It can be sometimes tricky to develop compare and contrast essays. These essays are developed on the basis of facts that needs to be valid. You need to take two subjects here and find out all the seminaries and differences between them.
Purpose of the Compare and Contrast Essay
- To find out which of the two essays is better.
- To clarify some of the common misunderstandings.
- To open new perspectives on the same topic but in a different way.
- To use a set of reliable sources in support of each claim.
A right compare and contrast essay template can be used to develop a highly professional essay. There are two methods to structure a compare and contrast essay. The first one is the point-by-point method, and the second one is the block method.
Both of these methods are different, but there are some areas that are common for both of them. The following section mentions some of them.
Introduction
Like any other type of essay, even the compare and contrast essay needs a strong introduction. Here are some of the things that you cannot miss in an introduction.
- The main topic
- Subjects that need to be compared
- Thesis statement
Body
The body section of the compare and contrast essay depends on the topics that need to be discussed. For this, you need to decide the title of each paragraph. This will help you to set a clear direction for the research.
Conclusion
A conclusion makes a compare and contrast essay complete. This can also be said as one of the simplest parts of the compare and contrast essay, as it mentions only the summary of the essay.
Now that you have understood the basic structure of this essay let us understand the different types of essays and how to write them.
Point by Point Essay
Subjects of the point-by-point essay are very similar to each other. Here the writer has to evaluate only some criteria at the time of comparison. In this format, you only need to highlight the criteria that need to be compared and presented for evaluation. All the facts should be mentioned using bullet points. Further, the entire paper must be divided into different segments, as mentioned below.
Introduction
This section must introduce the main topic. It should mention the specific subjects and the topics that you need to compare. Statements of the thesis should also be mentioned in this section.
Body Paragraph
The first paragraph should mention the primary criteria of discussion. Here you need to mention the details of the subject.
The second paragraph should mention the second criteria of discussion regarding the comparing and contrasting of the essays.
Conclusion
This is the last section of the essay that mentions the overall summary of the topic and the significance of each subject.
Block Method of Compared Analysis
The block method of compare and contrast essay also follows a specific format and structure. But, this type of essay follows a different format than the others. Here, instead of separating each category for the task of comparison, a set of block paragraphs are used to make a list of the similarities and differences. You can also use the different paragraphs to list the features of subjects individually.
The entire structure of the essay is divided into introduction, body, and conclusion paragraphs and follows the format mentioned in the above section.
General tips for writing a Good Compare and Contrast Essay
- Transitions in the entire document must be smooth and powerful. The overall flow of the document must be good so that the reader never loses interest in reading it.
- The entire paper must be developed in such a manner that good evidence is presented to develop powerful arguments.
- All the concepts and facts must be clarified in the essay so that the reader is convinced that the comparison made is correct.
- Towards the end, it is important that you proofread all you have written. This will help you to remove any issues and make the overall content fit for the essay.
Now you must have a complete idea about what the compare and contrast essays are and their types. You also know what things you need to keep in mind to make them of the highest quality and help you score high.