To "compare" means to explain some things that two items have in common, how they are similar. To "contrast" means to explain some ways that two items are different. Make two main sections, one for reasons the two things are the same, and another for reasons they are different.

Example of a short compare/contrast essay about a frog and a toad Most of the people find it difficult to differentiate a frog from a toad. They normally mix them up. Although they seem so similar in appearance, they certainly have numerous dissimilarities too. Frogs are found in many different shapes, sizes, colors, and textures. Frogs have smooth, wet skin. They live most of the time in or near water. They have different eye colors including brown, silver, green, gold and red along with different shapes and sizes of pupil. Some of the frogs have sticky padding on their feet while others have webbed feet. It is obvious that not even all the frogs have same qualities. Toads too have numerous shapes, sizes, and texture, but they don’t have much variety in color. Toads are chubby and have warty skin. They do spend of their time in water, but they live in moist places like woods, fields and gardens. Their pupils do have different shapes, sizes, and colors, but generally they are egg-shaped, small and black. Usually they have webbed feet. Toads and frogs have the same way to catch and eat food. Both of them use their tongue to and gulp down the prey. But a frog has a crest of very small cone teeth around the upper jaw edge to seize the food, but a toad doesn’t have any teeth at all. They eat almost same foods as frogs like bugs insects, fish, etc. To sum up, frogs and toads do seem similar but they have several different qualities regarding shape, size, color, and texture. So it is crystal clear that people mistake while figuring out the difference between a frog and toad. It is needed that one should learn how a frog differs from a toad.

Format for a compare and contrast essay 1. Introduction Your introduction — like the five-paragraph-essay, should open generally (with a quotation, anecdote, generalization), and lead into the thesis statement. 2. Topic 1 This next portion of your essay (which may consist of one paragraph or several) should cover only the first topic of the comparison and contrast. Compare/Contrast essays take two topics and illustrate how they are similar and dissimilar. Do not mention topic 2 in this first portion. 3. Topic 2 This next portion of your essay (which may also consist of one or more paragraphs) should cover the second of the two topics. Do not discuss Topic 1 in this section. Since you have already gone into great detail about it, you may allude to Topic 1 briefly; however, do not analyze Topic 1 in this section. This portion of the paper is to discuss Topic 2 in great detail. 4. Topics 1 and 2 Together Now that you have analyzed both Topic 1 and Topic 2 independently, now it is time to analyze them together. This section may also be one or several paragraphs. 5. Conclusion The conclusion — like the introduction — should be a generalization of the thesis. This paragraph should express your certainty and absolute knowledge on the subject matter. You should reaffirm your thesis (essentially restate it in new words) and show how you've proven it.

Here are some common compare and contrast topics: Compare and contrast : 1.2 sports 2. 2 restaurants 2.2 hobbies/2 books/2 films2-3 characters in a novel 3.2 points of view about a current issue.

It is ESL teacher jargon. ESL Teachers love to sound smart with their limited knowledge and make students believe they know what they are talking about. Basically, you look at your own answers and those of a classmate. If they are different, try to understand why they are different.