compare and contrast essay tips

compare and contrast essay tips

Effective Strategies for Writing a Compare and Contrast Essay

1. Introduction to Compare and Contrast Essays

The compare and contrast essay outline follows simply enough and consists of three parts which are: an introduction, body, and conclusion. It is these three essays that make on the overall agenda of the compare and contrast view of the subject, and help to form an interesting exemplification of how one is alike and different from their counterparts. The easy compare and contrast essay consists of the development of the essay items one by one. To present the comparison or contrast example, two essays of a subject are critiqued by explaining, evaluating, and argumentating. One easy way to open the essay is writing an introduction to talk about the differences and certain characteristics as general. In the introduction, the differences and certain characteristics of the compare and contrast essay are mentioned.

A compare and contrast essay asks you to look at two or more things and describe the ways that they are similar (compare) and then the ways that they are different (contrast). These very helpful and engaging essays can be written very easily if you know what to do! In fact, your compare and contrast essay may use one of the following techniques: pinpointing a similarity that is shared by two things and then contrasting off of that similarity, comparing and contrasting a topic based on making conclusions based on the specific actions of a subject, giving the good and bad frequently of a comparison, contrasting differences of two, seldom more, subjects of the same general class, comparing and contrasting the results without the evidence, and debating a certain thing or a certain point of view with comparing other things/other point of view.

2. Choosing Appropriate Topics for Comparison

Identify which side of the subject you will yourself be taking. For each of the points, be as detailed as possible – the best take away here is to find a point that is mutually exclusive to each and every subject therein. But remember to add a few of the ideas that you thought of just in case. Once you create the grand list with detailed rounded bullets, it will be easy to determine whether the points align (consequently make order of your paper essay) or run in opposition to the other.

The best way to decide on two good compare and contrast topics to analyze is to brainstorm and then list your top 3 favorite or unique or interesting items. Then you will come back to your list and choose two different subjects (or ideas, or people, for example) that you feel happiest writing about and also that you think will keep your audience interested in reading. Each of those subjects will be summed up into a certain number of key points that can help you define how you want to go about composing your compare and contrast essay.

3. Structuring Your Essay: Point-by-Point vs. Block Method

A. Compare In block comparisons, the order you use is: Introduction > Topic one > Similarities between Topic One and Topic Two > Differences between Topic One and Topic Two > Topic two > Conclusion. In “discuss how two subjects that are similar and different,” the block method is best used for shorter essays. With this being said, in the body of the essay, the author will identify the similarities and differences in each of the two topics. There are several points to take into consideration in the main body of the essay when using the block pattern. A narrative analysis of Paul’s case gives students the opportunity to compare and contrast his behavior. It’s an argument that is split into different topics surrounding the comparison topic. Use the same comparison language when discussing similarities such as both, likewise, and similarly.

3. Structuring Your Essay: Point-by-Point vs. Block Method There are two basic methods of structuring a compare and contrast essay: the block method and the point-by-point method. In the block method, you describe all the similarities in the first body paragraph and then all the differences in the second body paragraph. The guideline below will help you remember what you need to do in each part of a comparison/contrast essay using the block method.

The compare and contrast essay is a common academic standard that is also applicable to compare and contrast essays. Although the definition of a compare and contrast essay does vary a bit, the general form is always an analysis essay that is written with the aim of discovering and explaining similarities and differences between two subjects. While there is no universal standard for writing a compare and contrast essay, the points of interest that are useful to consider in this work are relevant to a compare/contrast essay.

4. Crafting Strong Thesis Statements and Topic Sentences

Topic sentences set down the general or main headings of the individual paragraphs in the essay. They also set out the direction to be pursued in the paragraphs, expressing the broad generalization or controlling idea that the paragraph will develop. Thus, unlike the thesis statement, which is singles and gives unity to an entire essay, the topic sentence sets forth the perspective to be used in the paragraph and controls the sequence of ideas the writer wishes to present. Therefore, something in the paragraph must meet or adhere to the term.

A good thesis statement clearly addresses all parts of the prompt. It isn’t a broad generalization or a shallow view of the subject. Your thesis statement should also give the reader some direction. An argumentative thesis clearly proposes an argument and outlines evidence to be given. An expository thesis or description or explanation does neither of those things but simply addresses the topic.

A good thesis statement is implicit, not explicit. When you use a thesis statement that is clear, there’s little for you to prove. A good thesis statement is also somewhat vague. It allows you to dig beneath the surface of the topic and leads to other questions or key claims instead of arguing only one way of viewing the topic.

5. Utilizing Evidence and Examples to Support Your Analysis

The goal of your paper is to present a 4-6 page essay in which you’ve undertaken a difficult but essential task. You must analyze similarities and differences between two subjects by finding and discussing evidence, examples, and quotations to support as many of your points of view as possible. Keep in mind that as a reader of an art history paper, you want to know how to write an outline of the evidence that you’ve seen or read and the manner in which you’ve organized the art into these pieces of evidence. Furthermore, it is always a good talking point to mention how the evidence you’ve chosen to talk about has informed the analysis you are doing.

The compare and contrast essay requires an analytical approach and careful consideration before, during, and after the writing process. The comparison and contrast process can be utilized not only by writers of essays but also by virtually anyone who wishes to use numbers or list items to carry out an analysis. Compare should be used in the meaning of evaluation; both similarities and differences should be explored in detail, likening ideas, concepts, or theories to one another by means of illustration or example. A well-considered compare and contrast essay supports legitimate points of disagreement.