comparison essay format

comparison essay format

Effective Strategies for Structuring a Comparison Essay

1. Introduction to Comparison Essays

A comparison essay, also known as a compare and contrast essay, requires a writer to look at two or more items and then analyze the aspects that are similar and different. Comparing and contrasting is an essential higher-order thinking skill. This type of essay does not require the writer to make a definitive statement proving their point like an argumentative essay. Rather, a comparison essay is designed to put aside the biases and assumptions of a writer and invite an evenhanded glance into the similarities and differences that exist within a given set of items or goals or objectives.

Learning to write effective comparison essays is a skill that requires understanding the purpose, comparing and contrasting pieces and parts, determining what will be the most effective structure, and refining and expanding ideas. The best comparison essays provide a clear organization that draws the reader into the arguments of the author. Moreover, writing a comparison essay consists of a good amount of research and writing to take a position on a debatable idea or question.

2. Key Elements of a Comparison Essay

In order to create an effective comparison essay, you will need to focus on two primary elements. First, you will need to select a topic that has two or more things that can be compared effectively. Second, you will need to focus on the similarities or differences between the items that are presented in your comparison. A compare and contrast essay examines the similarities and differences between two or more things. Still, in addition to pointing out the information that you know about the items in question, you will also need to provide a well-thought-out thesis statement that addresses what you are attempting to achieve in your document. Finally, writing a good comparison essay will require you to devote a significant amount of space to evidence and analysis that highlight the ways in which the things being examined are similar.

As with the essay itself, devoting an entire essay to one side of a point-by-point comparison would be unwise. Instead, you should detail several areas of similarity and difference in the course of your document. As mentioned above, every compare/contrast paper needs to have a thesis that indicates what you are attempting to prove in your paper. Your essay should concentrate on assessing the similarities and differences between the things you will discuss in your essay, regardless of whether your topic is assigned or chosen by you. Finally, while you can come to a conclusion that sounds obvious once stated, you should take care to establish it in your essay.

3. Structuring Your Comparison Essay

The most commonly used method of organizing an essay that compares and contrasts two or more things is the block method. In this method, all the information about one topic is presented as a block, followed by all the information about the other topic. This method is suitable when there are numerous and significant differences between the topics and when the writer is knowledgeable about both of them.

Another method of comparing two or more things of the same kind is to base the comparison on specific criteria. In this approach, the criteria are compared first, and then the things being compared are evaluated based on those criteria. This method requires a good understanding of the criteria being used, so it may not be recommended if the writer is not familiar with or interested in the criteria.

To create an effective essay, it is important to have a logical flow and coherence. A comparison and contrast should be presented side by side to help the reader understand and follow the essay easily. This structure can be used to highlight the superiority of one thing over another. The point-by-point structure is clear and coherent, but it requires the writer to compare both points. For example, when comparing England and Saudi Arabia, one could compare English education in point one and job opportunities in England in point two. By comparing these points, the writer can show what is best for individuals seeking to study and obtain a degree or diploma.

4. Writing Effective Body Paragraphs

After writing an introductory paragraph, you are ready to begin developing the body paragraphs of your comparison essay. Each paragraph should present a single main thing that your argument is trying to demonstrate. The paragraph should reflect one idea or aspect of your thesis. Develop a topic sentence for this paragraph that clearly and concisely describes what the paragraph will demonstrate. Develop at least three sub-points that illustrate the focus and clarify the arguments presented in the main point. Use critical thinking to develop these ideas, making sure that the discussion identifies aspects or elements of each thing that are valid, and keep in mind different norms from the two things so that a valid analysis can take place. A comparison/contrast essay links things/contrasts from only one angle of comparison, one evaluation is all that is needed, this is what you are asking for, you need to compare/contrast from multiple angles. Therefore, of their extensive library of material on choosing and developing positive relationships. Many different ways to develop a comparison/contrast. Some of these methods are better than others, depending on the nature of the two things being compared and the portion of the launch performance that is most interesting to those readers. If you’re comparing furniture, for instance, you might compare/contrast high quality with poor quality, contemporary design and traditional design, or by price. If you’re comparing films, you might use a release date or the amount of profit they generated, the choice really depends on what is most interesting to you. One point to keep in mind is that traditionally you must mention both things that you’re comparing in your paper, but you should spend the bulk of your paper discussing the things that are most interesting to you personally. Each time you mention a difference between the two things, bring your paper back to your general feeling about the things. In other words, in a paper comparing how two writers redefine social norms of masculinity, you would be better off comparing Sheen’s character continually from one aspect of a norm to the next and back, through surrogacy, to illustrate how sympathetic he became through the repetition of memoir protagonists one step. Each aspect of that. Also, you may use comparison and contrast results in light of or in spite of differing theories or explanations. All comparison/contrast results in light of or the result in spite of. Also, compare and contrast results in similar or differing results.

Evidence and Analysis: Evidence should be specific, accurate, and objective, and present information that both supports and expands the topic of each paragraph. Analysis should be nuanced and insightful. It should not merely repeat sources, but must inform the reader about the contrivances and stases at play in the two ideas of this paper. Make sure that the analysis of the evidence follows the same order as the statement, which will help maintain the flow of the paper. Transitions need to be used within and between paragraphs, especially between the thematic or structural paragraphs of this paper. Aides the writer in consistently delivering a clear and precise analysis. Each thing that this paper discusses to comparison/contrast should be systematically deliberated. Writers who just decide to talk about A further, then B further, and then A to end, and do that over and over, your reader will have understood very little about your paper.

Remind the reader of your thesis. If a paper only refers to only one idea or aspect of a thing whilst excluding the other, this will lead to a weak, minor, or unconvincing essay. Since a comparative essay discusses both things A and B, it will logically follow (requiring careful decision) the above words of both A and B; and the author of this amazing paper, not me, will… use transition phrases… to point to comparison/contrast… also (and accordingly) (too) like too unlike whereas on the other hand in contrast-but.

5. Concluding Your Comparison Essay

Concluding your comparison essay, your conclusion can make or break your essay. Your job is to make it. Think of your conclusion as your “leave-behind” summary. It summarizes everything important you put in your essay. Spend a minute at the start of your conclusion to make sure the reader knows all the tightly wound and organized points that will end the essay in a satisfying way. After that, wrap everything up by revisiting the two things you compared. It not only provides closure for the essay but also reminds the reader why the information in it is important. After all, your essay has shown these two really compelling topics; who wouldn’t want to learn more about them?

Let’s recap our main points on low-fat and low-carb diets before finishing the essay. “The controversy about low-carb and low-fat diets is fascinating because they share similar health impacts on holistic terms such as weight and cholesterol. On the other hand, a look at the human body in isolation shows how different the diet results are between the two. Faced with such compelling evidence, the choice of a low-carb or a low-fat diet should be easy to make as we listen to our own educators and discover what type of fuel our body system prefers. We have learned about the rise and fall of the low-fat trend and clearly seen the health results of it. The powerful counter-claims of the medical community that this is possible, and even exceptional side effects, on a responsibly eaten low-carb diet seem to erase nearly two decades of specific dietary error. Our future appears brighter and healthier as our vision sinks into natural fats; our bodies are too weak, and our collective body of evidence too strong to ignore any longer.”