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Transition Words For A Compare And Contrast Essay

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Written by Bonnie Adair
Posted: April 23, 2022
Last update date: March 22, 2024
7 min read

Many students today have to deal with writing complex and time-consuming essays. These include topics where two different viewpoints have to be introduced and debated. For more professional essay help like this and plenty of other writing resources related to using transition words for compare and contrast essays.

So what do we mean by compare and contrast transition words? Before we delve into these two terms, let’s look at what a ‘transition word’ is. Simply put, transition words describe the relationship between two ideas; they are words for similarities and differences. If we were to dissect their purposes to a more nuanced degree, they can:

  • Show vague or strong similarities between one concept and another

  • Show a correlation between one concept and another

  • Show a causal relationship between one concept and the other

  • Show the opposing natures of one concept and another

What Are Comparison Transition Words?

As the name clearly implies, they are transition words that establish a comparison or a contrast between one thing and another. These are very useful and quite widely used in any form of writing. The overall effect of comparing and contrasting expressions is that they make your essays flow much better. Using them ensures that every point you introduce in the piece has a context for each other. It may seem confusing to some, so if you don’t want to go into detail, you can buy essays online and not worry about your grades.

Compare And Contrast Transition Words: Defined And Explained

Comparison Words

What are some ‘similarity transition words or transition words’ for explaining what two things have in common? Here are a few comparison transition words examples:

  • In the same way
  • In like manner
  • Likewise
  • Similarly
  • By the same token

Hence, for example, if you were describing the likeness between the speeds of two different subspecies of lions, you could word it like so: ‘subspecies A can reach speeds up to 40 mph. Similarly, subspecies B can achieve a maximum of 35 mph.

Could “in addition” transitions also fit into the domain of comparative phrases?

The answer is “yes.” It is possible to link multiple traits or features to one entity. For instance, if you want to discuss the multiple benefits of exercise but don’t want your sentences to be too lengthy. You could use compare transition words like ‘in addition’ and “furthermore” to list more benefits in a new sentence. Here are a few examples of these comparison transition signals in use:

  • “Keeping your tires properly inflated can help prevent random blowouts on the road. In addition, it will also mean that you don’t have to spend money as often to replace them.”
  • “A morning cup of coffee will give you the energy you need to start the day. Furthermore, it will make sure that you don’t get grumpy as the day progresses.”
  • “Learning to play instruments as a family will help you become much closer with each other. On top of that, you’ll have a really great time.”
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Contrast Words

What is a comparison transition signal, and what would we do without transitions signifying contrast? There would be no way for us to articulate our polar, different, and conflicting ideas, so debates could not exist. Therefore, contrast words are very important to any essay.

Let’s take a look at some different “categories” of these contrasting words:

What are some “opposite” transition words or phrases?

  • In contrast
  • Conversely
  • At the other end of the spectrum

What are some “difference” transition words or phrases?

  • Dissimilarly
  • A clear difference

What are some ‘conflict’ transition words or phrases?

  • However
  • Nevertheless
  • On the one hand
  • On the other hand

Transition words for compare and contrast essays are important for academic essay writers to include in their writing. They help connect ideas and points in a compare-and-contrast essay and make the argument or point more easily understood. Transition words for compare and contrast essays can help make an essay more effective and structured. They can link ideas and facts, create emphasis, and help to organize information.

Universal Transition words for compare and contrast essays

Not everything is black and white in terms of which words fit into which category of transition words. There are, in fact, grey areas where words can be used to both compare and contrast depending on the context. Let’s take a look at these grey areas.

Signal words for compare and contrast – what are they?

These are general words that fall under both contrast and comparative phrases. For example:

  • At the same time
  • On the other hand
  • On the same token
  • While

What are summary transition words and phrases?

These are words that can be both contrast and comparative terms, which can help tie many points together during a wrap-up. These include:

  • All things considered
  • To summarize
  • In short
  • To sum up
  • All in all
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Comparison And Contrast Example Sentences

One of the best ways to learn about something is to see how it is applied. Hence, we’ve compiled a large list of comparison and contrast phrases in action.

Comparison

Here’s how these transition phrases are applied:

  • Regular cardio exercise does wonders for your overall heart health. Likewise, it contributes to the betterment of your mental health.
  • Listening to your spouse and adjusting your behavior to address their concerns can do wonders for your marriage. In the same way, arranging spontaneous fun dates can certainly throw more excitement into things.
  • Leonardo Da Vinci and Francisco Goya were renowned painters in their respective eras. Similarly, Hieronymus Bosch was an accomplished painter whose works are still revered today.
  • Followers of Islam believe that there is only one God in existence. In like manner, Christianity is also a monotheistic religion.
  • Be careful not to harm yourself while roofing your own house. Moreover, take measures to keep tools from falling down and accidentally injuring passersby.
  • The average life expectancy is greater than it was ten years ago. Furthermore, studies have shown that people are also happier now.
  • I don’t think I’ll ever quit eating ice cream. Besides, I exercise daily and take great care of my teeth.
  • Make sure you make a habit of keeping an eye on the fluid levels of your car. That, coupled with regular inspection of your tires, should ensure that your vehicle remains healthy for a long while.
  • The number of college-educated people is on the rise as well as the number of women in the STEM fields.
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Contrast

Let’s take a look at a few examples of how contrast transition words are used in essays:

  • People who play basketball are generally quite tall. In contrast, gymnasts and jockeys are typically short.
  • India is an undeniably beautiful country with a rich heritage and vibrant culture. Nevertheless, the country’s reputation has been tarnished over the years due to its rampant corruption problems.
  • On the one hand, a career in the military earns a lot of respect from everyone. On the other hand, soldiers tend to experience severe depression fairly commonly.
  • People of the Christian faith strongly believe in the afterlife, while Hindus and Buddhists preach the concept of reincarnation and nirvana.
  • Both vegans and vegetarians avoid the consumption of meat. However, the former also avoids all animal products in all instances.
  • Bohemian Rhapsody received largely negative reviews from critics when it was released. At the same time, it helped propel them into stardom.
  • Everyone expects life to go smoothly all the time. In truth, it is filled with constant ups and downs.
  • Feminism is on the rise now, but so is resistance to it.

Using transition words in your paper can elevate your writing to a whole new level since these words make your writing more professional and strengthen the connections between the ideas and concepts you describe. Using transitions wisely is where the difference between a good and a great writer is, so let’s find out more about those.

As you can see from the name, these words indicate either similarity or contradiction between different concepts or ideas you describe. You can click here to find out more about those and the proper ways to use them or use some help with essay writing. You can choose any of those as long as they fit the context.

  • Comparison

Those are fairly simple, and you can put them between ideas that either entail one another or do not contradict directly. These are:

  • Likewise
  • Similarly
  • Consequently
  • In the same manner

You can use those whenever a continuation of your ideas is in order.

  • Contrasting

In contrast to the comparison transitions, these serve to draw the line between the ideas you describe and show your reader that right now, you are about to talk about something entirely different in nature:

  • In contrast
  • However
  • Nonetheless

These and other similar words make it easier to define the difference between the ideas you describe.

  • Wrap Up

Using transition words requires some finesse because you should never stuff your essays too much with those. Use them wisely and only where necessary, and your writing will reach a new level.

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