Learn How to Start a Compare and Contrast Essay

A compare and contrast essay is one of those few chances that students get to exercise and sharpen their ability to think and look at things critically and analytically. It also allows them to express their critical thinking in a written form that is well-structured and orderly. Additionally, such essays let students examine and view things with a new perspective based on the way those objects or ideas are similar or differ. But before you engage these skills, you ought to know how to approach and begin a compare and contrast essay. This article will share with you all the tips, tricks, and ideas on starting a compare and contrast essay. What is a compare and contrast essay? But before delving deep into the details of how to start these essays, we need to get the definition of this type of paper. When you get a concise understanding of this type of essay assignment, it will be easier for you to move forward with understanding how best to commence the essay. In simple language, a compare and contrast essay is a paper that picks two different ideas, persons, or objects that are related to or are dissimilar to each other so as to examine their similarities, differences, or both. A great compare and contrast essay should achieve one or some of these results: Clarify things by making it easy for people to understand them Allow readers to know what they didn’t know before Tell the reader that a particular object is better than the other Produce a fresh way of viewing a matter Produce a fact-supported argument Brainstorming your topic After understanding the definition of a compare and contrast essay, you should look at how best you need to brainstorm your topic. After getting the topic you need to write about, sit down with it and let facts and ideas settle down inside your mind in a clear way. This process of musing over these ideas so that you can clearly develop what to write about is called brainstorming. What is similar or different? Since your essay will be comparing and contrasting two ideas or objects, start your brainstorming by looking at how the two objects differ and are similar. Give it a journalistic taste Additionally, you also use a journalistic angle to get all the facts you need on the objects under comparison and contrast. This approach is best suited if you are comparing or contrasting past events. This way, you will be able to answer the simple question, â€Å"Who did what where, why, when, and how?† This technique will show who caused an action or actions, the dates, the venue, the motives, and the methods they used to do that. Assess the adequacy of your material After researching your topic, it is necessary to critically look at your materials to establish if they are sufficient to give you an easy writing time. If you determine the material is insufficient, you have to do extra research to fill the deficit. This way, you will ensure that you don’t begin your essay only to run out of ideas. You may also decide to consult your lecturer to assist you to fill up your research material deficit. Creating an outline After you are done with your brainstorming, you ought to draft a compare and contrast essay outline to guide you through the process of structuring your ideas and materials. A good outline will give you a clear guidepost to where you should go as you organize your materials. Your outline will also enable you to present your ideas logically from the introduction to the conclusion. Writing an introduction Understanding the best way to draft a compare and contrast essay introduction will set the ball rolling. Your introductory section will orient the reader into what you are going to discuss in the essay. The following are the components you will include in your introduction: Your primary topic Your primary topic allows you to provide your reader with the first hint of what lies ahead. This component should serve as a hook to take and maintain your reader on board. The objects of your comparison and contrasting After orienting your readers into your topic, show them which particular objects or ideas you will be comparing and contrasting. Your thesis Your thesis statement needs to come at the end of your introduction. It gives your readers an idea of the position you have taken on the topic and how you will defend it throughout the essay. Twin tips to draft your introduction The following tips will make your introduction more forceful. When to write your introduction In as much as the introduction of your essay is critical, it is also important to know when to write it. The reason here is that though it is your essay’s beginning point, it is not a must to write it first because it acts as a summarized introduction to what you intend to discuss in your essay. You should write is last after drafting the ideas you need to summarize. This way, you will not forget to capture any necessary idea because you will have already captured everything in the body paragraphs. Write authoritatively Your introductory section is an access to your assignment hence you should stamp your authority to win the confidence of your audience. By writing authoritatively, keep off apologies that make you look â€Å"humble† at the cost of maintaining confidence in your ideas. Parting shot Understanding the techniques of starting compare and contrast essays is key to drafting papers that will fetch you better grades. This article has shown you the best ways to achieve all that and has also left you with the personal responsibility of optimizing these ideas to sharpen your skills. But if you face inconveniencing life challenges, you can rely on the all-round essay writing help that your-writers.net offers. Contact us today for all your essay writing needs.