Comparative Essays

The structure of an essay, especially a comparative essay, often contributes heavily to the clarity of what ensues.  The method students frequently use is that which discusses all of Subject A first and then, in the second half of the essay, discusses all of Subject B.  While this structure is often excellent for descriptive or impressionistic writing, it has serious drawbacks for expository writing which includes the following: it usually results in an essay that breaks structurally into two halves; and it forces the writer into repetition, or it leaves the reader to do the actual work of comparison.  For expository writing, the better structure is normally the alternating pattern, one in which a paragraph with a topic sentence that develops by setting Subject A side-by-side with Subject B; the next paragraph repeats the pattern.  Thus the essay alternates back and forth between the two subjects being compared.  The two patterns can be illustrated with the structural outline pictured below:

The Divided Pattern

I.                    Life in the country

1. Food
2. Work
3. Recreation

II.                 Life in town

1. Food
2. Work
3. Recreation

The Alternating Pattern

I.                    Food

1. In the country
2. In town

II.                 Work

1. In the country
2. In town

III.               Recreation

1. In the country
2. In town