Language Functions
Making Comparisons and Contrasts
Strictly speaking,a comparison states the similarities between two or more persons or things of the same class,while a contrast points out the differences between them.To make a comparison,we use the following words and phrases:
The daughter looks very much like the mother.
The daughter and the mother are very much alike.
Mary is just as smart as Jack.
As many employees took to street as went to work.
There is as much meat as there are vegetables on the table.
also
too
similar to…
similarly/correspondingly/likewise
in the same way
equally important
besides
in addition to
furthermore/moreover
…and…have many things/a lot in common.
…and…are more or less the same.
…and…are roughly similar in…
There isn’t much difference between…and…
When we need to make a contrast,we can use words and
expressions like these:
unlike
yet/but
nevertheless
however
none the less
differ from
be different from
in/by contrast
on the one hand…on the other
on the other hand
on the contrary
instead
despite
in spite of
although/though/while/whereas + clause
…and…have nothing/very little in common.
…and…differ in that…
…differs from…in…
Making Conclusions
When we summarize what we said previously,we can use the following expressions:
In conclusion
In summary
In short/brief
In a word
In the all
In a nutshell
To sum up
Expressing Cause and Effect
A cause deals with the question“Why?”,which calls for an analysis of the reasons why something happens or works in its own way.An effect deals with the question“What if?”,which attempts to determine the consequence or result of an action or event.When we account for the causes,we can use the following words and phrases:
as/because/since/for + clause
because of/due to/owing to/thanks to…
as a result of
in consequence of
on account of
in view of
be caused by
be attributed to
result from
The causes of…are…
The reason for…is…
When we want to emphasize effects,we can use expressions like these:
accordingly
consequently
so/therefore/thus
hence
as a result
because of this
for this/some reason
in consequence
bring about
lead to
result in
contribute to
give rise to
It follows that…
The effect of…is…
The consequence of…is…
Online Library
You may log onto the following websites for more data and information of the lecture topic:
www.bloomberg.com
www.businessweek.com
www.cnbc.com
www.economist.com
www.fas.org
www.frbsf.org
www.ft.com
www.iie.com
www.imf.org
www.knowledge.wharton.upenn.edu
www.petersoninstitute.org
www.worldbank.org
www.wright.edu
www.wsj.com