Write a short composition comparing or contrasting two things. Your introduction should be one paragraph, your body should be approximately three paragraphs, and your conclusion should be one paragraph. You may want to review the options for the first exam question. One option requires you to compare or contrast two things, and you can get a better understanding of that by completing this activity. Some suggested topics are (1) your mother and father, (2) city and country life, (3) childhood and adulthood, or (4) movies and books.

Be sure to prewrite and plan your writing. Before you begin the actual writing, you may also wish to compose a clear thesis statement to focus your thinking. Place the statement somewhere in your first paragraph to keep your writing on track. Many times, the thesis statement works nicely as the last sentence of the first paragraph. The thesis statement can top off an interesting lead-in. Each paragraph in the body should have a strong topic sentence that clearly supports your stated thesis. To make your comparisons or contrasts coherent, use transitional words and phrases like as well as, different from, in contrast, just as, like, on the other hand, the same as, and unlike. Conclude by summarizing the key details of the body. Don’t introduce new material, but do try to give a fresh twist to the wording of your important points. Your reader will be bored if you say exactly what you said before.

Your paragraph should include an introduction, body, and conclusion and

include phrases that compare and contrast (like, as well as, on the other hand, and

so on).