on the other hand/in contrast

Hello,

       May I ask the difference between "on the other hand", and "in contrast"?

And is this sentence correct? "This room is less bright than that room"

Thank you very much and please have a nice day.

Hi!Yes, "This room is less bright than that room" is perfectly correct. Nice job.

"In contrast" and "on the other hand" are very similar expressions. We often use them in writing when making comparisons. They can often be used interchangeably. However, "on the other hand" is sometimes used when trying to make a decision, as in, "I want to go to the party tonight, but on the other hand, I'm very tired." "In contrast" isn't used this way. It's used to compare two things, as in, "In contrast to the old James Bond movies, the new Bond films have better special effects but less interesting plots."

Both "In contrast" and "on the other hand" can be used at the beginning of the sentence as transition words, to show a contrasting relationship between two sentences. For example, "I love going to the movies. [In contrast/on the other hand], my boyfriend prefers to stay home and read a book."

Hope that helps!

Amy