To write an excellent essay, you need to start with selecting two subjects that have enough common features and differences you can compare. Then you need to find at least two or three items to compare. Writing a similar text is an essential skill that will come in handy in the future. Let’s see where to begin.
Preparations
Analyze the topic
Your head may be full of ideas, but if they don’t fit into the given topic, they’re useless. Focus on the subject and underline key phrases.
Determine what type of essay you’re writing
Sometimes everything’s quite simple: you need to compare something with something and maybe create an evaluation model according to specific criteria. In such cases, a simple analysis of the given objects isn’t enough.
Make a list of features you’re going to compare and reread it.
You need to point out the contrasts. And the best way to get started is to make a list of what you’re going to compare. Reread the list in case you missed something. This will also help you determine what will become the basis for your work.
Set the basis for comparison and prepare the thesis
This way you set how exactly you’ll be comparing the objects. Your work must have a specific idea that determines why you decided to compare these two objects. Besides, each essay must come with a thesis. The comparison must emphasize something that explains all the features of the compared objects, and the argument is where this ‘something’ should be reflected.
Creating the text’s structure
First of all, decide how to organize the content. Comparative essays can be arranged in several different ways.
Divide the text into paragraphs
This means that the first paragraph should compare items according to one aspect, and the second should describe another element, and so on. Every second paragraph must be devoted to a particular subject so that the first paragraph reveals one aspect of the subject, and the second – the same aspect of another question. The advantage of such structure is that it allows you to address various issues of objects with greater detail.
Describe one subject in full before switching to another
This means that the first half of the central part should be devoted to the first subject, while the second will fully reveal the second subject.
Writing the essay
Leave the introduction for later.
Start with the central part. Work through all the info you have and see what it tells you. The second stage is the conclusion. Now that you have coped with the most challenging task, the basic idea of your work is seen. Now it’s time for the introduction. You can rephrase your conclusion here.
Write the paragraphs of the central part.
The first sentence of the central part’s paragraph should reveal the idea of the paragraph. The middle section should explain the data you’ve collected, and the last sentence makes a little conclusion based on this information. Be attentive and don’t describe both subjects you have at once. You’ll do this in the final part.
Write a conclusion
When your essay is ready, the readers should get the impression that they learned something new. The ending should cover the brief, necessary information you used in the main part. After that, you draw a more ambitious conclusion. Don’t forget that it must be based on facts, not personal preferences, especially if you need to follow a neutral manner. The last sentence should leave the reader with the feeling that all the ideas expressed in the work are closely related and represent a single whole.
Write an introduction
Begin with some general facts that indicate the similarities of the subjects, and proceed to a more detailed discussion of the work. At the end of the essay, write the key sentence which will indicate the aspects of each subject that you plan to compare.
Check your work
Leave the essay for a couple of hours. When you start proofreading it, watch for inconsistencies and fix them. Do this in two steps. When reading the text for the first time, identify the significant shortcomings and correct them during the second reading. Don’t rush things; it’s better to correct the mistakes one at a time. This way you’ll be sure that you’ve checked everything.
