IXL | Compare and contrast in informational texts

Use the text to compare and contrast herbs and spices.

Cooks use both herbs and spices to add flavor to food. Herbs (such as rosemary and thyme) come from plants, just like spices (such as pepper and cinnamon) do. Herbs come from plant leaves, while spices are made from the bark, fruit, seeds, or roots of plants. Some plants, like the cilantro plant, provide us with both herbs and spices. Without these plants, our food wouldn't taste nearly as good!

	Herbs	Spices
Add flavor to food
Come from plant leaves

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Learn with an example

question

Use the text to compare and contrast butterflies and fish.

Some types of fish have patterns on their bodies that look like eyes. These patterns are called eyespots. Eyespots help protect fish by confusing predators and sometimes even frightening them away. This gives fish time to get away before they get eaten. Many butterflies have eyespots, too. Butterflies use their eyespots to fool predators just as fish do. But unlike fish, many butterflies also use their eyespots to attract mates.

	Butterflies	Fish
Use eyespots to fool predators
Use eyespots to attract mates

key idea

Authors often compare and contrast ideas, events, people, or things.

To compare is to show how two things are alike. When authors compare, they often use signal words like in the same way, both, or similarly.

To contrast is to show how two things are different. When authors contrast, they often use signal words like unlike, on the other hand, or however.

solution

Look at the signal words and the surrounding details in the text.

Some types of fish have patterns on their bodies that look like eyes. These patterns are called eyespots. Eyespots help protect fish by confusing predators and sometimes even frightening them away. This gives fish time to get away before they get eaten. Many butterflies have eyespots, too. Butterflies use their eyespots to fool predators just as fish do. But unlike fish, many butterflies also use their eyespots to attract mates.

These signal words help show the differences and similarities between butterflies and fish:

	Butterflies	Fish
Use eyespots to fool predators
Use eyespots to attract mates

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