No doubt that writing an exceptional compare-and-contrast essay does take effort and planning. An excellent paper will reveal something unique about a topic. It goes deep into the topic and reflects the importance of the things compared and contrasted, highlighting to the readers what they will learn.
So, creating such essays requires proper planning. So, do you face difficulty writing such essays? This blog will guide you on how to write an outstanding compare-and-contrast essay. So let’s get started.
5 steps to Writing a Top-notch Compare and Contrast Essays
- Choose a topic for the essay
A compare and contrast essay or paper analyzes two or more subjects to examine their similarities and differences. For instance, if you are writing your review about a book with two different versions. The books are designed on the same theme and the authors is the same but the publication years are different. The versions of these books will have some differences.
Some of the topics you can cover in such essays. Some of these ideas are:
- A comparison and contrast between the world leaders
- Compare and contrast between home, public, or private schooling. (for this, you can choose any two choices)
- A comparison between the characters of a novel and many other options.
All these are just a teaser for you. You can think of others. The best idea is to brainstorm your ideas and then make a selection of what appeals to you.
- Look for the similarities and differences
When you have chosen a topic, it is time to brainstorm the points. Now, you will be writing an essay on the comparison and contrast between two or three objects. Search for all the similarities and differences between them. To list your ideas, you can use two approaches: Venn diagram and listing.
Venn diagram
The circles used in the Venn diagram will show the similarities and differences between the subjects of the essay. There are two overlapping circles used with a wide space in the middle. You can jot down the similarities between the subjects in this space. All the differences of the subject will be noted in the outer part of the circles. A compare and contrast Venn diagram looks like this:
In the same way, when you are comparing and contrasting three subjects, you will add the third circle to the diagram. Part of the third circle will overlap the other circles. Its diagram might look like this:
You can follow this technique when comparing more than 3 subjects. In short you are supposed to write down the points of each subject in a circle. All the common things of the subject will be written in the intersection part. The differences will be jotted down in the other part of the circle. This activity will give you a clear idea of the points to add to your essay.
Listing
This technique is easier than the previous one. You can list down the points that you need to focus on during writing. The simplest way is to write down the title of each subject you are comparing and contrasting. List all the characteristics of each subject. Then use a color pen to highlight or circle all the things that are common between both. At the end of the list, things that won’t be highlighted will be the difference between the subjects. This method will help in preplanning your essay.
- Search for the supporting details and evidence
When you have listed all the similarities and differences, you will next need evidence to support your point. When you search for the supporting statements, after finding one, question yourself before you add it to your notes. Here are some of the questions you can ask yourself:
- Is this piece of evidence significant?
- What conclusion can be drawn from it?
- Is this piece of evidence relatable to the other supporting details that you have found?
These questions will highlight your critical thinking and analysis of each point stated. Your analysis will make the paper more meaningful. Your readers will learn from your critical point of view instead of compared with a paper that just narrates the similarities and differences. Additionally, you can look for services like assignment help in Cork or other cities in Ireland. They will help you to narrow down the strong evidence. When you are free from collecting supporting details it is time to move to the outline of the essay.
- Craft an outline
Writing a compare and contrast essay becomes easy when you outline your content. You can use two different strategies to structure your essays.
Subject by subject
In this approach, you write about one subject and its characteristics. When you have finish describing that subject, you move to the description of the other subject. When you have described the characteristics of both subjects then you begin writing a section on their similarities and differences. An outline will look like:
Introduction: In this section, you will give some background information and generate a thesis statement.
Body paragraphs: Include all the details of the subjects
- Paragraph 1: characteristics of subject 1
- Paragraph 2: characteristics of subject 2
- Paragraph 3: similarities of both the subjects
- Paragraph 4: differences of both the subjects.
Conclusion: A summary of the thesis statement and the importance of the essay. Ensure that you don’t add any new details.
Point by point
In this approach, your written content will move around the points that you want to make. You will write a point and then show the ways it relates to each subject. This approach works best for papers but it is not ideal for use in essays. The outline for the point-by-point is similar to the previous one; only a difference is observed in the body paragraphs.
Its body paragraphs will include:
- Paragraph 1: Point 1 will state the relationship to subject 1 and the relationship to subject 2.
- Paragraph 2: The second point is the relationship to subject 1 and the relationship to subject 2.
- Paragraph 3: The third evidence of the relationship to subject 1 and the relationship to subject 2.
Using both the outlines you can structure a compare and contrast paper. Choose, one according to your need and think if that makes sense. If you have difficulty making a choice then ask for help from an essay writer.
- Begin with the writing process
With all the time you have invested in the planning process, your work has now become easy. You need to use all those points from the outline and put them into writing.
Begin with an engaging introduction, a well-developed body, and a memorable conclusion. When you write make sure that you are using in-text citations. Maintain the list of references to avoid plagiarism, and readers will take your content as authentic.
FAQs
What are compare and contrast essays?
These essays are like other academic writings and are part of the academic journey. Writers gather information by quoting the similarities and differences between the subjects.
What steps are followed in writing a compare and contrast essay?
Writing this essay is the same as other essays. You just need to organize the information before the writing process. Begin, with an engaging introduction, generate a thesis statement body paragraphs highlighting the similarities and differences and then a conclusion.
What is the structure of these essays?
These essays begin with a thesis statement. This statement highlights the information about the subjects that need to be compared and contrasted and their importance in real-life situations.
What are the best ideas for beginning an essay?
Writers can begin by questioning the readers, narrating a story or scene related to the topic, using a quote, or they can simply begin with the thesis statement directly.
The final comment
Using this detailed guide, writing a compare and contrast essay has become a piece of cake. You will not face any difficulty in crafting your essay. Just choose a topic that interests you. Brainstorm the similarities and differences that you will add. Create an outline for your essay. When you have outlined all the points use the details to write your essay. Proofread it before submission. Moreover, when writing you should add in text citations and maintain a list of references