Writing comparison and contrast essays presumes the conduction of comparison between two subjects. A comparative part should display the similarities between the discussed subjects, whereas a contrast part shows the differences. While choosing a topic for comparison/contrast essay, it is necessary to make sure that the chosen subjects are not totally unrelated.

The preparatory stage of writing a comparison and contrast essay includes considering all facts known about each subject. Results of such brainstorming can be summarized in a table, which may look like this:

AirplaneAutomobile

FastSlow

ExpensiveCheap

Hi-techSimple

BoundedMobile

Any distanceLimited distance

Long voyagesEveryday trips

The complete list of differences and similarities will enable an author to formulate the thesis statement that takes into account the identified purpose of the comparison/contrast essay. In case of Airplane/Automobile comparison, the thesis statement might look like this: “Although transportation by airplane is much more expensive than that by automobile, airplane’s ability to cover long distances quickly is a considerable advantage".

Introductory paragraph of a comparison/contrast essay should include the brief description of both subjects finalized by the formulation of a thesis statement. Further organization of an essay is possible in two ways. On the one hand, it is possible to divide the compared subjects and discuss the descriptive details in separated paragraphs. On the other hand, a writer can choose to alternate the discussed subjects from paragraph to paragraph. However, it is necessary to keep in mind that an alternating structure may make an essay look somewhat confused, especially if the compared subjects are poorly related.

Sometimes is a comparison and contrast essay it is possible to provide the reader with a list of the benefits and drawbacks of the things or phenomena that are being compared. When doing so, the writer should not only explain what are the two things or objects and how they are different, but also consider their positive and negative features and state in conclusion which is better (to his opiion) and why.

Body paragraphs should be ended by a conclusion that outlines the identified correlations between two objects and restates the previously formulated thesis statement.