大学英语专业写作课件.ppt

Comparison and Contrast European universities and universities in the United States are different in many ways.First,European students enroll in fewer courses each term than United States students do.Second,European students seldom live at a university.Instead,they live at home and travel to classes.Thirdly,most European courses are given by professors who lecture to their classes.In contrast,United States professors often ask their students questions or allow their students to form discussion groups.Fourth,European professors ask student to write fewer papers than United States Professors do.Consequently,European students final examinations are usually oral,whereas American students take written final examinations.Finally,a European university is mainly a place to study.But at most United States universities,social activities take up a large part of the students time.What is the topic in the paragraph?Which two subjects are compared?Does the paragraph concentrate on the similarities or the differences between the two subjects?How many similarities/differences are pointed out?What are they?What You Should KnowComparison-contrast is a common method of development that involves focusing on similarities and differences-or more likely on one or the other-in order to make a point.When a writer is comparing,he is pointing out the similarities that exist between subjects or items(such as persons,things,or ideas).When a writer is contrasting,he is pointing out the differences between subjects or items,even the two different aspects of the same subject(e.g.,the advantages vs.the disadvantages of a personal computer).Balance ideasAs you begin to organize your writing,its important to make sure that you balance the information about the items that youre comparing and contrasting.You need to be sure that you give them equal time and space in what you write.If you cover characters,settings,and historical accuracy for the book,for instance,you need to be sure that you cover the same elements for the movie.Three strategiesThere are three strategies to organize comparison and contrast papers:1.Whole-to-Whole,or Block to Block2.Similarities-to-Differences3.Point-by-PointBook,MovieA-BAB,AB,AB,ABWhole-to-Whole or Block StrategyIn this structure,you say everything about one item,then everything about the other.For instance,say everything about the characters,settings,and plots for the book then everything about the characters,settings,and plots for the movie.Whole-to-Whole comparison and contrast uses a separate section or paragraph for each item youre discussing.The points in each of the sections should be the same and they should be explained in the same order(for instance,you might discuss characters,settings,and plots for both,and in that order for both).Similarities-to-Differences StrategyIn this structure,you explain all the similarities about the items being compared and then you explain all the differences.For instance,you might explain that the characters and plots were similar in both the book and movie in the one section.In the next section,you could explain that the settings were different.The book took place during the summer while the movie took place during the winter.Similarities-to-Differences comparison and contrast uses a separate section or paragraph for similarities and differences.In other words,the body of your paper would have two large sections:one for similarities,and another for differences.Point-by-Point StrategyIn this structure,you explain one point of comparison before moving to the next point.For instance,you would write about the characters in the book and movie in one section;then you would write about the settings in the book and movie in the next section.Point-by-Point comparison and contrast uses a separate section or paragraph for each point.For consistency,begin with the same item in each section of your point-by-point paper.For instance,for each point that you discuss,explain the information about the book first and then about the movie next.Example:My hometown and my college town have several things in common.First,both are small communities.For example,my hometown has a population of only about 20,000 people.Similarly,my college consists of about 11,000 local residents.This population swells to 18,000 people when the college students are attending classes.A second way in which these two towns are similar is that they are both located in rural areas.My hometown is surrounded by many acres of farmland which is devoted mainly to growing corn and soybeans.In the same way,my college lies in the suburb of the city,which used to be the farmland for raising sheep and cattle.How to write a comparative essay?The spring has come.Students are planning to take a vocation somewhere.Some students prefer to go to the beach,but some would rather go to the mountains.Where would you like to go?What is your preference on the holiday site?Suppose you are going to write a short essay talking about your preference.What will you say in your article?How are you going to organize your ideas?If you are at a loss as to how to start,we will offer you a step-by-step writing guide,which will help you organize the ideas in a clear way and make you write easier.How to write a comparative essay?Step I BrainstormingActivity 1:Word Building-Fill in the following blank with as many words as you can.Beach Mountain Words/phrases that describe the scenery bluewarm sunshinegreenfresh airActivities that can be done there swimmingbeach volleyballmountain climbingHikingFamous holiday resorts Anything else that is related How to write a comparative essay?Step II For an essay that compares and contrasts a subject,a Venn Diagram is a useful way to begin your thinking.To make a Venn Diagram:On a blank sheet of paper,draw two large circles allowing them to overlap creating a shared area in the middle.List the similarities in the center area(C)created by the two overlapping circles.List the different characteristics on either side(A and B).Now think about the differences between vocation at the beach and in the mountains.Draw a Venn Diagram as has been introduced.After brainstorming,the third step of writing is toorganize the ideas.This step is based on the thinkingwe have done in the first step.Set your purposeAs has been discussed in earlier chapters,there aretwo different kinds of purposes that comparativeessays usually serve:to explain differences betweensubjects or to persuade readers that one subject issuperior to others.Informative comparisons:frequently use definitions,examples and descriptions to establish similarities anddifferences.This type of writing generally does notrecommend one item as being better than the others.Persuasive comparisons:recommend one subject asbeing superior to another.This type of writing reliesheavily on critical thinking.In persuading readers toaccept that one subject is superior,you must presentconvincing evidence.For this given topic,it is obviously that your composition should serve the second purpose,that is,to recommend one subject as being superior to another.In other words,you should state clearly what your preference is.After setting your writing purpose,its time to think about the main ideas that your are going to talk about in your composition.The main ideas here refer to the points you tend to compare in order to explain the superiority of one thing over another.You are expected to find out the points that worth discussing or the points that could best illustrate the superiority of your preference.Activity:Please examine the table below.Use what has been discussed in the Venn Diagram to fulfill the blanks in the table below.You may also choose your own subjects to compare,and accordingly design your own table.points to compareVocation at the Beach Vocation in the MountainsClimateActivitiesFamous Resorts Step IV:Write the First DraftAfter we have organized our ideas,we can start writing now.This writing is our first draft.Generally speaking,this short essay can be divided into three parts:the opening paragraph,the body paragraph and the concluding paragraph.I.Opening paragraphThe opening paragraph is crucial to an article.A good and interesting paragraph will leave readers a good impression and arouse their curiosity to continue reading.On the contrary,a dull opening paragraph will discourage the readers.Activity 1:Examine the following opening paragraphs.Do you find them interesting?Do you think they are good opening paragraphs?Paragraph 1Both Jack and Jim like reading very much.Jack prefers finishing a book as soon as possible.The numbers of books he has read satisfies him a lot.Jim likes reading between the lines.It takes him a couple of weeks to finish a short novel.Different people have different reading habits.But for me,I am in favor of Jims reading style.Paragraph 2Lying on an armchair under the shade of laurel trees;reading a book of penetrating ideas;hearing the breeze rippling of the grass and smelling the scent of ripened fruits.It is in such leisure and enjoyment that we can find the essential happiness of reading.Subject-by-subject ArrangementIntroduction in which you state your preference MountainA.ClimateB.Types of Activities C.Location BeachA.ClimateB.Types of Activities C.Location ConclusionPoint-by-point ArrangementIntroduction in which you state your preference Point 1:ClimateA:Beach B:MountainPoint 2:Types of ActivitiesA:BeachB:MountainPoint 3:LocationA:Beach B:MountainConclusionStep V Editing After you finish your first draft,review the following points listed in the checklist.1.Have you stated clearly your preference?2.Is your preference clearly stated in the opening paragraph?3.Have you made your opening paragraph interesting and impressive?4.Is the topic sentence clearly stated so that readers can highlight it for easy reference?5.Have you selected the right method for organizing your paper?6.Are the discussions of the two subjects coherent and consistent when you are comparing the two subjects?7.Have you used transitions?Are transitions clear?Do you make use of these transition works to prevent readers from becoming confused?8.Have you draw what you have written to a natural conclusion?9.Read your paper aloud.How does it sound?Are there irrelevant details to delete or awkward passages needing revision?People always looking forward to their vacation period.There are many options where to choose.I think that the two most common places people choose for taking a vacation are the beach and the mountain.Both places offer a variety of fun activities.But personally,I like the beach better than the mountains.I am going to talk about three aspects.First is climate.Climate is always important in order to enjoy vacations.You can always enjoy the sunshine and the breeze at the beach.But in the mountains,the trees are too much to block the sun.Second,it is the activities.At the beach,we can do many things such as swimming,diving,and waterskiing and so on.But in the mountains,we do not have much to do except climb the hills.Finally,to go to the beach is more relaxed than going to the mountains.You can lie on the beach for a whole day without feeling very tired.But climbing the mountains always make me tired.Above all,vocation at the beach is more fun than vocation in the mountain.So next time when you are planning a vacation,you must go to the beach.Checklist for Comparison&ContrastHave you limited your topic?Do you have a clearly defined goal-to explain differences or make a recommendation?Is the topic sentence clearly stated so that readers can highlight it for easy reference?Is your topic sentence clearly stated in the opening paragraph?Have you made your opening paragraph interesting and impressive?Have you selected the right method for organizing your paper?Are the discussions of the two subjects coherent and consistent when you are comparing the two subjects?Have you used transitions?Are transitions clear?Do you make use of these transition works to prevent readers from becoming confused?Have you draw what you have written to a natural conclusion?Read your paper aloud.How does it sound?Are there irrelevant details to delete or awkward passages needing revision?Assignments Two close friends Living on campus and living off campus Two ways of studying for an exam A real vacation and a dream vacation Two ways of losing weight:one healthy,the other dangerous