Compare and Contrast Essay due 9/12/2017 For English 1
brittneybishop
EssayRequirementsCompareandContrast.docxEssay Requirements
About the Essay in General
This essay is an analysis of what is similar and what is different about the two items in your topic.
Do not overcomplicate your approach to this essay; keep your comparison-contrast analysis simple. Your essay should explain how the two items in your topic are similar and how they are different. That is all that should be involved in your essay's analysis, so do not make any statements about one being superior or inferior to the other.
While working on this essay, keep in mind that the final examination is worth 33% of your final course grade, and it is a five-paragraph essay, so to help you prepare for the final examination, all three of your essays in this course will be in that same five-paragraph essay format. In actuality, from day one of the semester, we are practicing the skills you must demonstrate on the final examination.
About the Thesis Statement
The thesis statement must be the final sentence of the introductory paragraph.
A strong thesis statement simply informs readers that your essay will compare and contrast whatever you have chosen from the list above.
Here is an example of a strong comparison-contrast thesis statement, which you are welcome to use on your essay after revising the focus to reflect your topic instead of The Green Lantern and Batman: The purpose of this paper is to compare and contrast The Green Lantern and Batman. Obviously, the example is quite simple, and your thesis should be too.
About the Paragraphs
Your introductory paragraph should introduce your topic without engaging in any comparisons or contrasts, and its final sentence must be the thesis statement; the three body paragraphs are where the comparing and contrasting should take place. The conclusion paragraph should tie everything together.
Regarding the proper length of paragraphs, at a bare minimum, each paragraph must take up at least five lines on the page, not necessarily five sentences but five lines.
Other Important Points
Remember to title your essay, but do not use the name of this assignment. In other words, no part of your essay's title should read "Essay 1," or "Comparison-Contrast Essay," or anything of the like.
Do not use humor in your title or in any other part of your essay. Academic essays are formal business.
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Do Not Use Works Cited Pages; Instead, Pay Attributions to Sources as Explained Below Do not use a works cited page, footnotes, endnotes, or anything along similar lines. Even so, to avoid plagiarism, you must pay attributions to sources by using quotation marks around words that are not your own. Sometimes, you may have to read sources on the Internet so that you can learn more about your essay's topic. Even if you already know quite a bit about your topic, and you are sure about facts and claims in your essay, you cannot include that information unless you have supporting evidence. For example, if your essay is about cell phones, and you know that iPhones are faster than Andriods, you must find a website that makes the same claim, and then you would document that source in your essay in two simple steps: 1. Introduce your fact or claim by paying an attribution to the website 2. Follow the attribution with a direct quotation or a paraphrase from the website. In your essay, it would look like this: The website CNN.com reports that "iPhones are faster than Androids." Definition of a direct quotation: you repeat the exact wording from a website, book, or any other source, and these words must go inside quotation marks, or you will have plagiarized. Definition of a paraphrase: to reword a passage from a website, book, or any other source. Importantly, you cannot change only some words when paraphrasing; you must put the original wording completely into your own words, or you will have plagiarized. If you are in doubt, use a direct quotation instead of a paraphrase. Although you are not required to use quotations in your essay, you may make claims that require supporting evidence, in which case you would need to use quotations. In these cases, use only one or two very short quotations that total no more than fourty or fifty words. I want to read your writing, not the writing of others. Generally speaking, the quotations in your essay should reflect no more than 10% in the TurnItIn.com originality report. Using too much quoted matter could have a negative impact on the grade your essay can receive. |
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Grammar, Punctuation, and General Writing Skills Understand that grammar and punctuation are very important factors that determine the grade your essay can receive. Sentence fragments or run-on sentences have a negative impact on the grade your essay can receive. |
