Compare and Contrast essays are one of the most common essays around. But despite that, many students fail to make good use of the compare and contrast essays. This type of essay can simply be similarities and differences essay— akin to the essays meant for primary school kids. Or it can be an advanced essay writer that goes beyond finding parallels between two subjects and explores their interactions and new light they cast upon their source subject.

A good essay writer will go beyond listing down a summary of characteristics of the subjects, by talking about the dynamics and the interaction of these characteristics. By demonstrating how one subject transforms through the others’ lens.

If you are new to the task of compare/contrast essays, you can always consult an essay writing service or writing tutors to help you guide with the essay process.

Understanding the two subjects

Before listing down the similarities and the differences, you should refresh your memory of the subjects at hand. Doing research on the two subjects separately or side by side is the first step for this essay. Brainstorming using mindmaps can help you come up with various relations between the subjects that you can work with.

Another helpful tip is to write an executive summary of each of the two subjects, after doing your research. The executive summary contains only the important points about the subject. With the executive summary is complete, you have now listed all the salient points from each subject to compare essay writer online .

Methods for structuring the essay

Holistic method

The holistic approach looks at each subject separately. After writing down your thesis according to the topic that you are given, you dive into the related content, in an endless sea of information.

It is useful to write a summary or an assessment of the two subjects one why one. In the first body paragraph, the summary of the first subject will be written. You should make sure to include the strongest points instead of many points while writing the summary.

The same will be done for the second subject in the second paragraph.

After giving the related information to the reader regarding both the subjects, it is then the turn for the final and last body paragraph. Here, you will finally analyze and compare the two subjects and their salient points. They will be discussed such that they contribute to the main thesis statement and the topic.

The structure will be as followed:

• Introduction

• Body paragraph

  • Summary of Subject A

  • Summary of Subject B

  • Comparison of concepts and characteristics of A and B

• Conclusion

Head to Head

In the head to head format, the writer goes forward with the main points of the subjects rather than the broad concepts. These points of comparison will each take a different body paragraph. The beauty of this type of format is that it lets you see one subject in light of the other. Each paragraph will have a topic sentence that will state explicitly the area of comparison and also show how it strengthens the main thesis or the claim of the essay writer free online . Each topic of comparison will lead you to discuss various dynamics between the subjects through the similarities and differences.

The structure will be as followed:

• Introduction

• Body Paragraph

  • Comparison of subject A and B under Topic A

  • Comparison of subject A and B under Topic B

  • Comparison of subject A and B under Topic C

• Conclusion

Final Word

It is important to show the readers the road map in the introductory paragraph, as the method you choose affects the structure, the type of comparison, and the depth of analysis. The conclusion will restate your thesis and the salient points to close the essay.