Outline for a compare-contrast essay

by Michelle Nichols
(Pinellas Park, Florida, USA)

Michelle asks: How do I start a comparison and contrast essay outline? What does one look like for the topic of fashion then and now? Linda responds: I'm not going to be able to provide much essay help since you didn't provide the information you were asked to include, Michelle. I think you would find that you'd have better success if you were to follow directions.

The superficial answer to your question is that you write a compare and contrast essay outline just as you do any other outline. You begin with your thesis statement, which is a sentence that expresses the main point you wish to make in your essay.

In one sentence, what do wish to say about the topic of fashion then and now? The point you wish to make is your thesis statement.

Vague words result in fuzzy thinking, so you might begin by thinking of some more precise terms to describe your topic:

• What do you mean by fashion? Are you talking about clothing and accessories? Or are you talking about fashions in home decorating or automotive designs?


• What do you mean by now? Is that the twenty-first century or just the last 24 hours?


• When is then? Last week? Last year? 1950? 1250?

I recommend students use a writing skeleton, which is a kind of sentence outline showing how the writer plans to develop the thesis statement. Click to see a page that gives an example of a writing skeleton for a compare-and-contrast essay. Once you have a writing skeleton, you can expand it using the outline template. A section of the template appears near the top of this page.

If you are not familiar the concept of a thesis statement, you can read previous posts below this one. Almost every student who requests essay help is clueless about what a thesis statement is. Be sure you put your point in a complete sentence. I rewrote your submission so it was a complete sentence, but I'm pretty sure your teacher will expect you to write in complete sentences without help.