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During studying in college or university, students usually face different tasks and assignments. Each of them is comparable to real challenges. They seem useless sometimes, but in fact, they help to gain perfect results in life, using skills that were developed in the university. One of the most popular and useful tasks is an essay. And it only sounds easy. It isn’t considered to be something challenging what it goes about sharing your own ideas and thoughts. But the task may be more difficult.
One of the most popular is a compare and contrast essay. What does it mean? During writing it, you’ll figure out which similarities and differences do different subjects have. Such an essay is important for critical and analytical thinking development. It also helps to consider the topics from another point of view, to find new ideas for inspiration, and even to change the mindset.
This type of essay can be comparative when your task is to find something in common between subjects. It can be also contrasted only – in which you look for the differences. And at the same time, there are essays when you need to look for similarities and differences at the same time. They’re pretty challenging but interesting.
We’ve prepared some useful tips that will help you in this way. Let’s start!
10 steps for your perfect compare and contrast essay
1. Decide on the subject of your essay
Before you start writing, you need to understand what it would be about. Choose the theme that you’re interested in, that would help you to prove oneself, your knowledge and skills. You can also use topics that are simple to compare or to oppose.
2. Build the structure
The structure of your text may depend on your university or college requirements. If they don’t limit you, you can choose the number of paragraphs yourself. You should take into account the whole length of your essay because if you’re going to write about 5000 words, you have to add a lot of paragraphs. And the situation changes when it goes about a brief text.
You can also experiment with your structure. The proven option is the following: an introduction, paragraphs about both topics, and a summary. Or you can write about similarities after the introduction, then continue with differences and finish up with a conclusion. While writing, you can modify the structure to make it perfect.
3. Introduction
You can choose any structure but always start with an introduction. It is exactly the section that can grab your readers’ attention and correctly share your ideas.
While writing an essay, it is necessary, to begin with, something interesting and intriguing. It may be a question you will answer later or a fact that is unknown to your audience.
4. Be original
It is recommended to be creative in your paper. Don’t use patterns or standard phrases. They’re outdated and stuffed on edge. Try to find another way to speak with your readers comparing things. Don’t write something like “I’ll tell you about 1 and 2 in my paper”. Ask questions on each subject you have, come up with a creative solution.
5. Humor and facts are always welcome
Thinking about the introduction to your essay, you can provide a general outline of your paper. There are several options:
- Give a historical reference (but be brief!);
- Tell a story;
- Make a joke;
- Add an intriguing statement;
- Grab attention with the well-known name.
6. The body paragraphs
Don’t start to compare without researching. It is a necessary process to learn more about the theme you’re writing about. You need to understand what do these topics have in common, and what can divide them.
We have a useful exercise for you: try to make 2 lists and write all the information available. Obviously, you’ll find a lot of differences with ease. But what about similarities? They are equally important. Do deeper study if needed.
According to the previous step, always think about your readers. If you’ve found interesting information for them, use it in your paper.
7. Conclusion
The next important step is the conclusion. Now you need to summarize your text in a clear fashion. Make an accent on your main ideas you’ve described. Try to avoid verbosity, as this section shouldn’t be too long. Finish up with the main question of your compare and contrast essay now.
8. Proofreading
Even when you are done with writing, the work continues. Now you need to reread your text, get rid of mistakes, both spelling, and grammar. Make sure that your paper answers the main issue and provide enough data. It is also necessary to write the text in one style and format. Check it.
9. Final organization
If you’ve used any references or citations, it is obligatory to organize them in the end. This stage is also about the title page. Make sure your page is prepared according to all requirements and academic standards.
10. Review
Finally, it’s time for a review! Get enough sleep and read your essay again. It may be perfect.
We’ve provided you with several good options to write a compare and contrast essay. You can follow them or you can order a paper and we will do it for you. It is a good option if you don’t feel confident about your own skills. Professional writers can make your studying much easier. We’re always here to help you with this challenging way!