A comparison and contrast essay shows readers how two or more subjects are alike or different. The purpose of a comparison and contrast essay may be to have readers understand the subjects or to help them make a decision.

In comparison and contrast, your main point expresses similarities or differences in your subjects. For example, in the paragraph in “Understand What Comparison and Contrast Are,” Liliana Ramirez contrasts the different ways that her two boyfriends treated her. Her purpose is to help readers understand why one became her “ex.”

Typically, thesis statements in comparison and contrast essays present the central subjects and indicate whether the writer will show similarities, differences, or both.

[Purpose: To contrast educational experiences of her children.]

[Purpose: to help readers decide whether to lease or buy]

To determine your thesis in a comparison and contrast essay, decide whether you want to show similarities, differences, or both. To make this decision, you need to think about what your purpose is — what you want your readers to understand — and what will be meaningful to those readers.