ING182U-COMMUNICATION SKILLS AND ACADEMIC REPORTING II
Chapter 5: Compare and Contrast Essay, Cause and Effect Analysis Essay
Introduction
In this chapter, compare/contrast type of essays and cause and effect analysis type of essays are handled. The focus is on the internal structure of these two types of essays.
Compare/Contrast Essay
A compare and contrast essay identifies commonalities and differences between at least two or more equal subjects. It is a useful essay type for illustrating the differences and similarities of related things or concepts, especially if they are frequently misunderstood or unfairly grouped together. A compare and contrast essay benefits from similarities and differences between certain subjects to describe those subjects relative to the other. The subjects addressed should be related rather than two very distinct entities. For example, two different cars, two different universities, two different cities or even two different brands of kitchen sponge can be the topics of compare and contrast essays. However, it would be inappropriate to choose a computer and a cheetah as subjects of comparison and contrast essays.
Objectives of Compare/Contrast Essays
When you compare things, you highlight how the subjects addressed resemble each other. In other words, the aim of comparing is to give an account of the similarities between the subjects. On the other hand, the focus of contrasting is on the differences between the topics handled. When comparing and contrasting two things, an essay performs best. By highlighting the similarities and distinctions between two or more topics, you can more effectively explain how they relate to or define one another. This is especially true for subjects that are frequently muddled or mistaken for one another; readers benefit when someone explains precisely what is similar and different about such subjects.
In academic writing, compare and contrast essays can be written with the purpose of supporting a certain subject and persuading the reader. With the help of similarities and differences between the subjects, the author tries to emphasise the superiority of one subject to the others addressed.
How a Compare/Contrast Essay is Written
Compare/contrast essays follow the commonly employed internal organisation as: Introduction: Where you express your thesis or what your essay will explore. Body: The longest part where you actually give an account of the similarities and differences between your subjects. Conclusion: Where you wrap up and conclude your points.
Introduction
Before starting to write an introduction to your paper, creating Venn diagrams will be a useful step to draft the paper. The diagram will serve as a guide to determine which aspects of the subjects resemble to or differ from each other, thus enabling the author to come up with a sound argument regarding the relationship between the subjects. In the
introduction section you are expected to write a thesis statement about the purpose of the essay. It is essential to keep in mind that you need to include all of your subjects of comparison in your thesis statement. The thesis statement must be as informative as possible, but interesting and catchy at the same time. The readers must feel that reading the essay on the specific subjects of comparison and contrast is worth their time.
Body
The most challenging aspect of compare and contrast essay structure is deciding when to discuss which topic. There are three options of organisation regarding when to discuss each subject of comparison and contrast:
1. Subject by subject (Block Method) 2. Point by point (Alternating method) 3. Similarities and differences
Subject by Subject Pattern
Also referred to as block method, subject by subject method organisation requires the author to devote separate paragraphs for the subjects being compared and contrasted. If you decide to employ this pattern of organisation for comparing and contrasting things, you need to say everything (your details) about your first subject, and then everything about your second subject. The same points should be discussed for both subjects in the same order.
Point by Point Pattern
Unlike the block pattern, point by point pattern, which is also referred as alternating pattern, requires the author to devote different paragraphs to points of comparison rather than the subjects compared. In other words every comparison point has to be handled in a different paragraph. In the first paragraph after the introduction, you have to compare or contrast your subjects on a specific point. Then, in the second paragraph, you need to provide a comparison or a contrast between your subjects on the other point and so on. This strategy works well when you want to highlight the relationship—or lack thereof—between your subjects.
The core difference between subject by subject and point by point method is that in the former method the paragraphs address the subjects independently while in the latter method the paragraphs address both subjects at the same time.
Similarities and Differences
The third option is pretty similar to the point by point pattern (alternating strategy) as a result of the fact that each subject is covered side by side in the same paragraph. However, the paragraphs are not split into different points but rather by the similarities and differences between the subjects addressed. That is to say, regardless of the number of comparison and contrast points, all the similarities between the subjects are covered in one paragraph and all the differences in another. In the following two paragraphs after the introduction, similarities and differences between the subjects are addressed separately.
Useful Structure Words to Use in Compare and Contrast Essays
As in any other essay types, there are some useful discourse connectors one can use in compare and contrast essays. These connectors are helpful in that they serve as transition signals and mark the relationship between the subjects of the essay. In other words, readers can determine whether the subjects are being compared or contrasted by looking at the connectors used. There are different structures commonly used in comparison and contrast essay detailed list is provided on page 165 of the chapter.
Conclusion
This part can be thought of as the wrap up section of the essay. It seems quite like the introduction section where you talk about what the essay compared and contrasted, and the similarities or differences you want to emphasise between the subjects addressed. The conclusion section should include the author’s brief remark and a restatement of the thesis, nothing more. It is not appropriate to introduce new information or information irrelevant to the topic in this section of the essay. The introduction and the body of the essay should contain all relevant material; the conclusion should just reiterate points made earlier in the essay. The conclusion frequently ends with the author’s view
Cause and Effect Analysis Essay
A cause and effect analysis essay focuses on examining both the reasons why something occurred and its effects. This style of writing is comparable to an argumentative essay in certain ways. The author must demonstrate how the topics under discussion are related.
When organising this kind of essay, it is crucial to:
• familiarise your audience with the topic, • identify the causes and thoroughly examine them, • discuss all the resulting impacts, • offer sufficient evidence to support each claim, and • briefly summarise the most important ideas to make an impression.
Due to their complex nature, cause and effect essays frequently cover scientific topics. The writer’s job is to convey complex ideas and phenomena in a understandable manner. It should be possible for readers to satisfy their curiosity. After reading the article, readers should have no other queries.
Objectives of Cause and Effect Analysis Essay
Many people believe that asking “why?” and “how?” is in our nature. We can be curious as to how our child got ill so that we can better avoid it in the future, or we might be curious as to why our colleague got a pay raise because we want one too. We are interested in how much money a hybrid car will save us in the long run. These are just a few of the relationships we consider in our daily lives, but they all highlight how crucial it is to comprehend how things happen. A cause is the reason why a certain event or situation
occurred and an effect is what happens after an event or a situation. In other words, if the occurrence of a certain event or situation brings about the occurrence of another event or a situation it is the cause while the resulting outcome is the effect. The goal of a cause and effect essay is to explain distinct phenomena in terms of their causes and effects. Sometimes the relationship between cause and effect is obvious, but it is sometimes exceedingly challenging to pinpoint the precise nature of that relationship. For instance, s. A the symptoms of a cold such as a sore throat, runny nose, and cough may be obvious. But, pinpointing the illness’s root cause can be trickier. There could be several causes, and to make matters more difficult, these causes could have contributed to the illness in some way. This means that every case could have multiple causes. Cause and effect essays employ analysis to look at the causes and results of events. They represent an effort to ascertain the causes of something, such as the decision made or an occurrence, the outcomes that can be rightfully assigned to it, or both. Cause and effect essays specifically try to provide answer for questions.
How Cause and Effect Analysis Essay is Written?
cause and effect essays also comprise of the common introduction, body and conclusion sections. Before moving on to write an introduction section, though, much research is needed to determine the reasons and results of the topic at hand. cause and effect essay types are most suitable in scientific inquiries in which there is rigorous investigation and careful experiments on certain topics. A rigorous search should be carried out for the possible cause and effect relationships between the subjects you address in your essay.
Introduction
Introduction sets the author’s thesis statement and informs the reader about the events or situations that will be discussed in terms of their cause and effect relationship. Your thesis statement may focus on a single cause-and-effect relationship or it may demonstrate how a single event or a situation results in a number of different outcomes. You might also investigate the various causes of an event. The introduction section is important in that it informs the readers whether the essay will address causes or effects of a specific clear, event or a situation. It is also a crucial part as it provides the readers which specific causes or effects will be covered in the remainder of the essay. This way, the readers will be able to decide whether the essay is of interest to them.
Body
An essay on causes and effects explains how one event (the cause) results in another event (the effect). A cause-effect essay can do one of two things:
• It may examine the connections between various causes and a specific effect. (Focus-on-Causes Method) • It can examine the connections between a certain cause and one or more effects. (Focus-on-Effects Method).
Therefore, the internal structure of a cause-and-effect essay can be planned in one of two ways: focuson-causes or focus-on-effects. The internal organisation for a cause and effect analysis essay with a focus-on-causes structure, all the causes that lead to the effect in question are mentioned.
On the other hand, the internal structure of a focus-on- effects essay is different in that the focus is not on the causes but rather the resulting effects. In an essay with a focus-on-effects internal structure, you try to give an account of resulting effects stemming from a specific cause. Imagine that you are supposed to write an essay on the effects of increasing crime rate. Probably, you will want to emphasise the increase in government’s security investments, people obtaining self-defence tools, and increasing levels of casualty. By highlighting what follows the increase in crime rates, you focus on the effects of this specific phenomenon. Let us see how both structures are organised through examples.
Useful Structure Words in Cause and Effect Analysis Essays
Cause and effect structure words serve as transitional indicators by highlighting the causal connections. It is crucial to utilise the proper transition word or phrase and to be clear about which is the cause (or reason) and which is the effect (or result). One has to keep in mind that a cause occurs first, followed by an effect. The words used in cause- and-effect sentences are given on page 179 of the chapter.
Conclusion
This part of the cause and effect essay is where the author reminds the reader of the important cause and effect relationships addressed in the body parts. In a sense, this part involves a restatement of the author’s thesis as in the introduction section. Additionally, the author can come up with predictions about the future, and suggestions for the issues addressed. For example, the author of a cause and effect essay addressing the adverse effects of global warming on our environment might ask the readers to take some precautions against increased carbon footprint. Similarly, a prediction that the world will be a very difficult place to live in the future can be included as part of the conclusion section. What is important is that the thesis statement and the addressed causes and effects be reminded in this section along with what the author thinks about this cause and effect relationship.