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Being a student means not only partying 24/7, but it also means working hard on projects, studying a lot to actually learn something, and writing term papers. A lot of assignments, such as personal statement writing, research papers, and one of the types that are widely popular is the compare and contrast essay. It is also among the most confusing ones. To put it simply, compare and contrast format, which is also sometimes referred to as contrast comparison essay, is used to research, explore, and evaluate both similarities and differences of the things that belong to one category, possess similarities, differences, or both. This guide offers a concise compare-and-contrast essay outline that will help you to put your ideas most logically.
If you find yourself feeling overwhelmed and need help, you can always turn to online essay help services to get the guidance you need.
How to Choose the Approach for Compare and Contrast Essay Outline?
There are two commonly used organizational patterns of compare and contrast paper: point-by-point outline and block pattern. How to know which one to use? Point-by-point outline follows the principle of organization by criteria, whereas the block pattern is organized by item. When choosing the correct outline for compare and contrast essay format, one should keep several things in mind. Ask yourself: are the items or concepts similar, different, or have a bit of both? Below is a scheme to follow depending on your answer.
Want to Create a Point-by-Point Outline for Your Essay?
The point-by-point pattern works better for items that are rather similar, and we evaluate them against the particular criteria (1 criterion -1 point). Each point will have a name of the criteria (thesis statement), a paragraph about one item, and a paragraph about the other one regarding this criterion. Here you can see our compare and contrast essay outline template. Let’s say, we need to write about 2 smartphones of different manufacturers. In this case, the criteria could be price, onboard memory, number of sim-card slots, camera characteristics, operational system, etc.
Structurally compare and contrast essay outline example, it will look like this:
What’s the Block Pattern Essay?
When the items/things/people discussed are different, the organization by criteria won’t work well. In this case, choose a block pattern for your comparative analysis essay. Each body paragraph (block) will discuss the peculiarities of one item, which will make your text easier to read. Have a look at the block pattern outline.
Introduction (specific topic, main thesis statement)
Part 1 / Item 1 (topic sentence)
- Detail 1
- Detail 2
- Detail 3...
Part 2 / Item 2 (topic sentence)
- Detail 1
- Detail 2
- Detail 3...
(if needed) Part 3 / Item 3 (topic sentence)
- Detail 1
- Detail 2
- Detail 3...
Conclusion (summary, opinion, or solution (if needed) based on the provided information)
How to Structure Compare and Contrast Essay?
Now that you have two organizational patterns and a variety of compare and contrast essay topics to choose from, what should be stated in each part of the compare and contrast essay? Typically, any paper has an introduction, the main body (with 3-5 paragraphs), and a conclusion. Let’s see the breakdown for each of them.
This is the lead-in part of your compare and contrast essay outline. Here you should include an intro to the topic, the items that you are going to evaluate, and the thesis statement aka the main idea of why you are writing this paper. We recommend dealing with it after you’re done with the whole paper so you’ll be able to keep it short, simple, and more engaging.
Comparison and Contrast Essay Paragraphs
Depending on the structure, you might write a compare and contrast essay in a different way but you’ll always have some similarities/differences to discuss. We mention similarities in comparison paragraphs, we mention differences in contrast paragraphs. Don’t forget to use transition words as they will arrange your text in an easily readable way.
How to compare Paragraphs?
If you need to explore similarities of several items, you are comparing them according to particular criteria. Take the mentioned mobile phone example. What is similar to those models? They might have the same display characteristics, or OS, or features. This is the part where you deal with them, so think of it as of a comparative essay part.
Don't forget you may always opt to pay for essays to help you compare and contrast the items, and determine their similarities and differences. Doing this will help you make a comprehensive analysis of the items in question.
How to contrast paragraphs?
This part of the contrast essay revolves around the differences between the discussed items/people. Same smartphone example. You can mention the different OS platforms and provide the best argument for particular needs. Or if any has more onboard memory, how this difference can impact the functionality or user experience. Whatever point you’d like to discuss, always opt for explaining their importance with regard to the items, and use connectors or compare and contrast transition words for an easy flow.
Finishing a compare and contrast essay
So you’re officially done with all body paragraphs, now it’s conclusion time. Summarize in 3-6 sentences the whole point of your work, briefly mention similarities/differences, and write your opinion or provide the solution to the topic. Remember, this part should be connected to your main thesis from the introduction, not contradict it.
A compare and contrast essay is a kind of essay in which you, well, compare and contrast certain concepts or ideas, find similarities and differences between them, and make conclusions on your findings. But before you start writing, you need to make a proper compare-contrast essay outline for your paper, and here are a couple of ideas on how to make it right.
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Point-by-point Outline
As simple as it sounds, this is an outline in which you move from one point to another in a straightforward sequence. This is the most popular type of outline among the essay for sale writers as it allows for a clear and precise depiction of each point, so you might want to check PapersOwl outlines. This is a rather effective strategy for putting together your paper. -
Comparison and Contrast Paragraphs
Here, each paragraph of your paper describes two or more sides of a particular concept giving the readers a quick and straightforward comparison of those viewpoints. This is also an effective strategy, but it only works with simple concepts where you don’t need to go too deep into details. -
Finishing Your Paper
Each compare and contrast paper needs to end with a conclusive paragraph in which you give the audience a sense of enclosure. Tell your readers about what you have found, what aspects of the concept you’ve touched, and which ideas seem more relevant. This will help your readers realize which of those is better.
