Contrasts

We can useon the one handandon the other handwhen we contrast two different things or two different ways of thinking about something. We often use them to present a balanced argument in which both sides must be considered:

On the one hand, mobile phones are very useful and can save lives.On the other hand, people seem to use them for the most pointless and unnecessary calls.

We often useon the other handon its own in the second part of a contrast, withouton the one hand:

It’s a chaotic and disorganised country, buton the other handit’s a very friendly and beautiful place.(Both things are true about the country.)

Not: …but on the contrary…

We can useon the contraryto emphasise that something is the opposite of something which has been mentioned. We often use it to state that an original statement was not true, and we often use it after a negative statement.On the contraryis much more common in writing than in informal speaking:

He didn’t seem offended by her criticisms;on the contrary, he seemed to enjoy them.(It was not true that he was offended by the remarks – he enjoyed them.)

We can usein comparisonand, less commonly,by comparisonto contrast two clauses or sentences. They indicate how people and things are different when we compare them side by side:

London is England’s biggest city. Its second city, Birmingham,in comparison, is quite small by global standards.

Driving the old model of this van was hard work. Driving the new model is easyin comparison.

Cynthia was very nervous. Martha was quite calmby comparison.

We can usein comparison with X, Y is… to make a contrast:

In comparison withhis older brother, who never stops talking, he’s quite shy.

We usein contrastand, less commonly,by contrastto link two clauses.In contrastandby contraststress the difference between two people or things more strongly thanin comparisonandby comparison:

Holistic medicine treats the whole person. Conventional medicine,in contrast, treats specific symptoms and parts of the body.

We can usein contrast toor, less commonly,in contrast withto contrast two noun phrases:

In contrast tomost of the city’s museums, the art museum is modern, bright and has a friendly atmosphere.

The white roses looked lovelyin contrast withthe red ones.

By contrastis less common thanin contrast. We can use it alone or followed bywith, but not byto:

In the south much of the land is flat.By contrast, in the north there are hills and mountains everywhere.

By contrast withthe external appearance of the place, the room into which the front door opened was, if not particularly attractive, clean and well ordered.

Not:By contrast to the external appearance…