ielts-yasi.englishlab.net

Updated Nov. 30, 2012

Comparing and Contrasting Two Things

Introduction

One of the most common speaking test questions asks you to compare (and contrast) two things, ‘A’ and ‘B’. (See Note 1)

‘Comparing’ and ‘contrasting’ are two different things, although they are similar and they usually go together in the same answer. (See Note 2)

In the IELTS speaking test, the most frequently used examples of the two things, A and B to compare are:

1. males/females  (boys and girls; men and women)

2. old/young  (‘old’ can mean your parents' age and older; ‘young’ means about 15 to 30 years old)

3. urban/rural  (city and country)

4. children/adults  (‘children’ are from about 3 to 12 years of age; ‘adults’ are over 18 years old)

5. today/before  (‘before’ usually means 20 to 50 years previously)

As well as these frequently used examples of A and B, the topic of the question can suggest other examples of A and B. For example, when talking about the news, obvious comparisons can be drawn between the different types of news media – newspapers, TV, radio, the internet, and news magazines. Some of these other examples of A & B are listed on this page.

See Note 3 for a suggested study idea.

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The Wording of ‘Compare Questions’

Sometimes the examiner actually uses the word ‘compare’ in these questions but not always, especially in Part 1. The examiner might just ask you if you think there is a difference between A & B, or if A is the same as B, or if A is better than B, or if something has changed in the past few decades or whether you prefer A or B. After you have read this page, you will be able to recognize that whenever the examiner mentions two things, such as ‘old people and young people’ he or she usually expects you to include the language of comparison in your answer.

Some questions that require you to make comparisons are in the form of ‘Yes/No’ questions, ‘Prefer’ questions or ‘Opinion’ questions. For these questions, first answer the basic questions (“Yes” or “No”, or what you prefer, or what your opinion is) and then in the second part of your answer, give more details, especially your reasons why you said that and this involves (more or less) making a comparison. For example, “Do you prefer to get your news from newspapers or from TV?”

A similar situation exists for questions that ask you about changes that have taken place (in China). Here’s an example: “Has the style of furniture in Chinese people's homes changed in recent years?” For this question, you first say that, yes, the style has changed. A typical answer should continue with comparative statements such as, “… people now buy more luxurious and more fashionable furniture than they did 30 years ago. …”

After you have read and studied this page, you should practice making answers to as many of the ‘compare questions’ that are listed on this website as possible. You can find them on this page: List of 'Compare Questions' from this website. (This list contains most of them – I might have missed a few.)

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Review  – Comparative Adjectives

Exceptions:

quiet, quieter

simple, simpler

The Collins Cobuild English Grammar also lists 15 adjectives that follow the 'rules' above and use the Type 3 form of comparative adjective but also can use the Type 1 form of comparative adjective. For example, you can say or write “A is more common than B” or, “A is commoner than B”. These are all two-syllable adjectives, not ending in 'y' and therefore belonging to Type 3. If you just follow the 'rules' as stated above and don't worry about these variations, you will be always be correct.

These 15 adjectives are shown in the table below.

Irregular Adjectives 

(The superlative form is shown here but it is not needed for comparing two things.)

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How to Compare and Contrast

·  The main way to compare is to use the three different types of sentences that are shown in this table.

Extra notes on these three types of sentences 

• When answering a question, try to say 2 or 3 different comparisons and show a variety of sentence types.

• Type 1: You can add adverbs, such as in, “A is much bigger than B ”.

• Type 2: You can also say these: “B is not quite as big as A ”; “B is not nearly as big as A ”.

• Type 3: You can also say this: “A is quite big but B is rather small ”; “A is quite big while B is rather small ”; or, “A is quite big whereas B is rather small. ”

• Type 3: You can insert the words, “in contrast”. For example, “A is quite big but in contrast, B is rather small. ”

• Type 3: Here is another example of two statements that are in contrast: “Old people prefer gentle, non-competitive exercise, such as walking whereas young people, especially young men, prefer strenuous, competitive sports such as football.” (The darker words are spoken with ‘contrasting stress’, i.e., a little louder than the other words.)

• Types 1 & 3: Some candidates only use contrasting statements because they are easier to say than sentences that include comparative adjectives and comparative adverbs but you should try to show the examiner that you know how to use these more difficult forms of English. For example: “Young people prefer much more competitive physical activities than old people.” And: “Old people engage in less strenuous activity than young people.”

• In 'compare sentences' you talk about the same adjective such as, “Dogs are usually friendlier than cats.” In 'contrast sentences' you talk about different adjectives such as “Dogs are usually friendly but cats are quite clean.” 

  A particularly strong sentence combines both comparing and contrasting: “Dogs are usually friendlier than cats but cats are cleaner than dogs.” And: “Cars are faster than bicycles but bicycles are cheaper than cars.”

  You can usually express the same idea by using either a 'compare sentence' or a 'contrast sentence'. For example: “My computer's older than hers” = “My computer's old but hers is almost new.” 

  When you speak a contrast statement, you should emphasize the words in contrast by speaking these words with more stress (a little louder) than the other words. In the following sentence, the words highlighted in yellow are stressed: “Dogs are usually friendlier than cats but cats are cleaner than dogs.”

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Some More Suggestions

      When comparing two things, is it good enough just to talk about the ‘advantages’ and ‘disadvantages’?

• Many people think that comparing A & B just means comparing the advantages and disadvantages of A & B (or, the ‘good points’ and ‘bad points’ of A & B). It is true that many ‘compare questions’ can be answered by thinking this way but you should be careful because this is not always applicable.  For example: “Compare the sports that boys play with those that girls play.” 

     Compare, don't just describe

• In general, try to actually compare rather than simply describe A and then follow that by describing B. (For example, comparing the sports that boys play with those that girls play.) In other words, try to make sentences that contain comparisons of A and B in each sentence. This usually involves using some comparative adjectives (比 较 形 容 词) but that is not the only way to compare two things. It is not ‘wrong’ to talk about A first and then talk about B and quite often that is the most natural way to answer the question. However, comparing the two things in the same sentence will impress the examiner more because it is more difficult to make that kind of sentence and it shows the grammar that the examiner is looking for.

     How to speak fluently and show good coherence

• After you look at some of the example answers on this page, below, (most of which are at Band 8/9 level), you might think that it is difficult to quickly make similar answers yourself. ‘Quickly’ means that you speak fluently – you should not sit there silently thinking of what to say for an unnaturally long time. But it is not easy to quickly form these sentences comparing A & B because you first have to think of the ideas before you make the sentences.

My first suggestion is this: Think aloud, i.e., speak what you are thinking – show the examiner your thinking process. 

For example, make a general statement at the beginning, before you even start comparing. This will help you focus on the question and it will give you a little time to gather some ideas. As well as that, by beginning with a general statement, you are also showing good coherence because showing your thinking process (your logic) will help the listener understand the meaning and the logic of what follows that. 

Some examples of general statements are: “Oh, there’s a big difference between the two.” Or, “Well, there are several major differences between the two.” Or, “Well, they’re quite similar in many ways but ....” These are all quite good to use but they are not 'wonderful' beginnings because they state rather obvious things or they state things that are just too general. Don't forget, good communication involves the exchange of information and, although there is some good information contained in those sentences, they could be better. So, if you are still unsure of what are some good points of comparison between A & B after you make such a very general statement, the next sentence should be another general statement, but coming closer to actually talking about the differences (or similarities) between A & B. The more difficult it is to think of differences between A & B, the more general things you need to say at the beginning – it's kind of like having a ‘discussion with yourself’ in order to gather your thoughts.

These general statements should be about the first things that come to your mind, i.e., the most obvious but still rather general differences between A & B. Many candidates actually say the words, “(Well,) the first thing that comes to my mind is ...”. This is quite a good thing to say but, if you think about it, that sentence says something rather obvious – if it's the first thing you say, then obviously it's the first thing that comes to your mind! Another reason to be a little wary of that sentence is the fact that it tends to be overused in the speaking test because it's in many model answers in IELTS speaking test books. Don't misunderstand me – I'm not suggesting you don't use that sentence at all because it's quite a good thing to say but I do suggest you be a little careful about using it and I certainly suggest you don't use it more than once in the speaking test. 

Let's look at some more examples of a general statement. If the examiner asks you: “Are the houses in the rural parts of China the same as houses in the cities?” you could begin by making the following general observation: “Well, most people in the rural parts of China are farmers who don't have as much money as people in the cities so ...” Notice that the general observation leads you to a conclusion, which you begin by using the word, “so”. You could even pause (for a very short period of time) to consider what conclusions you can draw from your general observation – a short pause is natural when you are considering something. Some obvious conclusions, (following the word “so”) for this answer are: “... so most rural houses are cheaper and simpler than those in the cities. ” 

To repeat: These general statements are especially useful when you still haven't thought of what to say but it also shows good coherence to begin your answer with a general statement (or two) even when you do know exactly what comparisons you are going to say between A & B. 

Other general statements you could make are: “Well, China's countryside is not as well developed as the cities so ...” ( “... so most homes in the countryside are rather old, simple and cheap while those in the cities are mostly now new, modern apartments, which are quite expensive to buy.”) Or: “Well, the cities in China are quite crowded so ...” ( “... so land is very expensive and most people live in flats whereas most people in the countryside live in small houses in villages and they often have a small yard around the house, with a garden and chickens or a pig in the yard.”

You could also give this kind of answer: “Actually, most people in the cities don't live in houses, they live in flats, which are often quite modern and expensive but most people in the countryside do live in small, rather cheap houses in villages, near their farmland.” This answer compares rural & city housing by contrasting the two.

Here's another example question: “Compare the sports that boys play with those that girls play.”

Answer: “Well, ... let me think ... boys are more aggressive than girls so ... so boys' sports often involve more pushing and physical contact than girls' sports. For example, in boys' basketball, players try to grab the ball from the player who has the ball but that is not allowed in girls' basketball.”