ApplesApples

and Orangesand Oranges

A Comparison & Contrast A Comparison & Contrast EssayEssay

Prewriting: Coming up with a Prewriting: Coming up with a planplan

Before you begin your essay, you Before you begin your essay, you will need to make a list of will need to make a list of similarities and differences. similarities and differences.

Use a graphic organizer. It will Use a graphic organizer. It will make things easier for you.make things easier for you.

How are these things alike?How are these things alike?

A fruitA fruit RoundRound Grow on treesGrow on trees Can be made Can be made

into juiceinto juice

A fruitA fruit RoundRound Grow on treesGrow on trees Can be made Can be made

into juiceinto juice

How are these things How are these things different?different?

RedRed Don’t have to be Don’t have to be

peeled to eatpeeled to eat Thin smooth skinThin smooth skin Crunchy and tartCrunchy and tart Sweet when Sweet when

made into piesmade into pies Grown in the fall Grown in the fall

in the Northeast in in the Northeast in orchardsorchards

OrangeOrange Need to be peeled Need to be peeled

to eatto eat Thick bumpy skinThick bumpy skin Cannot be used in Cannot be used in

pies but the flavor pies but the flavor can be used to can be used to make cookies make cookies

Grown in a tropical Grown in a tropical climate in grovesclimate in groves

Format your essay planFormat your essay plan

Create your thesis statement for Create your thesis statement for your introduction. This should your introduction. This should tell the reader what two things tell the reader what two things you are comparing and how you are comparing and how they are alike.they are alike.

Then choose a format style. Then choose a format style. There are two styles to choose There are two styles to choose from—from—BlockBlock StyleStyle or or Point-Point-by Point Styleby Point Style

Block StyleBlock Style

State your thesis and tell how State your thesis and tell how your things are alikeyour things are alike

Present all the information that Present all the information that makes your first item differentmakes your first item different

Provide Provide parallelparallel information information about your second item (make about your second item (make sure the information is in the sure the information is in the same order)same order)

Conclude Conclude

Paragraph 1: Introduction

What 2 things are you comparing and how are

they alike?

Block StyleBlock Style

Paragraph 2All about

Paragraph 3All about

Conclusion

Use Parallel Order1. Appearance2. Taste3. Where grown

Use Parallel Order1. Appearance2. Taste3. Where grown

Point-by-Point StylePoint-by-Point Style

State your thesis and tell how your State your thesis and tell how your things are alikethings are alike

State the first point of difference and State the first point of difference and give details alternating between A and give details alternating between A and BB

State the second point of difference State the second point of difference and give details alternating between A and give details alternating between A and Band B

State the third point of difference and State the third point of difference and give details alternating between A and give details alternating between A and BB

Conclude Conclude

Paragraph 3Taste:

Paragraph 2

Appearance:

Paragraph 1: Introduction

What 2 things are you comparing and how are

they alike?

Point-by-Point StylePoint-by-Point Style

Paragraph 4Where grown

Conclusion

Here is our Apples & Here is our Apples & Oranges comparison in Oranges comparison in

Block StyleBlock StyleApples and oranges are both round fruits. They can both be made into juice, either cider or orange juice. But it is here the similarities end. Apples and oranges are really very different fruits. Introduction

Apples are red. They have a very thin skin that is shiny and smooth. You don’t have to peel them to eat them. When you bit into them, they are crunchy and usually tart. They are sweet when you use them in pies as you add sugar and cinnamon. Apples grow mostly in the northern climates and ripen in the fall. They are grown in orchards.

On the other hand, oranges are orange in color. They have a very thick, bumpy skin called a rind. You have to peel them to eat them. When you bit into them, they are stringy and juicy and sweet. You cannot make pies with them, but you can grate the rind to use for flavor in baking cookies and other desserts. Oranges grow in tropical regions and ripen in the winter months. They are grown in groves.

So don’t be fooled when people tell you you can’t compare apples to oranges. You certainly can! Although they are both fruits, they are very different in many ways.

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1. Appearance2. Taste3. Where grown

Here is our Apples & Oranges Here is our Apples & Oranges comparison in Point-by-Point comparison in Point-by-Point

StyleStyleApples and oranges are both round fruits. They can both be made into juice, either cider or orange juice. But it is here the similarities end. Apples and oranges are really very different fruits. Introduction

One major difference between apples and oranges is their appearance. Apples are red with a thin shiny skin. You don’t have to peel them to eat them. On the other hand, oranges are orange in color and have a very thick, bumpy skin called a rind. You do have to peel them to eat them.

A second difference is the taste. When you bite into apples, they are crunchy and tart. If you make them into pies, you add sugar and cinnamon which makes them sweet. Whereas, when you bite into oranges, they are stringy, juicy and sweet. You can’t make them into pies, but you can grate the rind and add it to cookie dough for an orange flavor

A third point of comparison between apples and oranges involves the location where they are grown. Apples grow in orchards in the northeastern states. They are harvested in the fall. However, oranges only grow in a tropical climate (typically Florida). They grow in groves and are harvested in the winter.

So don’t be fooled when people tell you you can’t compare apples to oranges. You certainly can! Although they are both fruits, they are very different in many ways.

Transitions in green

1. Appearance2. Taste3. Where grown

Deciding Which Style To UseDeciding Which Style To Use

However, there are some times when Block Style is better and some times when Point-by-Point is better. Point-by-Point works best for longer papers where it might be hard for the reader to remember what the writer said about apples by the time he gets to oranges several sentences later. By going back and forth between apples and oranges in each paragraph, the writer makes it easier for the reader to keep the comparisons in mind.

You may have noticed that there are way more transitions in the Point-by-Point style. That’s because you are switching back and forth in each of your three body paragraphs from apples to oranges. So you need transitions there. Also you need transitions to get from one paragraph to another. That adds up to a lot of transitions.

You may have also noticed that Point-by-point style creates a longer essay—five paragraphs instead of four. Point-by-Point Style is in Five-Paragraph Essay Format just like the persuasive essay we wrote.

The EndThe End (c) The VHS Collaborative, Inc.(c) The VHS Collaborative, Inc.