Reading Comprehension Success in 20 Minutes a Day, 3rd Edition

Skill Building until Next Time

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W
e spend a good deal of our lives comparing and contrasting things. Whenever we want to explain
something, for example, we often use 
comparison
(showing how two or more things are
similar
). We might say, for example, that mint chocolate chip ice cream tastes just like a York
Peppermint Pattie; or that the new manager looks just like Clint Eastwood. When we want to show how things
are 
different
or not alike, we 
contrast
them. We might say that York Peppermint Patties are mintier than any mint
chocolate chip ice cream; or that the new manager may look like Eastwood, but he doesn’t have Eastwood’s dimple.
L E S S O N
Similarities and
Differences:
Compare and
Contrast
L E S S O N S U M M A R Y
This lesson explores another organizational pattern writers often use to
structure their writing: comparison and contrast.
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6 7

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H o w C o m p a r i s o n a n d
C o n t r a s t Wo r k
When writers compare and contrast, they provide a way
of classifying or judging the items they are discussing.
They show how two (or more) things are similar or dif-
ferent when placed side by side. Consider, for example,
the following paragraph. Read it carefully, and then
answer the questions that follow.
Planting a garden is a lot like having a family. Both
require a great deal of work, especially as they grow
and as the seasons change. As summer days
lengthen, your plants become dependent on you for
sustenance, much like your children depend on you
for food and drink. Like a thirsty child asking for a
drink of water, your plants do the same. Their bent,
wilted “body” language, translated, issues a demand
much the way your child requests milk or juice.
When their collective thirsts are quenched, you see
the way they both thrive in your care. The fussy
child becomes satisfied, and the plant reaches toward
the sun in a showy display. You might also find that
you have to clean the space around your plants much
like you would pick up toys and clothes that have
been thrown helter-skelter in your toddler’s room.
Similarly, plants shed spent petals, roses need to be
pruned, and weeds need to be pulled. To keep chil-
dren healthy, parents protect their children against
disease with medicine, and gardeners do the same
with insect repellent. To nourish them, parents give
children vitamins, and gardeners use fertilizer, as
both promote healthy growth. As children grow and
become adults, they need less and less care. However,
here’s where the similarity ends. While plants die and
become dormant during winter, children still main-
tain a vital role in the family unit.