(Block) Comparison/Contrast Essay

-Write a comparison/contrast (topic to topic) essay from personal experience. Be sure that the comparison is the subject of your thesis. And that one comparison is the subject of the first body paragraph and the other comparison is the subject of the second body paragraph. Also remember that the fourth paragraph is an item to item comparison of the two subjects. See the student essays for the comparison/contrast essay.
€“Expect your essay to contain only four paragraphs: Introduction (A), two body paragraphs (B & C) ) and a conclusion that is an item to item paragraph (D). Keep in mind that the first paragraph (A) is the introduction. The second paragraph is known as the first body paragraph (B). The third essay paragraph is known as the second body paragraph (C). The fourth paragraph (D), which is the last one, is the conclusion. This may sound confusing, but it really shouldn’t be. The organization is exactly like the graphic on page page 48 in the text except the third body paragraph has been eliminated.

In the thesis (paragraph A) of the topic to topic comparison/contrast essay essay, you will use a comparison /contrast sentence as the thesis comparing your two subjects. For instance you might use I’m happier in my present job than my old one. This thesis, of course, should be the last sentence of the introductory paragraph A. For the first body paragraph (B), you write all about the present job, using a summary sentence as the topic sentence written appropriately. In the second body paragraph (C), you write all about your other job, using a summary sentence for your topic sentence that uses a transition as an introductory contrasting phrase (see pages CCC #276 rev 68-71). A summary sentence (topic sentence) is a sentence that sums up the paragraph. Keep in mind that you still must meet the criteria for a topic sentence: A simple sentence with one controlling idea. The controlling idea is the verb and what come after it (do not write a subordinate clause after the verb). To repeat: remember that subordinate clauses should not come after the controlling idea.

You need to be sequential in the items you present in the body paragraph (B) with those items you present in body paragraph (C). For instance, if you start out writing about hair, skates, shoes in paragraph B, then you need to keep that same sequence (hair, skates, and shoes) in paragraph C, not skates, shoes, hair. I will be looking for a transition tthat leads the paragraph (C).

What makes writing this essay difficult is the fourth (4) paragraph (D), which is the conclusion. The conclusion isn’t a summary paragraph of the essay that you are used to writing, but it is an item-item paragraph of both body paragraphs (B & C) (see the item to item . You will compare paragraph B to paragraph C in the item to item format (see text for item to item essay, page 99, last para. & page100). Note the item to item content is only for the conclusion paragraph in the topic to topic essay (pages 68-71). To show that you’re beginning a comparison in the conclusion paragraph, begin the paragraph with a comparison-type transition for both subjects in paragraph B & C. See the topic-topic student essay in the text (pages 408 -439). I will be looking for transitions that compare one item with the other items in the item to item conclusion. Be sure that you review (study) the topic to topic student essays in your text, page 408-439, and to remember remember that the thesis is the last sentence of the introduction. The topic sentence is first sentence of the two body paragraphs.