Compare and Contrast Essay

Exploring similarities and differences

 Compare and Contrast Essay
● Compare and Contrast Essays require you to compare and/or contrast two
things, places, or people.
● The purpose is not just to point out similarities and/or differences but also to
persuade, explain, or inform.

E.g. 1) Some people prefer to live in a small town. Others prefer to live in a big city. Both places have
advantages and disadvantages. Which place would you prefer to live in? Use specific reasons and
details to support your answer.

2) Playing computer games and reading: which is the pastime you give preference to and why?
Step 1: Brainstorming Ideas
● Select only 2 subjects: WHAT/ WHO?
● Choose the 2 or 3 most significant points of comparison or contrast to be
utilized throughout the essay.
● Make a list of similarities and/or differences for each point
Brainstorming Ideas Example:
Write an essay comparing and/or contrasting two people, two places or two objects that have
made a favorable impression to you. Be sure to write about your ideas in detail.

=> 2 cars: The Toyota Camry > The Honda Civic

Body Paragraph I. Cost of Maintenance: Mileage, Tune-ups; Oil changes, Average cost of maintenance

Body Paragraph II. Performance: Size, Design, Safety

Body Paragraph III. Comfort: Space, Seats, Cooling and heating

 Practice: Brainstorming (2-3’)
Write an essay comparing and/or contrasting two people, two places or two objects that have made a
favorable impression to you. Be sure to write about your ideas in detail.

● Select only 2 subjects: WHAT/ WHO?

● Choose the 2 or 3 most significant points of comparison or contrast to be utilized throughout the essay.
● Make a list of similarities and/or differences for each point

E.g. 2 cars: The Toyota Camry > The Honda Civic

Body Paragraph I. Cost of Maintenance: Mileage, Tune-ups; Oil changes, Average cost of maintenance

Body Paragraph II. Performance: Size, Design, Safety

Body Paragraph III. Comfort: Space, Seats, Cooling and heating

 Step 2: Writing an Introduction
● Start with a strong hook by introducing an interesting fact about the subjects or by asking
a question regarding the broad topic.

E.g: Most people need some kind of vehicle to get to work.

Or Have you ever thought about any kind of vehicle to get to work?

● Background information: introduce the two subjects that will be discussed.

When I decided to choose a car for my daily commute, I spent hours examining the two
automobiles: the Toyota Camry and the Honda Civic, which attracted my attention on my first visit to a
local showroom.

● The thesis statement: clearly state the features you are going to compare and/or contrast
 Writing the thesis statement
● The thesis statement must clearly state what similarities and differences between subjects will be
discussed.

Bad thesis statements: “They are both somewhat alike and somewhat different.”

Or “I can see some similarities and some differences”.

Good thesis statements: The Toyota Camry is a better car than the Honda Civic in terms of maintenance
cost, performance, and comfort.

“In order to make a decision between the Honda Civic and the Toyota Camry, the following criteria should
be considered: price of the vehicle, average mileage, and price of insurance”.
 Introduction Example
Writing Topic: Write an essay comparing and/or contrasting two people, two places or two objects
that have made a favorable impression to you. Be sure to write about your ideas in detail.

Most people need some kind of vehicle to get to work. When I decided to choose a car for my daily
commute, I spent hours examining the two automobiles: the Toyota Camry and the Honda Civic, which
attracted my attention on my first visit to a local showroom. The Toyota Camry is a better car than the
Honda Civic in terms of maintenance cost, performance, and comfort.

Practice: Write an introduction for the above writing topic.

 Step 3: Organizing Body Paragraphs

1. Point-by-Point Organization: discuss one characteristic at a time for both

subjects. (Better Choice)
2. Subject-by-Subject Organization: examines characteristics about the first
subject and then uses the characteristics in the same order to describe the
second subject.
 Point-by-Point Subject-by-Subject
Body Paragraph I. Cost of Maintenance Body Paragraph I. The Toyota Camry

A. The Toyota Camry - B. The Honda Civic A. Cost of Maintenance

Body Paragraph II. Performance B. Performance

A. The Toyota Camry - B. The Honda Civic C. Comfort

Body Paragraph III. Comfort Body Paragraph II. The Honda Civic

A. The Toyota Camry - B. The Honda Civic A. Cost of Maintenance

B. Performance

C. Comfort
 Step 4: Developing body paragraph (Point-by-Point paragraph example)
Body Paragraph I. Cost of Maintenance (Mileage, Tune-ups; Oil changes, Average cost of maintenance)

A. The Honda Civic - B. The Toyota Camry

The Toyota Camry and the Honda Civic differ in cost of maintenance. The Honda Civic is rather
expensive to maintain. This car gets poor mileage, with 23 miles per gallon on the highway and 18 miles
per gallon in the city. Moreover, it requires the more expensive premium gasoline. In addition, the Honda
Civic needs a tune-up every four months and an oil change every 90 days. The average driver who owns
a Honda Civic must pay approximately $1,400 a year to keep this car running. The Toyota Camry, on the
other hand, is quite economical. It gets an impressive 38 miles per gallon on the highway and 34 in
the city, and unlike the Honda Civic, the Toyota takes the less costly regular gasoline. In addition,
whereas the Honda Civic requires tune-ups and oil changes, the Toyota Camry requires little
maintenance. It needs to be tuned up only every 12 months; the oil needs to be changed only every
four months. In summary, instead of paying $1,400 per year to keep the car running, the owner of a
Toyota Camry spends only $600, which is significantly less.
Compare and Contrast Essay
Language Arts