Introduction Paragraphs / Thesis Statements/ Organization of Support Paragraphs

For Comparison-Contrast Essays

FUNCTION OF THE INTRODUCTION PARAGRAPH

	to engage the reader’s attention (interest them; make them want to read more)
	identify for the reader the central issue or idea (what the paper will be about)

ONE TYPE OF INTRODUCTION: THE FUNNEL PARAGRAPH

	The first sentence is the wide end of the funnel: a general statement related to the subject.
	The next sentences should narrow in on the subject by getting more specific.
	The last sentence of the paragraph, the most specific statement about your subject, is the thesis of the essay. (For our class, you will always underline your thesis statement.)

General statement (related to the subject of the essay)

More specific statement

Thesis statement (the main idea of the essay)

THESIS STATEMENT

Comparison and contrast lead logically to a thesis because you usually won't bother to compare and contrast unless you have some purpose in mind. You must let your reader know why the similarities or differences are important. (Let’s say we are writing a paper comparing/contrasting two pizza restaurants in Auburn.)

Inadequate Thesis Statements:

“This paper will compare and contrast two pizza places in Auburn.”

“The Brick Oven and Mellow Mushroom pizza restaurants located in the Auburn area are similar in some ways and different in others.”

“The Brick Oven and Mellow Mushroom pizza restaurants in Auburn are similar in many ways, but they have one major difference.”

These thesis statements are inadequate because they do not tell us what is important about the similarities or differences of the two pizza places.

Improved Thesis Statement:

“The Brick Oven and Mellow Mushroom pizza restaurants in Auburn have similar prices and ingredients, but their atmospheres and willingness to deliver set them apart.”

This is a good thesis statement because the writer tells us that the atmosphere and delivery options of the two pizza places are two important (or significant) differences.

A successful thesis statement satisfies the following criteria:

1. It is potentially interesting to your audience.

2. It is a specific as possible.

3. It limits the topic enough to make it manageable.

SAMPLE INTRODUCTION USING FUNNEL METHOD

There is more to enjoying a good pizza than just the way it tastes. Even though it is important for restaurants to serve pizzas made from fresh ingredients and to offer them at a reasonable price, the quality of service they provide to customers who choose to dine-in or dine-out can also determine if the public will enjoy their pizza. The Brick Oven and the Mellow Mushroom pizza restaurants in Auburn have similar prices and ingredients, but their atmospheres and willingness to deliver set them apart.

ORGANIZING YOUR BODY PARAGRAPHS

Once you have decided whether to focus on comparison or contrast, you still must decide HOW to do it. Suppose you want to contrast two brands of automobiles to decide which to buy; you'll consider such subtopics as price, miles per gallon, and maintenance record. You must decide whether to devote the central paragraphs:

· to whole items (a paragraph for each of the cars)

· to their various elements (separate paragraphs for price, miles per gallon, and maintenance record)

Two organizational patterns:

TYPE 1	TYPE 2

Introduction	Introduction
Item A	Element 1
Element 1	Item A
Element 2	Item B
Element 3
	Element 2
Item B	Item A
Element 1	Item B
Element 2
Element 3	Element 3
	Item A
Conclusion	Item B

	Conclusion

TYPE 1 (Item-by-Item Comparison): Using our pizza place comparison/contrast as an example, after the introduction, you would have a paragraph (or two) about the ingredients and prices available at Brick Oven, a paragraph about its atmosphere, and a paragraph about its delivery option. Then you'd have three similar paragraphs about Mellow Mushroom’s, followed by your conclusion.

TYPE 2 (Point-by-Point Comparison): You might compare, in one paragraph (or two), the ingredients and prices at both Brick Oven and Mellow Mushroom; in the next paragraph (or two), you might contrast the atmospheres of the two restaurants; in the third paragraph (or two), you might contrast the delivery options of both restaurants, followed by your conclusion.

CUE WORDS AND OTHER TIPS

To help your reader keep track of where you are in the comparison/contrast, you'll want to be sure that your transitions and topic sentences are especially strong. The following words may be helpful to you in signaling your intentions:

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.

For example, you might have a topic sentence like one of these:

	Compared to Mellow Mushroom, Brick Oven is quiet.
	Like the Brick Oven, Mellow Mushroom offers sun-dried tomatoes as a topping.
	Despite their difference in delivery options, both Brick Oven and Mellow Mushroom are fairly easy to get to.