Reading a longer story: two characters compared
A story often has two characters who are different. To compare them, make a table with a row for each topic: what they do, how they speak, how they feel under pressure and what they learn. Then write sentences with comparing words. To show a difference use whereas, but, while and unlike: Mai is organised, whereas Rana is spontaneous. Unlike Rana, Mai writes her lines on cards. To show a similarity use both and also: Both girls want the play to succeed. Remember to give a clue for each point. In your reader, The Count of Monte Cristo, read Chapter 3 on pages 19 to 24; the exercises are on page 43. We do not retell the chapter here. When you read it, choose two characters and compare them in a table like ours.
| Mai | Rana | |
|---|---|---|
| Planning | writes every line on numbered cards | leaves her script at home |
| Rehearsal style | follows the order step by step | tries new voices and moves around |
| Under pressure | becomes stiff | makes a funny face and relaxes |
| What they learn | order and surprises both help | order and surprises both help |
On Friday afternoon Mai and Rana stayed in the empty hall to rehearse the school play. Mai had written every line on neat cards, numbered in order, and she kept a pencil behind her ear. “We start at the first card and finish at the last,” she said. Rana laughed. She had left her script at home, and she preferred to walk around the stage and try new voices. “The audience likes surprises,” she said. At first they argued. Mai stopped every time Rana changed a word, and Rana yawned when Mai counted the steps. Then Rana forgot her line in the middle of a scene. Mai quietly held up a card, and Rana read it with a grin. Later, when Mai’s voice sounded stiff, Rana made a funny face and showed her how to relax. By five o’clock they had changed the scene together, with Mai’s order and Rana’s surprises. “We are different,” said Mai, “but we work well.” Rana nodded. “Both of us are needed.”
Compare two. Choose two people you know from a film or a book. Make a table with three rows and write three sentences, one with whereas, one with unlike and one with both. Give your table to a grown-up.