How to Write a Compare and Contrast Essay

The term of “comparative assessment” may seem pretty scary to some students, as it sounds like something intricate and difficult. In fact, this kind of assignment is actually quite straightforward, as all you need to do is compare and contrast two concepts, which is basically something we all do on a daily basis! The compare and contrast essay is one of the many papers for which you can utilize the 5-paragraph structure. Such papers are very widespread in the majority of college study programs, as they aid students in making comparisons between various connected or unconnected hypotheses, viewpoints, subjects, etc.

Examples of Compare and Contrast Essay Subjects

• Second Millennium vs. the Third Millennium
• Benito Mussolini vs. Adolf Hitler
• Religious Views vs. Scientific Views
• High School vs. University
• Android vs. iOS

It goes without saying that these aren’t the only good examples of compare and contrast essay subjects. You may also be assigned with writing about many other different topics.

Comparison and contrast essays have a pretty distinctive structure, seeing as their course is non-linear. The majority of 5-paragraph essays are made of introduction, three body paragraphs and conclusion. However, when it comes to comparison and contrast essays, you may use either four or five paragraphs, in accordance with the way in which you design the outline. To put it simply, you may include either two or three body paragraphs. Read on to find out about the outline for each of these styles.

2 Body Paragraphs

Resemblances vs. Dissimilarities

• The first paragraph covers the resemblances between the two concepts
• The second paragraph covers the dissimilarities between the two concepts

Subject A > Subject B

• The first body approaches Subject A and presents all data and research regarding A
• The second body approaches Subject B and presents all data and research regarding B

In general, if you wish to be very direct or you are merely attempting to complete the assignment rapidly and productively, you should go for the 2-body paragraph style. Nevertheless, unless you’re in a big hurry, keep on reading to find out about a more imaginative and engaging structure, namely the 3-body paragraph style.

3 Body Paragraphs

A common academic standard that is also applicable to compare contrast essays, this format presents a particular theme in each of the three paragraphs and either provides an analogy or an antithesis between subjects A and B. Here is how the structure of this style should be like:

• Theme 1: the first theme is used to either compare or contrast the two subjects
• Theme 2: the second theme is used to either compare or contrasts the two subjects
• Theme 3: the third theme is used to either compare or contrast the two subjects

Your paper must have a certain level of variation, which is why you should avoid simply comparing the two subjects three distinct times. Ideally, you should utilize at least one of your themes for contrasting your subjects.

A very useful tip we can offer you is to write both the introduction and the conclusion after you’ve already completed the body paragraphs. Of course, the structure of the essay is mandatory, but no one says you need to write it in that precise order. Many students choose to write their thesis assertions after finalizing work on the body paragraphs. Thus, the introduction is generally drafted after the main body. Once you’ve written the introduction, proceed to the conclusion.

Similar to the style of the paper itself, the tutorial will be listed in order to reproduce it. This way, you’ll be able to comply with suitable norms. In case you don’t know how to begin work on your essay, your best bet would be the traditional hook technique. Afterward, you need to succinctly present your subjects of analogy. Still, before moving on to these things as well as after drafting the main bodies, you need to devise your brilliant thesis assertion.

In general, the plan of the hypothesis is not changed in case of 5-paragraph essays. However, you could also talk about the comparison themes in your thesis. For instance, let’s say you need to make a comparison between two television programs and the three themes are duration, critical reception, and humor. If that is the case, your 3 comparison themes ought to be mentioned in the hypothesis.

Last but not least, you need to write your conclusion, which is virtually the same as the one needed for the 5-paragraph essay format, as it includes the same three phases. You need to reiterate your hypothesis, sum up your essential ideas and create a general conclusive assertion.

Now that we’ve covered the overall outline of the compare and contrast essay, we’ll let you in on a few useful tricks, which are bound to raise your grade.

• Steer clear of evident analogies. The more unexpected your ideas are, the more engaged your reader will be.
• Employ comparative phrasing. Make use of terms like nevertheless, instead, or conversely for contrasting; and, terms like furthermore, comparably, additionally or similarly when making comparisons. This way, your essay will look better and its structure will be more comprehensible.
• Utilize Venn Diagrams. In addition to enhancing the aspect of your essay, Venn Diagrams may prove helpful when you need to find new resemblances and dissimilarities.

It’s Time to Apply the Knowledge!

We’ll conclude by comparing and contrasting writing your paper by yourself to hiring a professional. In both cases, the result is a finished essay. Nevertheless, the top-notch writers who are part of the Elite Essay Writers team have a greater potential of providing you with a high-quality paper. If you write an essay without any external help, you might end up stressed, and you might lose a lot of time. So why not buy a paper from us at a really cheap price and use the free time to your advantage? There’s not really much to compare here! Contact us whenever you need!