What is a compare and contrast essay?
A compare and contrast essay examines two or more topics, ideas, and objects and compare their similarities and contrast their differences. In this type of essay, you can focus on comparing or you can focus more on contrasting too or even on both. A good and meaningful compare and contrast essay not only points out how the subjects are similar or different, in fact it focuses on those points that make a meaningful argument about the subjects.
Obviously, writing this type of essay is very difficult when you don’t have any idea about it. In the beginning, you may face some problems but by following some basic rules and practicing daily you can learn this type of essay. This is not an academic essay, therefore this type of essay is very difficult to start with.
For getting familiar with this type of essay, we have to follow some basic ethics of writing it. Therefore, I have brought some great tips to help you write an amazing compare and contrast essay in English. So let’s have a quick look at all of them as follow:
How to Write Compare and Contrast Essay
1. Choose two subjects that can be compared and contrasted
The main purpose of writing a compare and contrast essay is obviously to analyze similarities and differences between the two objects or ideas. That is why the first and most important step of writing this type of essay is to select two subjects that are different enough to be compared and similar enough to be contrasted. There are several things to consider when selecting a title for your essay:
- You could choose two different objects that don’t have anything in common but they have similarities between them. For instance, you could choose bats and whales and can compare them. We know that bats are small and fly but whales are huge and can swim. But the only similarity between them is that they hunt their prey in the same method.
- Or you could choose two things that are in the same category but have some differences between them. For instance, you could choose a homemade pizza VS grocery store pizza.
2. Brainstorm your topic
We can’t jump straight to writing the thesis statement, body paragraphs, and conclusion of the essay, by just looking towards the topic. In fact, we have to brainstorm a while and wait to think about the topic given. Take a little time to brainstorm about whether the given topic is similar or different. This will help you choose the points you must focus on the most and can help you write a better and organized thesis statement for your essay. You can draw a list of the similarities, differences, or the major points of your essay. Or you can make a diagram for your essay.
3. Decide on a structure
There are several methods to organize or write a compare and contrast essay. For example, some of the writers first point out the similarities between the two subjects, then mention the differences between the two objects. So overall it depends on the writer how she/he starts the essay or which structure they apply on. So you should see what structure helps you or works best for you. If one structure doesn’t work best for you, then you can change your organization.
4. Outline your essay
Outlining your essay will help you work on your main points and will help you make a template to follow as you develop your ideas. No matter how you decide to organize your essay, but again you have to follow the same essay writing rules to write compare and contrast essays. In all types of essay writing, we have an introduction, body paragraphs, and conclusion paragraph.
Introductory paragraph:
This paragraph is the first paragraph and represents the basic information and introduces the subjects to be compared and contrasted. It should answer questions like why your readers should care about your essay and what things you will discuss. Read more…
Body paragraphs:
This paragraph is the meat of your essay, where you provide details and evidence to support your claims. Each different paragraph should discuss and represent different proof and evidence to support your points.
One thing is included in compare and contrast essay and that is arguments:
Competitive arguments:
This paragraph discusses the arguments that mean the similarities and differences between the two subjects. Read More…
Conclusion paragraph:
This paragraph summarizes the whole essay. It is the reflection of the thesis statement. Each information provided in the whole essay will be summarized and will be relevant. Read More…
5. Remember to explain “why”
A common error that most of the writers commit is to let the argument moves on without giving the answer to why the essay is really important and how it helps the readers or why the readers should really care about it. Don’t only explain the similarities or differences between two subjects, in fact, remind your readers of the importance of the argument.
6. Take a break
One of the most common mistakes students or writers commit is that they don’t give themselves enough time to rest or to take a short break, therefore most of the students cannot concentrate on the topic later. Taking a short break is good for health and for brainstorming too. If you don’t take a break for a while, then your brain will not be able to concentrate on the topic and you will not be able to brainstorm the topic given.
7. Recheck and then rewrite your essay
Look after grammatical errors, repetitive ideas, spelling mistakes, and confusing sentences. In this step, you have to review your essay and recorrect your sentences. If you find any error, then you can rectify it or if you have missed any important point, then you can add it in the essay. Before rewriting your essay consider some common mistakes students make while writing this type of essay:
- Avoid negative ideas and slang languages.
- Avoid first-person pronouns and always try to use third-person pronouns.
- Proofread your essay. Committing errors seem to happen with everyone, but not catching them will make you seem lazy and careless.
Was this article helpful? What do you think about this title? What else have I missed to mention in this article? Do you all know about any other tip to help you write an amazing compare and contrast essay? Please feel free to share your feedback and ideas with us in the comments section below.