What Is A Compare And Contrast Essay Definition?

by | Last updated on January 24, 2024

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A compare and contrast essay examines two or more topics

(objects, people, or ideas, for example), comparing their similarities and contrasting their differences

. You may choose to focus exclusively on comparing, exclusively on contrasting, or on both-or your instructor may direct you to do one or both.

How do you write a compare and contrast essay?

  • Research the two topics you have been given. Look for the similarities and differences, and make notes. …
  • Put together your thesis. Are your two topics similar, or more different than you thought? …
  • Write an essay outline. …
  • Write your essay. …
  • Proofread and edit.

What is a compare and contrast definition?

Definition: /contrast

normally analyzes two or more things, using an established logical system

. Description: Comparing things is examining them for their similarities; whereas contrasting them is looking for their differences.

What is comparison and contrast with example?

Generally speaking,

comparing is showing the similarities

, and contrasting is showing differences between two things that are related in some way. For example, you wouldn't compare/contrast reading a book to driving a car, but you would compare reading a book to reading with an e-reader.

What is a comparison essay?

What Is a Comparison Essay? In a comparison essay,

you can compare ideas, people, different times in history

—any two items that are related in some way. You can focus on the similarities between the two items, on the differences, or on both the similarities and the differences.

What is another word for compare and contrast?

The words

collate

and contrast are common synonyms of compare.

Why do we use compare and contrast?

Compare & Contrast acts

as a practical and easy-to-use introduction to higher-order thinking

. Compare & Contrast improves comprehension by highlighting important details, making abstract ideas more concrete, and reducing the confusion between related concepts (think meiosis versus mitosis).

How do you start a compare and contrast introduction?

The best introductions start

with a hook

—such as a rhetorical question or a bold statement. After your hook, introduce the subjects that you will examine in your essay. Your thesis statement should come at the end of the introduction.

How do you start a compare and contrast paragraph?

Paragraph 1: The opening sentence names the two subjects and states that they are

very similar

, very different or have many important (or interesting) similarities and differences. Continue discussing similarities only using compare-contrast cue words such as “like,” “similar to” and “also,” for each comparison.

What is a comparison essay examples?

For example,

Red Delicious apples are sweet

, while Granny Smiths are tart and acidic. … For a comparison essay, you likely would not choose two apples or two oranges because they share so many of the same properties already. Rather, you might try to compare how apples and oranges are quite similar.

What do you mean by contrast?

1 :

something that is different from another Today's weather is quite

a contrast to yesterday's. 2 : difference or the amount of difference (as in color or brightness) between parts a photo with good contrast. 3 : difference or amount of difference between related or similar things the contrast between summer and …

What are examples of comparison?

The definition of a comparison is the act of finding out the differences and similarities between two or more people or things. An example of comparison is

tasting different years of pinot noir wine back to back and discussing their differences

.

What are some good comparison and contrast topics?

  • Paying for college or getting a scholarship.
  • Life in high school vs life in college.
  • Online tuitions or home tuitions.
  • Getting a college degree or getting a job.
  • Working in college vs freelancing in college.
  • Spending money on education vs spending money on fun.

How do you write a comparison essay?

  1. Read the topic carefully. Make sure that you understand exactly what the topic is asking you to do. …
  2. Give roughly equal weight to each text. …
  3. Choose your preferred structure. …
  4. Focus on differences as well as similarities. …
  5. Use linking words and phrases. …
  6. Explore a range of elements.

How do you compare two stories in an essay?

To compare two stories, we need to consider

their similarities and differences pertaining to main ideas, themes, tone

, characters, greater contributions, inspirations, opinions, etc.

What is example of contrast?

Contrast often means

“opposite

”: for example, black is the opposite of white, and so there's a contrast between black ink and white paper. But contrast can also happen when the two things are just very different. For example, cats and dogs are definitely a contrast, but they're not opposites.

Rachel Ostrander
Author
Rachel Ostrander
Rachel is a career coach and HR consultant with over 5 years of experience working with job seekers and employers. She holds a degree in human resources management and has worked with leading companies such as Google and Amazon. Rachel is passionate about helping people find fulfilling careers and providing practical advice for navigating the job market.