comparison essay structure

comparison essay structure

Effective Strategies for Writing a Comparison Essay

1. Introduction to Comparison Essays

Comparison essays are fundamental tools for not just academic writing, but also in various other areas of life. They are essays that are done with the intention of showing how the different aspects of two different things or ideas could be compared to each other. It is one thing for two different things to exist. However, when we choose to write essays comparing the ideas and showing that one is better than the other or that they have their strengths from different perspectives and conclusions can then be made, such essays are called comparison essays.

When writing an essay, there could be different information that has to be presented to the reader. All this information could have an influence on each other or could have a different outcome based on one or the other. This is where different comparisons of two different or similar stuff would come in.

In writing comparison essays, there are two main strategies that could be employed. These strategies determine the type of comparison essay. The two types include block organization and alternating or subject by subject organization. In the block organization, the information on the first aspect of the compared subjects will be presented in the first body paragraph and the next body will be dedicated to the other aspect. In the subject by subject, the first body paragraph will be used to draw all the comparisons between the two subjects.

2. Key Components of a Comparison Essay

Writing a comparison essay is a disciplined task in which one needs to organize this essay in an effective and efficient manner. The first essential part in the comparison essay is that you need to have an introduction in which a thesis statement is included. In the thesis statement, you need to compare and contrast these two things and what this essay uses to compare them. You will write the answer in the next two, three or four paragraphs, or sometimes in five different paragraphs, which is basically the body of your essay. Then give a conclusion to conclude your essay and state what the comparison of these two things is. You need to restate your thesis by giving a repeated example. This time the repeated example is important. Don’t explain the comparison-over-there-example, write that that’s what this essay used to compare these two things.

The answer to what is the comparison of these two things is certainly a description of the comparison, the answer to which is the subject of the assignment. To compare things, you need to think about the claim of the assignment: longer? More versatile? More pure? Newer-than-sci-fi? Space alien-as-fantasy-creature, maybe, but having soft-lumpy-human-organs is worse, perhaps, than just a-computer-face, which is worse than a face-face with emotions and unpredictability on both sides… You may not come to a final, definitive answer about which is better. That’s okay. The draft might just ask, “Better for what?” That could keep you writing past frustration about something else—maybe the central problem of the one-paragraph essay.

3. Structuring a Comparison Essay

Comparison essays can be intimidating as a concept and a writing task. Here are a few effective strategies by following which, you can be on your way to mastering the genre. No essay is well written without a structure that guides the organization of ideas expressed throughout it. Similarly, comparison essays take more than just identifying the subjects to compare. Since readers will only be successful at understanding the comparisons made in an essay if the organization of its presentation considers the complex relationships between the subjects, one of the most important steps to writing a successful comparison essay is organizing that structure. The questions that arise when analyzing a subject can guide a comparison essay towards success.

What are the key ideas in presenting a comparison essay? 1. An introduction that communicates the subjects to be compared and prepares readers for any highlights of important similarities and differences. 2. A body that takes each item at a time explaining it in-depth, identifying and explaining comparisons to the other subject in the process. 3. An organization of the body’s ideas that makes the most logical set of comparisons possible. 4. Clear organization within a body paragraph, with a minimal use of unrelated or unrelated idea in the same paragraph. 5. In the case of a point-by-point comparison, the structure follows the subjects of the points rather than the subjects themselves, emphasizing the comparison of a single idea related to the subject at a time.

The structure established in a comparison essay’s body may depend on the format of the essay that a writer has chosen. In the point-by-point structure, the arguments are presented alternately, each point is being compared in both subjects. In the block structure, the ideas of a subject are presented first, then the subject is contrasted with the ideas of a second subject. When utilizing these structures, cross-comparisons remain an important part of the body paragraph structure. Emphasizing cross-comparisons and considering the most logical amount of subjects-per-paragraph to compare can be a star ingredient in successful comparison papers.

4. Analyzing Examples of Comparison Essays

Now that we have thoroughly studied the process and product, let’s take a look at some real-world comparison essays. Our purpose in analyzing examples is to demonstrate the effective writing strategies we have just discussed. By studying student examples, we are able to see more clearly how the writing strategies we have proposed work in actual writing. And, as with the model paragraphs, when we illustrate how others use the writing strategies we are teaching, we provide more flesh and blood. Our hope is that these examples will bring the teaching concepts into sharper focus, so that they can be used more effectively.

Since comparison essays are argumentative, the supporting points are essential. In the paper that follows, the author makes two points about teachers and life: “There are many people in the world who have so many different ideas. But the thoughts between teachers and our life are the same as far as I’m concerned. One of the reasons is that it is altruism that brings them that invitation.” Undoubtedly, this is an experience from the author’s own life, but it is too personal for this type of paper. It’s fine to bring in some personal examples. However, it is also important that the author be able to see bigger themes in their subject. The student also makes a brief paragraph to conclude the essay. While this is very important, the student might have included a little more information in the section. The question is, so what? If we are people who define success in terms of personal efforts/character traits and not so much in terms of what we do for a living, what does that have to do with teachers in particular? Can the writer think of anything else he/she holds to be true?

5. Conclusion and Final Tips

The subject of the comparison essay is always an interesting and often debatable issue, although not always. We have studied the strategies to write a successful comparison essay. The first one suggests establishing clear and specific criteria for comparison. The next one is to research and gather information about subjects that you are going to compare. We have put a great deal of effort into these strategies, which is why they are essential. The third one addresses the necessity to improve the communication skills for working effectively with comparison essays. We think that, when teachers and students apply these techniques with all the stamina required, ultimately, the writing practice in this genre will be fruitful.

Comparison essays should be developed by including information from different sources. Background information might be similar to accurate information because the same subject has been observed by different sources. Authors organize the comparison according to the organizational strategies of the topic. A reasonable comparison may be made through providing evidence. A conclusion is derived from comparing evidence. There are several possible conclusions for a comparison. In the conclusion of a comparison essay, synthesis is made to describe differences or similarities. It cannot just mention the items. The comparison should save the most important results to which readers can refer. The comparison is synthesized when using the words in conclusion, in summary, and finally. Similarities and differences may be stated briefly in the preceding paragraph. More information on comparisons may follow in body paragraphs.