Compare-and-contrast essays compare two or more subjects. To compare is to examine similarities, while to contrast means to examine contrasts. Both themes are frequently in the same category, yet they differ in movies, universities, vehicles, etc.
Good comparison and contrast articles convey the significance of a core point. A compare-and-contrast essay thesis must compare. Find your essay’s subject and brainstorm an idea.
College and university students often write this style of essay. Professors urge students to apply analytically, compare abilities, and pay attention to comparison issues. This essay style requires observation, analysis, and relevant arguments about a topic.
Comparative essay topics
When picking a topic for your essay, choose themes with few points of comparison (similarities). Too many similarities cause poor contrasts. Instead of a composer and a vocalist, write about two composers.
- Choose a topic you love: You don’t want to encounter something boring. Here are some topic ideas:
- Sort: Compare subjects within a category (like animals, films, or economics) — wild animals to farm animals, Star Wars to Star Trek, private firms to public companies, etc.
- Random Surprising Fact: Find fascinating facts to use as themes. Chickens are descended from dinosaurs.
- Book vs. movie: Unless it’s Blade Runner or Lord of the Rings, the book is usually better than the movie. Compare movies to novels, video games, comics, etc.
Some ideas:
- College vs. distance learning.
- Research vs. creative writing papers. What’s different?
- BA vs. MA distinctions.
- US and UK education system contrasts.
- Library assignments vs. home assignments. Which is best?
- Comparing married and single couples’ behavior.
- EU and ASEAN parallels and differences?
- American vs. Canadian English.
- Internship vs. research paper.
- US colleges vs. EU colleges?
- This research is done by our online essay help expert, Eddie Broke.
Compare and contrast essay introduction: Brainstorm Contrasts
When you have a topic, write a list of similarities and distinctions. First, note the most important details. Then use your imagination to see things differently.
Creating a Venn diagram may help visual learners. Draw two overlapping circles. Compare the overlapped sections. Write differences in the no overlapping area of the circle.
An example: Oranges and apples can be topics. Oranges are tropical fruits with thick peels from India. These orange-only qualities should be in the no overlapping section of the circle. Thin peel, Turkey or Kazakhstan origin, mild to subtropical: apples. Both are fruit, may be juiced, and grow on trees. This basic example shows how the same notion may be extended to other complex issues through comparison and contrast.
Create a 2-column list, one for each subject, and compare the same features for each. This approach makes writing a comparison-contrast paper argument easy since your ideas are arranged.
Avoid merely noting each subject’s distinctions and similarities. Sometimes students get too caught up in comparing and contrasting that their writings seem like shopping lists. Your essay should analyze similarities and differences, your judgments regarding the two themes, and the links between them.
Compare-and-contrast essay outline
Compare-and-contrast articles are fact-heavy. Two outline strategies arrange facts:
- Write a comparison and contrast essay outline block-by-block.
- The first subject’s qualities and details are provided using the block structure. Block finished. The second block follows the same format as the first.
- The point-by-point format lists similarities and differences concurrently. You can record a subject’s trait, and then compare it to another.
Both have advantages and disadvantages
The block style is easy to write since you list both subjects’ material and let the reader compare them. The point-by-point approach forces you to assess the points yourself, making similarities and contrasts more evident to the reader.
Depending on the framework, construct an essay outline. The conventional essay style includes an introduction, three body paragraphs, and a conclusion. If you need to dwell on each issue in more detail, incorporate an extra section to cover the most significant points.
Use transition words and phrases to improve essay flow. They’ll boost your paper’s variety.
You can use similarly, likewise, also, both, just like, similar to, the same as, alike, or to compare to when comparing two subjects. In contrast, in comparison, on the other hand, although, although, to vary from, different to, or unlike.
Show Your Evidence
Any essay, whether compare-and-contrast or psychology, must have evidence-based arguments. Use personal experiences, books, research studies, magazine and newspaper articles, and movies to bolster your case. Comparing college on campus vs. distance-based learning, you may share your experiences as a student and how often students attend class daily. You might also discuss your online class experience to bolster your point.
Last Words
Assignment Help Australia‘s best advice is to have the appropriate mindset when writing a comparison and contrast essay and actively involve the reader in the conversation. If you are interested, your readers will be as well. MyAssignmentHelpAu comparison and contrast essay tips:
- Compare-and-contrast writings need transitions. Try writing transition sentences using the terms in “Compare and Contrast Structure and Outline.”
- Clarify essay concepts. Never presume the reader knows less-common facts.
- Proofread! A lousy grade might stem from several minor faults. Grammar and punctuation matter.
- Have a friend or family member read your essay; they may spot errors.
- Read Also: How to start a research paper.