Essay Topic Hub

Comparison
Essays

9,129+ paper examples, study guides & outlines

9,129 papers
UG & Grad levels
Free to browse
What is Comparison Essays (Examples)?

A comparison essay is an essay that looks at two or more different things and then draws comparisons between the two of them.  A comparison essay may include comparison and contrast elements or may focus strictly on comparing similar elements.  However, it must, by definition, contain at least two distinct things to be compared. 

In the introduction of your comparison essay, you want to interview the things that you want to compare.  The easiest way to do so is with a blanket statement suggesting that the two things are similar.  You can do this by saying that they both fall into the same category or share the same characteristics.  Then, the introduction is a great place to provide an outline of the rest of your comparison essay, previewing how you will demonstrate the two things are similar.  This is particularly important if the two items do not have any obvious similarities. 

The body of your comparison essay is going to focus on further development of the similarities between the items that you are comparing.  If you provided a blueprint of how you were going to show their similarities in your outline, then you want to follow that blueprint in your body paragraph.  For each point of similarity that you make, you want to make sure that you are showing how all of your items have the same qualities.  Furthermore, unless you are specifically writing a comparison/contrast essay, you want to avoid writing about contrast in the body of your essay.  Instead, focus only on how the items are similar.    

As with most academic essays, in the conclusion of your comparison essay you want to provide a mirror of the introduction of that essay.  Reiterate that the items are similar and the reasons you gave to support that assertion.  If their similarities have additional relevance, mention it in the conclusion section.    

9,129 papers
Sort by:
Paper Undergraduate
Internet use and sense of belonging among international students
This work reports a study in which 24 international students were interviewed in a research initiative that seeks to understand how international students adjust to the host culture and specifically how use of the…
Paper Undergraduate
Hedge funds as portfolio supplements for German pension funds
Much attention has been given to hedge funds over the last few years, but the industry itself remains to a large degree, opaque. A lack of clarity and understanding of how these funds work, what they do, and how they…
Paper Undergraduate
A hidden stream and trail behind my workplace
¶ … buildings in the complex where I work. There, you will find a stream that cuts through the land. I find this a remarkable spot in the center of the west side of town because this part of the city is generally very…
Paper Undergraduate
Custodial grandparents and substance abuse in inner-city adolescents
The Effect of Family Structure on the Mental Health and Educational Implications of Adolescents from High-Risk Neighborhoods, with Special Emphasis on Custodial Grandparents.
Paper Undergraduate
Gasoline taxation and Rawlsian ethics in policy design
Ethical Issues in Business and Government Regulation
Paper Undergraduate
Arguments for and against three strikes laws
Three Strikes and You're Out laws have been enacted by more than half of the states in the union. After a criminal has been convicted of three felonies, he is put in prison for life.
Paper Undergraduate
Understanding English idioms: definitions, origins, and learning challenges
An idiom is a phrase that when the words are taken together they have a different meaning from the dictionary definitions of the individual words. This is what makes idioms hard for ESL students and other learners to…
Paper Undergraduate
Alister McGrath's analysis of scientific models, religious myths, and religious models
The best introductory paragraph for such a paper can use the words and perspective of Alister E. Mcgrath, who sees that science and religion (so, from that common front, scientific models and religious myths) both share…
Paper Undergraduate
Cardiac arrest outcomes in hospitals with and without critical care teams
Cardiac Arrests: A Comparison Sutdy of Hospital With and Hospital Without Critical Care Team
Paper Undergraduate
Linguistic dominance and cultural genocide in colonial expansion
Linguistic Politics and the Reinforcement of Social Power Hierarchies