existing conditions and the extent of drug use. For example, hallucination, psychosis, paranoia and aggressive behavior may occur, and an overdose of either may cause cardiac collapse or convulsion. Finally, use of both drugs can lead to addiction.
Despite crack and cocaine’s similarities, they have three major differences. First, although crack and cocaine are derived from the coca plant, they differ in form. Crack has the form of flakes whereas cocaine is found in the form of powder, which can be dissolved. Furthermore, both crack and cocaine contain cocaine, but in various percentages: crack contains as much as 90 percent pure cocaine whereas cocaine contains from 15 to 25 percent pure cocaine. Another major difference is how they enter the body. For example, crack is smoked in a pipe or cigarette. It enters the body by the lungs into the bloodstream. Cocaine, on the other hand, is inhaled as a powder or is injected if dissolved. It enters the body via the nasal mucosa into the bloodstream or, if injected, directly via the bloodstream.
In conclusion, it can be seen that, while being alike in three ways, these two drugs differ in three ways. They affect the body in similar ways. Both can lead to physiological problems such as convulsions and psychological problems such as hallucinations. Furthermore, their use may result in addiction. However, cocaine and crack differ in form, content of pure cocaine and method of entry into the body. Therefore, it is important that health care professionals know about these drugs.