ShmoopTube

00:04

[Coop and Dino singing]

00:13

Comparing stuff isn’t always a good thing.

00:16

Like…when your Great Aunt Martha asked you how you liked her tuna casserole, [Girl and Aunt Martha at the dinner table eating tuna casserole]

00:19

and you compared it to the pile of garbage at the very bottom of a landfill.

00:23

You…probably could have held your tongue on that one. [A huge scrapyard of cars]

00:26

But with writing, comparisons rock.

00:29

You can use them to create an image in your reader’s mind…

00:31

…or to emphasize a point you’re trying to make. [Man screams on a boat and shark bites him]

00:34

Both of those are awfully nice to have in your back pocket.

00:37

So when comparing anything, there are bound to be some differences… and some similarities.

00:42

You’ll need to start by organizing what you will present first, second, and so on. [Girl carries folder to a drawer labelled first and second]

00:46

Like…are you going to start with a mention of the landfill, and bring it around to your great aunt's dish…

00:51

…or should you start with the casserole,

00:53

and really bring it home by going to the landfill from there? [Finger points to casserole and garbage appears]

00:56

A critical decision, obviously…

00:59

The two most common ways to go about it are by using the block method…

01:03

or using point-by-point organization.

01:06

The block method is… pretty much what it sounds like.

01:09

You present the two things that you are comparing and contrasting in two “blocks.” [Hand places blocks side by side]

01:12

You start by explaining a number of aspects of the first thing…

01:16

…then, you explain the same aspects of the second thing in the same order.

01:20

This works especially well when you are trying to write about something kind of complicated. [Hand places a block labelled complicated]

01:24

So…say you want to compare your great aunt’s hairdo…to a hornet’s nest.

01:28

First of all, we’re not sure why you’re trying to give your great aunt a hard time…but okay. [Hornet lands in Martha's hair and girl laughs]

01:32

You can describe the color of your aunt’s hairdo as sandy brown…

01:36

…then describe the appearance as disheveled,

01:38

and… “all over the place”… …and then describe the reaction it provokes

01:42

in passersby, by saying it “inspires fear.” You could then go to describe each of the

01:47

same things about a typical hornet’s nest… …color, then appearance, then observer reaction… [A hornets nest]

01:52

…and show how similar, or different, the two are.

01:55

In point-by-point organization, on the other hand, you write about each aspect in turn.

02:00

So…instead of rattling off all that stuff about the hairdo…

02:02

…you’d talk about the color of your aunt’s hair and the color of the hornet’s nest…

02:07

…then the appearance of each… …and finally how people react to one, then the other.

02:13

So when comparing and contrasting two things, [block method and point-by-point method written on pieces of paper]

02:15

you give one aspect of this and then the same aspect of that.

02:19

All the same info…different order.

02:22

When looking at the similarities and differences between two things, there are a seemingly

02:26

endless number of points you can make. But only a few of them are going to be the [lots of blocks collide with each other]

02:30

most interesting. So, uh…stick to the interesting ones.

02:34

Choose your aspects of comparison wisely. [Girl choosing aspects of comparison]

02:36

When in doubt, you can always ask your aunt for help.

02:39

If she’s still speaking to you, she should totally be able to steer you in the right direction… [Girl asks Aunt for help but Aunt puts a hand to her face]

Full Transcript