How to do a compare and contrast essay

How to do a compare and contrast essay

Expert Tips on How To Write a Compare and Contrast Essay Successfully,Great Ideas for Essays

WebOct 12,  · There’s only one remaining element of the guide on how to start a comparison and contrast essay: the introduction itself. This section will introduce the WebTo write a good compare-and-contrast paper, you must take your raw data—the similarities and differences you've observed—and make them cohere into a meaningful argument. WebA compare and contrast essay chooses a topic, describes similarities between one specific subject and shows dissimilarities. For example, the Toyota Camry and Ferrari ... read more

Next you must decide which of them are interesting, important, and relevant enough to be included in your paper. Ask yourself these questions:. Suppose that you are writing a paper comparing two novels. However, if you were writing a paper for a class on typesetting or on how illustrations are used to enhance novels, the typeface and presence or absence of illustrations might be absolutely critical to include in your final paper. Sometimes a particular point of comparison or contrast might be relevant but not terribly revealing or interesting. Talking about the different ways nature is depicted or the different aspects of nature that are emphasized might be more interesting and show a more sophisticated understanding of the poems.

Be careful, though—although this thesis is fairly specific and does propose a simple argument that atmosphere and delivery make the two pizza places different , your instructor will often be looking for a bit more analysis. Again, thinking about the context the class provides may help you answer such questions and make a stronger argument. You may find our handout on constructing thesis statements useful at this stage. The danger of this subject-by-subject organization is that your paper will simply be a list of points: a certain number of points in my example, three about one subject, then a certain number of points about another. This is usually not what college instructors are looking for in a paper—generally they want you to compare or contrast two or more things very directly, rather than just listing the traits the things have and leaving it up to the reader to reflect on how those traits are similar or different and why those similarities or differences matter.

Thus, if you use the subject-by-subject form, you will probably want to have a very strong, analytical thesis and at least one body paragraph that ties all of your different points together. Rather than addressing things one subject at a time, you may wish to talk about one point of comparison at a time. There are two main ways this might play out, depending on how much you have to say about each of the things you are comparing. Be aware, too, of the placement of your different points. Our handout on organization can help you write good topic sentences and transitions and make sure that you have a good overall structure in place for your paper. The following words may be helpful to you in signaling your intentions:.

You can use your new password to log in to your account. Posted: 02 June, Compare And Contrast Essay: How-To, Structure, Examples, Topics Compare and contrast essays are very common at university, and you may have come across them before. Table Of Contents What is Compare and Contrast Essay? Compare and Contrast Essay Structure How to Write Compare and Contrast Essay Compare and Contrast Essay Topics Compare and Contrast Essay Examples What is Compare and Contrast Essay? Compare and Contrast Essay Structure Here's how an average compare and contrast essay could be laid out: Introduction: Introduce the two ideas that you're going to compare. Give a brief background on both, to give context for the main body. Thesis statement: This is going to be your impression of the two theories.

Are they more similar than you thought, or do they differ more than is obvious to the average person? Main body: Each paragraph in this section will detail a different point. You can start either with comparing the theories, or contrasting them. Just make sure that each point is backed up with relevant research. Conclusion: This will draw all the main points together, and emphasise how they support your thesis. How to Write Compare and Contrast Essay Research the two topics you have been given. Look for the similarities and differences, and make notes.

How will this affect your essay? Think about whether you've been surprised by the information you've found. Put together your thesis. Are your two topics similar, or more different than you thought? Are they similar in a surprising way? Use your research to come up with a good statement. Write an essay outline. Use the structure above to write your own outline. Pencil in all the main points you need to include. This way you can't forget anything. Write your essay.

Published on August 6, by Jack Caulfield. Revised on November 11, Comparing and contrasting is an important skill in academic writing. It involves taking two or more subjects and analyzing the differences and similarities between them. You might find yourself comparing all kinds of things in an academic essay : historical figures, literary works , policies, research methods , etc. Doing so is an important part of constructing arguments. Table of contents When should I compare and contrast? Making effective comparisons Comparing and contrasting as a brainstorming tool Structuring your comparisons Frequently asked questions about comparing and contrasting.

Some other prompts may not directly ask you to compare and contrast, but present you with a topic where comparing and contrasting could be a good approach. One way to approach this essay might be to contrast the situation before the Great Depression with the situation during it, to highlight how large a difference it made. For example, a literature review involves comparing and contrasting different studies on your topic, and an argumentative essay may involve weighing up the pros and cons of different arguments. As the name suggests, comparing and contrasting is about identifying both similarities and differences. You might focus on contrasting quite different subjects or comparing subjects with a lot in common—but there must be some grounds for comparison in the first place.

However, if you contrasted pre-revolutionary France with Han-dynasty China, your reader might wonder why you chose to compare these two societies. Every element of an essay should serve your central argument in some way. Comparing and contrasting can be a useful tool to help organize your thoughts before you begin writing any type of academic text. You might make a table to summarize the key differences between them. You might visualize the key similarities and differences in a Venn diagram. The point of comparing and contrasting at this stage is to help you organize and shape your ideas to aid you in structuring your arguments. When comparing and contrasting in an essay, there are two main ways to structure your comparisons: the alternating method and the block method.

You cover both your subjects side by side in terms of a specific point of comparison. Your text is structured like this:. One challenge teachers face is identifying and assisting students who are struggling without disrupting the rest of the class. In a traditional classroom environment, the teacher can easily identify when a student is struggling based on their demeanor in class or simply by regularly checking on students during exercises. They can then offer assistance quietly during the exercise or discuss it further after class. The most commonly cited advantage of distance learning is the flexibility and accessibility it offers.

Rather than being required to travel to a specific location every week and to live near enough to feasibly do so , students can participate from anywhere with an internet connection. This allows not only for a wider geographical spread of students but for the possibility of studying while travelling. However, distance learning presents its own accessibility challenges; not all students have a stable internet connection and a computer or other device with which to participate in online classes, and less technologically literate students and teachers may struggle with the technical aspects of class participation.

Distance learning, then, seems to improve accessibility in some ways while representing a step backwards in others. Comparing and contrasting is also a useful approach in all kinds of academic writing : You might compare different studies in a literature review , weigh up different arguments in an argumentative essay , or consider different theoretical approaches in a theoretical framework. Comparisons in essays are generally structured in one of two ways:. Caulfield, J. Have a language expert improve your writing. Proofreading Services. Run a free plagiarism check in 10 minutes.

Plagiarism Checker. Generate accurate citations for free. Citation Generator. Prevent plagiarism. Run a free check. Try for free. When do I need to compare and contrast? How do I choose subjects to compare and contrast? How do I compare and contrast in a structured way? Comparisons in essays are generally structured in one of two ways: The alternating method, where you compare your subjects side by side according to one specific aspect at a time. The block method, where you cover each subject separately in its entirety. Is this article helpful? Jack Caulfield Jack is a Brit based in Amsterdam, with an MA in comparative literature. He writes for Scribbr about his specialist topics: grammar, linguistics, citations, and plagiarism. In his spare time, he reads a lot of books.

Other students also liked. How to write an expository essay An expository essay provides an explanation of a topic. It is the most common essay type at university. Follow these 6 steps for a strong paragraph structure. What is your plagiarism score? Scribbr Plagiarism Checker.

Compare And Contrast Essay: How-To, Structure, Examples, Topics,Compare and Contrast Essay Examples University

WebA compare and contrast essay chooses a topic, describes similarities between one specific subject and shows dissimilarities. For example, the Toyota Camry and Ferrari WebOct 12,  · There’s only one remaining element of the guide on how to start a comparison and contrast essay: the introduction itself. This section will introduce the WebTo write a good compare-and-contrast paper, you must take your raw data—the similarities and differences you've observed—and make them cohere into a meaningful argument. ... read more

The rest of the paper, whether organized text- by-text or point-by-point, will treat the two theorists' differences. One fun way to get students started brainstorming their compare and contrast essays is to create a Venn diagram , where the overlapping sections of the circle contain similarities and the non-overlapping areas contain the differing traits. A compare and contrast essay chooses a topic, describes similarities between one specific subject and shows dissimilarities. They have hair. Psychologist or Psychiatrist. Boston Red Sox LA Lakers vs.

Astrophysics Human Cloning vs. A football coach creates plays and helps players adapt to the game on the field. Featured Video. How to do a compare and contrast essay a Venn diagram or a chart can help you quickly and efficiently compare and contrast two or more things or ideas. heart attack Ischemic Stroke vs. In a compare-and contrast, you also need to make links between A and B in the body of your essay if you want your paper to hold together.