How To Write A Compare And Contrast Essay

How can you deliver a powerful college paper if you don’t now what compare and contrast essay is and how to do it?

Luckily, you are not alone in this situation. We has already helped thousands of students struggling with compare and contrast essays and we can do the same for you. Here is how to write a good compare and contrast essay from the first try!

What Is a Compare and Contrast Essay?

Even if you don’t have any experience with this type of written assignments, a successful approach to writing a compare and contrast essay requires you to start with learning the definition of it.

So what is a compare and contrast essay and what makes it unique compared to other forms of academic writing? A compare and contrast essay is an essay that defines and explores the links between two different ideas, objects, or phenomena.

The links between the objects can concern comparison, or things they have in common, and contrast, or major differences between them. Your job as a writer is to point out those similarities and differences in a specific compare and contrast essay format.

How to Write a Compare and Contrast Essay Outline

After you learn the definition of a compare and contrast essay, you can move on to the next stage in the writing process: creating the outline for compare and contrast essay. You will probably be relieved to know that a compare and contrast essay outline is not that different from a standard essay structure and includes the following chapters:

• Introduction
• Several body paragraphs
• Conclusion

Throughout your life as a student, you have likely worked with this outline more times than you can remember, which is why you shouldn’t have a problem with completing your essay. However, there is one more step left until you can begin drafting your essay, and that’s brainstorming.

When you already have the two objects you need to compare, all you need to do is write down the similarities and differences between them. You can do it in any way you want: with a simple list, with a diagram, or think of another creating way to present those differences.

You will also need to find supporting evidence for your opinion. It will not only allow you to better understand the nature of the two objects, but will also give your essay a polished look and refute the arguments of your potential opponents.

How to Structure a Compare and Contrast Essay

The exact structure of a compare and contrast essay depends on how you choose to compare or contrast your subjects. This section explores how to structure a compare and contrast essay. Keep reading below. 

• Block Method (subject by subject): In this method, you discuss one subject fully before moving to the next. This structure is ideal if you are doing a “lens comparison,” in which you use one item that isn’t your main topic to better comprehend another one. If your paper is short, you can fit all your points about your subjects into one paragraph. However, it’s more likely that you might need several paragraphs per subject.
• Alternating Method (point by point): Here, you discuss one subject’s take on a given dimension before moving to the next subject’s take, followed by a new dimension. This formatting method works best when you wish to emphasize the link between your chosen subjects, or the lack of it.
• Similarities and Differences: In this arrangement, you discuss all the similarities between subjects before moving to the differences, or vice versa. This approach is ideal when you wish to focus on a given similarity or dissimilarity between your subjects. It also works well when building a compelling conclusion about your subjects.

As you can see, this structure of compare and contrast essays differs profoundly from other essay types, like, for example, a discursive essay, which requires you to organize the content by arguments and keep to the well-articulated logical flow. Irrespective of your chosen method, you should consider using topic sentences because paragraphs in these essays can be complex. Therefore, these sentences make ideas flow clearly. 

How to Write a Compare and Contrast Essay

Finally, we move on to the most important section of our guide that explains how to write a compare and contrast essay. After your outline is ready and you have done enough research to fill in the compare and contrast essay structure, here is how to do a compare and contrast essay chapter by chapter.

Introduction

A compare and contrast essay introduction is rarely more than a page long, but students are often wondering: how to start a compare and contrast essay to impress every reader and convince them to carry on reading?

A good way to start your compare and contrast essay is to include a hook: it can be a quote, a fascinating fact, an anecdote from your personal experience, or even a question. Then you need to give some background for your two objects, so that people know what they will be dealing with.

At the end of your introduction, you will need to include a thesis statement. The thesis should point out whether the two objects are more similar or more different than everyone thinks. You will then use other parts of the paper to prove the thesis statement.

Body paragraphs

Each paragraph of the body of your essay should deal with a separate topic and cover either one difference or one similarity between the two objects. Each statement at the beginning of the body paragraph should be backed up by solid evidence.

The evidence can come from different sources, but it needs to be credible and closely connected to the nature of the argument. The number of body paragraphs depends on your academic level and the complexity of the subjects. You can hardly write a good compare and contrast essay with less than 3 body paragraphs, but anything over 6 will probably seem excessive.

Conclusion

A compare and contrast essay conclusion is usually the shortest part of the paper, but it doesn’t make it any less important. In fact, a well-written conclusion is probably the one chapter of your essay your readers will remember for the longest time.

So how to conclude a compare and contrast essay in a way that will make your essay stand out? Instead of just retelling your arguments, you need to first briefly summarize the main points of your essay and then point out why you believe you have thoroughly explained the differences and similarities between the two subjects of your paper.

How to Choose Good Compare and Contrast Essay Topics

You should choose your topics carefully. Here are factors to pay attention to when choosing the best compare and contrast topics.

1. Interests: Select your topic based on your interest and that of your readers so that everyone can be on the same page. 
2. Class Subject: Unless indicated otherwise, choose a topic based on your class subject.
3. Argument Analysis: Analyze every argument carefully and include all the details from the two sides of the divide.
4. Conclusion: Draft a conclusion to summarize both arguments to let readers find the answer they’re seeking.

Choose the topic you wish to present to readers: a contrast, comparison, or both. Below are sample compare-and-contrast topics you can use in future assignments.

1. Using public transport versus personal vehicles: Which option is more efficient?
2. Mandarin vs. Cantonese: How do these Chinese languages differ?
3. Sports cars versus luxurious family cars.
4. Wireless technology wired gadgets: Which option is better?
5. Is it better to work on weekdays or weekends?
6. Becoming a lawyer or an engineer? Which career is more fulfilling?
7. Shipping goods by sea versus shipping them by air: Which method is more efficient?
8. Reading versus listening to audiobooks.
9. Ronaldo versus Messi: Who is the GOAT?
10. Barcelona versus Read Madrid: Which club is better?
11. Taking notes by hand versus typing notes: Which method is more effective?
12. Watching movies at home versus watching a movie in the theaters: Which option gives a better experience?
13. Cooking meals at home versus eating outside: Which option is healthier? 
14. The differences and similarities between legal marriage and traditional marriages.
15. The dissimilarities and similarities between high school diplomas and college degrees.
16. The advantages of having a part-time job in college instead of a freelance job.
17. High school extracurricular activities versus community service volunteering.
18. Comparing the EPL to the Spanish La Liga: Which league is more advanced? 
19. Football versus American football.
20. Walking outside versus eating outside with your spouse in the evening: Which experience is more romantic?

Compare and Contrast Essay Example

Here is an excerpt from a sample compare and contrast paper.

In the last twenty years, consumers have continued to demand more organic foods. These foods have become so popular that consumers are ready to spend more on them than on their inorganic counterparts. The EU market has seen a significant rise in sales, 2022 and 2023 recording an impressive 30% increase (EU Bureau of Statistics, 2024). This increase aligns with the views many European consumers have that organic foods are healthier, tastier, and safer than inorganic ones. By definition, organic foods are those that are cultivated without artificial chemical treatment or treatment by the use of other genetically modified substances, such as antibiotics or hormones.

Closing Remarks 

A compare-and-contrast paper allows you to spot and explain subtle differences between items and hone the skill of categorization. In other words, it lets you explain to readers the differences that exist between items that fall under the same categories. 

We shared insights and guidelines to help you compose this type of essay better. We hope that everything you need to compose great compare and contrast essays is at your fingertips. The ball is in your court to use these guidelines and insights to craft better papers.

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