Writing an essay is nerve wracking. Sometimes, it’s hard to know even where to begin. To make your compare and contrast writing flawless, follow a compare and contrast essay outline. Analyze your essay to these compare and contrast examples to ensure you’re on the right track. Compare and contrast essays seem like a no brainer. However, having a template to follow is important. Like every essay, compare and contrast essay templates include an introduction, body, and conclusion. However, the body needs to be focused in a specific way since you are comparing and contrasting two different topics. Set this up in two ways, topic by topic or one subject then the other. In point-by-point, discuss each point for both topics in one paragraph. The other option is to discuss one topic in its entirety then go on to the next topic. See both through compare and contrast essay examples. The book to movie series, Harry Potter, includes several famous and well-known characters. Probably two of the most popular are Harry Potter and Draco Malfoy. While it might seem like these two boys are two sides of a coin, they actually have several similarities in addition to their differences. Explore how to create a fun media compare and contrast example using these popular characters by comparing them in a point-by-point manner.
To read more, just click on the Adobe PDF link below. Click to View & Download PDFAnother common essay topic you find when you first get to college is comparing and contrasting how these two are different. Given your first-hand experience, this can make writing this essay interesting. While it might be hard to see the similarities, the differences between these two are easy. Explore how to write a compare and contrast essay by discussing your points for one topic then the other through this example.
To see more, download the printable PDF. Click to View & Download PDFWriting a compare and contrast essay can seem a little intimidating at first. But, by following a strong format, you’ll have it down to a science in no time. Since you are diving into the deep end of essay writing, check out argumentative essay writing. Get examples and a template to make your writing flawless.
TIP Sheet A compare and contrast essay examines two or more topics (objects, people, or ideas, for example), comparing their similarities and contrasting their differences. You may choose to focus exclusively on comparing, exclusively on contrasting, or on both-or your instructor may direct you to do one or both. First, pick useable subjects and list their characteristics. In fact, their individual characteristics determine whether the subjects are useable. After that, choose a parallel pattern of organization and effective transitions to set your paper above the merely average. 1. Picking a subject 2. Listing characteristics Similarities between my math and English instructors:Both are welcoming and available to students.Both are organized and keep a neat office. Both are knowledgeable and professional. Differences between my math and English instructorsMath teacher listens to classic rock. English teacher listens to jazz.Math teacher drinks Earl Grey tea. English teacher drinks strong black coffee. Math teacher likes to chat about movies. English teacher sticks to business. As you create your list, is it clear why you are comparing and contrasting these two subjects? Do you have a preference for one or the other? If so, make sure you are evaluating each side fairly. A point-by-point list helps you maintain balance. Once you have a list, decide whether there are more similarities or differences between the topics. If there are more similarities, concentrate your paper on comparing. If there are more differences (or if, as in the example above, the differences are simply more interesting), concentrate on contrasting. If there is a balance of similarities and differences, you might concentrate on discussing this balance. 3. Organizing Here is one way to organize the body of this paper, addressing points A, B, and C for each subject. This paper will follow parallel order–A, B, and then C–for each subject: A. Lee's backgroundB. Lee's personality C. Lee's underlying aspirations A. Grant's backgroundB. Grant's personality C. Grant's underlying aspirations However, here is another way to organize the same paper: A. Lee's background B. Lee's personality C. Lee's underlying aspiration For a shorter paper, the above might represent three paragraphs; if you are writing a long paper and have a great deal of information, you may choose to write about each point, A, B, and C, in separate paragraphs for a total of six. However you decide to organize, make sure it is clear why you are examining this subject. You might be able to compare apples and oranges, for example, but why would you? Include any insights or opinions you have gathered. And yes, in general, three is the magic number. While there is no hard-and-fast rule that precludes creating a paper based on two points, or four, or five, a three-point discussion is manageable, especially for complex or abstract subjects. At the same time, a three-point structure helps you avoid oversimplifying, especially when addressing controversial topics in which discussions tend to become polarized–right or wrong, black or white, for or against. Three-point treatments encourage discussion of the middle ground. 4. Signaling transitions
These expressions signal comparison:
Signal words such as these help the reader understand the relationships between your sentences, paragraphs, and ideas. In particular, if you are both comparing and contrasting, signal words help sort out what's what. Second only to effective organization, effective use of these expressions will go a long way toward helping produce a good compare/contrast paper. |