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• Comparing and contrasting in an essay | Tips & examples

Comparing and Contrasting in an Essay | Tips & Examples

Published on August 6, 2020 by Jack Caulfield . Revised on July 23, 2023.

Comparing and contrasting is an important skill in academic writing . It involves taking two or more subjects and analyzing the differences and similarities between them.

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Table of contents

When should i compare and contrast, making effective comparisons, comparing and contrasting as a brainstorming tool, structuring your comparisons, other interesting articles, frequently asked questions about comparing and contrasting.

Many assignments will invite you to make comparisons quite explicitly, as in these prompts.

• Compare the treatment of the theme of beauty in the poetry of William Wordsworth and John Keats.
• Compare and contrast in-class and distance learning. What are the advantages and disadvantages of each approach?

Some other prompts may not directly ask you to compare and contrast, but present you with a topic where comparing and contrasting could be a good approach.

One way to approach this essay might be to contrast the situation before the Great Depression with the situation during it, to highlight how large a difference it made.

Comparing and contrasting is also used in all kinds of academic contexts where it’s not explicitly prompted. For example, a literature review involves comparing and contrasting different studies on your topic, and an argumentative essay may involve weighing up the pros and cons of different arguments.

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As the name suggests, comparing and contrasting is about identifying both similarities and differences. You might focus on contrasting quite different subjects or comparing subjects with a lot in common—but there must be some grounds for comparison in the first place.

For example, you might contrast French society before and after the French Revolution; you’d likely find many differences, but there would be a valid basis for comparison. However, if you contrasted pre-revolutionary France with Han-dynasty China, your reader might wonder why you chose to compare these two societies.

This is why it’s important to clarify the point of your comparisons by writing a focused thesis statement . Every element of an essay should serve your central argument in some way. Consider what you’re trying to accomplish with any comparisons you make, and be sure to make this clear to the reader.

Comparing and contrasting can be a useful tool to help organize your thoughts before you begin writing any type of academic text. You might use it to compare different theories and approaches you’ve encountered in your preliminary research, for example.

Let’s say your research involves the competing psychological approaches of behaviorism and cognitive psychology. You might make a table to summarize the key differences between them.

Or say you’re writing about the major global conflicts of the twentieth century. You might visualize the key similarities and differences in a Venn diagram.

These visualizations wouldn’t make it into your actual writing, so they don’t have to be very formal in terms of phrasing or presentation. The point of comparing and contrasting at this stage is to help you organize and shape your ideas to aid you in structuring your arguments.

When comparing and contrasting in an essay, there are two main ways to structure your comparisons: the alternating method and the block method.

The alternating method

In the alternating method, you structure your text according to what aspect you’re comparing. You cover both your subjects side by side in terms of a specific point of comparison. Your text is structured like this:

Mouse over the example paragraph below to see how this approach works.

One challenge teachers face is identifying and assisting students who are struggling without disrupting the rest of the class. In a traditional classroom environment, the teacher can easily identify when a student is struggling based on their demeanor in class or simply by regularly checking on students during exercises. They can then offer assistance quietly during the exercise or discuss it further after class. Meanwhile, in a Zoom-based class, the lack of physical presence makes it more difficult to pay attention to individual students’ responses and notice frustrations, and there is less flexibility to speak with students privately to offer assistance. In this case, therefore, the traditional classroom environment holds the advantage, although it appears likely that aiding students in a virtual classroom environment will become easier as the technology, and teachers’ familiarity with it, improves.

The block method

In the block method, you cover each of the overall subjects you’re comparing in a block. You say everything you have to say about your first subject, then discuss your second subject, making comparisons and contrasts back to the things you’ve already said about the first. Your text is structured like this:

• Point of comparison A
• Point of comparison B

The most commonly cited advantage of distance learning is the flexibility and accessibility it offers. Rather than being required to travel to a specific location every week (and to live near enough to feasibly do so), students can participate from anywhere with an internet connection. This allows not only for a wider geographical spread of students but for the possibility of studying while travelling. However, distance learning presents its own accessibility challenges; not all students have a stable internet connection and a computer or other device with which to participate in online classes, and less technologically literate students and teachers may struggle with the technical aspects of class participation. Furthermore, discomfort and distractions can hinder an individual student’s ability to engage with the class from home, creating divergent learning experiences for different students. Distance learning, then, seems to improve accessibility in some ways while representing a step backwards in others.

Note that these two methods can be combined; these two example paragraphs could both be part of the same essay, but it’s wise to use an essay outline to plan out which approach you’re taking in each paragraph.

If you want to know more about AI tools , college essays , or fallacies make sure to check out some of our other articles with explanations and examples or go directly to our tools!

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• Write a College Essay
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Some essay prompts include the keywords “compare” and/or “contrast.” In these cases, an essay structured around comparing and contrasting is the appropriate response.

Comparing and contrasting is also a useful approach in all kinds of academic writing : You might compare different studies in a literature review , weigh up different arguments in an argumentative essay , or consider different theoretical approaches in a theoretical framework .

Your subjects might be very different or quite similar, but it’s important that there be meaningful grounds for comparison . You can probably describe many differences between a cat and a bicycle, but there isn’t really any connection between them to justify the comparison.

You’ll have to write a thesis statement explaining the central point you want to make in your essay , so be sure to know in advance what connects your subjects and makes them worth comparing.

Comparisons in essays are generally structured in one of two ways:

• The alternating method, where you compare your subjects side by side according to one specific aspect at a time.
• The block method, where you cover each subject separately in its entirety.

It’s also possible to combine both methods, for example by writing a full paragraph on each of your topics and then a final paragraph contrasting the two according to a specific metric.

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Comparing and Contrasting

What this handout is about.

This handout will help you first to determine whether a particular assignment is asking for comparison/contrast and then to generate a list of similarities and differences, decide which similarities and differences to focus on, and organize your paper so that it will be clear and effective. It will also explain how you can (and why you should) develop a thesis that goes beyond “Thing A and Thing B are similar in many ways but different in others.”

Introduction

In your career as a student, you’ll encounter many different kinds of writing assignments, each with its own requirements. One of the most common is the comparison/contrast essay, in which you focus on the ways in which certain things or ideas—usually two of them—are similar to (this is the comparison) and/or different from (this is the contrast) one another. By assigning such essays, your instructors are encouraging you to make connections between texts or ideas, engage in critical thinking, and go beyond mere description or summary to generate interesting analysis: when you reflect on similarities and differences, you gain a deeper understanding of the items you are comparing, their relationship to each other, and what is most important about them.

Recognizing comparison/contrast in assignments

Some assignments use words—like compare, contrast, similarities, and differences—that make it easy for you to see that they are asking you to compare and/or contrast. Here are a few hypothetical examples:

• Compare and contrast Frye’s and Bartky’s accounts of oppression.
• Compare WWI to WWII, identifying similarities in the causes, development, and outcomes of the wars.
• Contrast Wordsworth and Coleridge; what are the major differences in their poetry?

Notice that some topics ask only for comparison, others only for contrast, and others for both.

But it’s not always so easy to tell whether an assignment is asking you to include comparison/contrast. And in some cases, comparison/contrast is only part of the essay—you begin by comparing and/or contrasting two or more things and then use what you’ve learned to construct an argument or evaluation. Consider these examples, noticing the language that is used to ask for the comparison/contrast and whether the comparison/contrast is only one part of a larger assignment:

• Choose a particular idea or theme, such as romantic love, death, or nature, and consider how it is treated in two Romantic poems.
• How do the different authors we have studied so far define and describe oppression?
• Compare Frye’s and Bartky’s accounts of oppression. What does each imply about women’s collusion in their own oppression? Which is more accurate?
• In the texts we’ve studied, soldiers who served in different wars offer differing accounts of their experiences and feelings both during and after the fighting. What commonalities are there in these accounts? What factors do you think are responsible for their differences?

You may want to check out our handout on understanding assignments for additional tips.

Using comparison/contrast for all kinds of writing projects

Sometimes you may want to use comparison/contrast techniques in your own pre-writing work to get ideas that you can later use for an argument, even if comparison/contrast isn’t an official requirement for the paper you’re writing. For example, if you wanted to argue that Frye’s account of oppression is better than both de Beauvoir’s and Bartky’s, comparing and contrasting the main arguments of those three authors might help you construct your evaluation—even though the topic may not have asked for comparison/contrast and the lists of similarities and differences you generate may not appear anywhere in the final draft of your paper.

Discovering similarities and differences

Making a Venn diagram or a chart can help you quickly and efficiently compare and contrast two or more things or ideas. To make a Venn diagram, simply draw some overlapping circles, one circle for each item you’re considering. In the central area where they overlap, list the traits the two items have in common. Assign each one of the areas that doesn’t overlap; in those areas, you can list the traits that make the things different. Here’s a very simple example, using two pizza places:

To make a chart, figure out what criteria you want to focus on in comparing the items. Along the left side of the page, list each of the criteria. Across the top, list the names of the items. You should then have a box per item for each criterion; you can fill the boxes in and then survey what you’ve discovered.

Here’s an example, this time using three pizza places:

As you generate points of comparison, consider the purpose and content of the assignment and the focus of the class. What do you think the professor wants you to learn by doing this comparison/contrast? How does it fit with what you have been studying so far and with the other assignments in the course? Are there any clues about what to focus on in the assignment itself?

Here are some general questions about different types of things you might have to compare. These are by no means complete or definitive lists; they’re just here to give you some ideas—you can generate your own questions for these and other types of comparison. You may want to begin by using the questions reporters traditionally ask: Who? What? Where? When? Why? How? If you’re talking about objects, you might also consider general properties like size, shape, color, sound, weight, taste, texture, smell, number, duration, and location.

Two historical periods or events

• When did they occur—do you know the date(s) and duration? What happened or changed during each? Why are they significant?
• What kinds of work did people do? What kinds of relationships did they have? What did they value?
• What kinds of governments were there? Who were important people involved?
• What caused events in these periods, and what consequences did they have later on?

Two ideas or theories

• What are they about?
• Did they originate at some particular time?
• Who created them? Who uses or defends them?
• What is the central focus, claim, or goal of each? What conclusions do they offer?
• How are they applied to situations/people/things/etc.?
• Which seems more plausible to you, and why? How broad is their scope?
• What kind of evidence is usually offered for them?

Two pieces of writing or art

• What are their titles? What do they describe or depict?
• What is their tone or mood? What is their form?
• Who created them? When were they created? Why do you think they were created as they were? What themes do they address?
• Do you think one is of higher quality or greater merit than the other(s)—and if so, why?
• For writing: what plot, characterization, setting, theme, tone, and type of narration are used?
• Where are they from? How old are they? What is the gender, race, class, etc. of each?
• What, if anything, are they known for? Do they have any relationship to each other?
• What are they like? What did/do they do? What do they believe? Why are they interesting?
• What stands out most about each of them?

Deciding what to focus on

By now you have probably generated a huge list of similarities and differences—congratulations! Next you must decide which of them are interesting, important, and relevant enough to be included in your paper. Ask yourself these questions:

• What’s relevant to the assignment?
• What’s relevant to the course?
• What’s interesting and informative?
• What matters to the argument you are going to make?
• What’s basic or central (and needs to be mentioned even if obvious)?
• Overall, what’s more important—the similarities or the differences?

Suppose that you are writing a paper comparing two novels. For most literature classes, the fact that they both use Caslon type (a kind of typeface, like the fonts you may use in your writing) is not going to be relevant, nor is the fact that one of them has a few illustrations and the other has none; literature classes are more likely to focus on subjects like characterization, plot, setting, the writer’s style and intentions, language, central themes, and so forth. However, if you were writing a paper for a class on typesetting or on how illustrations are used to enhance novels, the typeface and presence or absence of illustrations might be absolutely critical to include in your final paper.

Sometimes a particular point of comparison or contrast might be relevant but not terribly revealing or interesting. For example, if you are writing a paper about Wordsworth’s “Tintern Abbey” and Coleridge’s “Frost at Midnight,” pointing out that they both have nature as a central theme is relevant (comparisons of poetry often talk about themes) but not terribly interesting; your class has probably already had many discussions about the Romantic poets’ fondness for nature. Talking about the different ways nature is depicted or the different aspects of nature that are emphasized might be more interesting and show a more sophisticated understanding of the poems.

Your thesis

The thesis of your comparison/contrast paper is very important: it can help you create a focused argument and give your reader a road map so they don’t get lost in the sea of points you are about to make. As in any paper, you will want to replace vague reports of your general topic (for example, “This paper will compare and contrast two pizza places,” or “Pepper’s and Amante are similar in some ways and different in others,” or “Pepper’s and Amante are similar in many ways, but they have one major difference”) with something more detailed and specific. For example, you might say, “Pepper’s and Amante have similar prices and ingredients, but their atmospheres and willingness to deliver set them apart.”

Be careful, though—although this thesis is fairly specific and does propose a simple argument (that atmosphere and delivery make the two pizza places different), your instructor will often be looking for a bit more analysis. In this case, the obvious question is “So what? Why should anyone care that Pepper’s and Amante are different in this way?” One might also wonder why the writer chose those two particular pizza places to compare—why not Papa John’s, Dominos, or Pizza Hut? Again, thinking about the context the class provides may help you answer such questions and make a stronger argument. Here’s a revision of the thesis mentioned earlier:

Pepper’s and Amante both offer a greater variety of ingredients than other Chapel Hill/Carrboro pizza places (and than any of the national chains), but the funky, lively atmosphere at Pepper’s makes it a better place to give visiting friends and family a taste of local culture.

You may find our handout on constructing thesis statements useful at this stage.

Organizing your paper

There are many different ways to organize a comparison/contrast essay. Here are two:

Subject-by-subject

Begin by saying everything you have to say about the first subject you are discussing, then move on and make all the points you want to make about the second subject (and after that, the third, and so on, if you’re comparing/contrasting more than two things). If the paper is short, you might be able to fit all of your points about each item into a single paragraph, but it’s more likely that you’d have several paragraphs per item. Using our pizza place comparison/contrast as an example, after the introduction, you might have a paragraph about the ingredients available at Pepper’s, a paragraph about its location, and a paragraph about its ambience. Then you’d have three similar paragraphs about Amante, followed by your conclusion.

The danger of this subject-by-subject organization is that your paper will simply be a list of points: a certain number of points (in my example, three) about one subject, then a certain number of points about another. This is usually not what college instructors are looking for in a paper—generally they want you to compare or contrast two or more things very directly, rather than just listing the traits the things have and leaving it up to the reader to reflect on how those traits are similar or different and why those similarities or differences matter. Thus, if you use the subject-by-subject form, you will probably want to have a very strong, analytical thesis and at least one body paragraph that ties all of your different points together.

A subject-by-subject structure can be a logical choice if you are writing what is sometimes called a “lens” comparison, in which you use one subject or item (which isn’t really your main topic) to better understand another item (which is). For example, you might be asked to compare a poem you’ve already covered thoroughly in class with one you are reading on your own. It might make sense to give a brief summary of your main ideas about the first poem (this would be your first subject, the “lens”), and then spend most of your paper discussing how those points are similar to or different from your ideas about the second.

Point-by-point

Rather than addressing things one subject at a time, you may wish to talk about one point of comparison at a time. There are two main ways this might play out, depending on how much you have to say about each of the things you are comparing. If you have just a little, you might, in a single paragraph, discuss how a certain point of comparison/contrast relates to all the items you are discussing. For example, I might describe, in one paragraph, what the prices are like at both Pepper’s and Amante; in the next paragraph, I might compare the ingredients available; in a third, I might contrast the atmospheres of the two restaurants.

If I had a bit more to say about the items I was comparing/contrasting, I might devote a whole paragraph to how each point relates to each item. For example, I might have a whole paragraph about the clientele at Pepper’s, followed by a whole paragraph about the clientele at Amante; then I would move on and do two more paragraphs discussing my next point of comparison/contrast—like the ingredients available at each restaurant.

There are no hard and fast rules about organizing a comparison/contrast paper, of course. Just be sure that your reader can easily tell what’s going on! Be aware, too, of the placement of your different points. If you are writing a comparison/contrast in service of an argument, keep in mind that the last point you make is the one you are leaving your reader with. For example, if I am trying to argue that Amante is better than Pepper’s, I should end with a contrast that leaves Amante sounding good, rather than with a point of comparison that I have to admit makes Pepper’s look better. If you’ve decided that the differences between the items you’re comparing/contrasting are most important, you’ll want to end with the differences—and vice versa, if the similarities seem most important to you.

Our handout on organization can help you write good topic sentences and transitions and make sure that you have a good overall structure in place for your paper.

Cue words and other tips

To help your reader keep track of where you are in the comparison/contrast, you’ll want to be sure that your transitions and topic sentences are especially strong. Your thesis should already have given the reader an idea of the points you’ll be making and the organization you’ll be using, but you can help them out with some extra cues. The following words may be helpful to you in signaling your intentions:

• like, similar to, also, unlike, similarly, in the same way, likewise, again, compared to, in contrast, in like manner, contrasted with, on the contrary, however, although, yet, even though, still, but, nevertheless, conversely, at the same time, regardless, despite, while, on the one hand … on the other hand.

For example, you might have a topic sentence like one of these:

• Compared to Pepper’s, Amante is quiet.
• Like Amante, Pepper’s offers fresh garlic as a topping.
• Despite their different locations (downtown Chapel Hill and downtown Carrboro), Pepper’s and Amante are both fairly easy to get to.

You may reproduce it for non-commercial use if you use the entire handout and attribute the source: The Writing Center, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

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Guide to Writing an Analytical Essay

Carla johnson.

• June 13, 2023
• How to Guides

An analytical essay is a type of academic writing in which a complicated topic or idea is broken down into smaller parts, analyzed and looked at, and a well-structured argument or evaluation is given. The main purpose of an analytical essay is to show that the writer has a deep understanding of the topic and can also think critically about it. Analytical essays are important in many fields, such as literature, history, science, and sociology. They require a deep knowledge of the topic and the ability to think critically and objectively about the information given. Analytical essays include things like a literary analysis, a research paper , or an analysis of a piece of rhetoric. Writing an analytical essay is useful because it helps the writer improve their analytical and critical thinking skills. In analytical essays, students must look at and evaluate different sources, find patterns and relationships, and come to meaningful conclusions. When students write analytical essays, they also improve their research skills because they have to find relevant information from multiple sources and put it all together in a logical argument.

Also, analytical essays are important in academic writing because they help students understand ideas, theories, and concepts that are hard to understand. By breaking a topic down into smaller parts, students can better understand it and figure out what the main ideas and themes are. Analytical essays help students get better at writing by making them present their arguments in a way that is clear, concise, and well-organized. Writing an analytical essay is a skill that students need to learn if they want to do well in school and in their careers. For analytical essays, you need to be able to think critically , do research, and write well, all of which are important for success in many fields. By getting better at these skills, students can become better writers and thinkers, which will help them reach their academic and career goals.

What You'll Learn

Understanding the Basics of Analytical Essays

There are a few main things that set an analytical essay apart from other types of essays. One of the most important things about it is that it requires a thorough look at the subject. An analytical essay isn’t just a description of a topic or a point of view. Instead, it calls for a thorough look at the subject, breaking it down into its different parts and evaluating each one carefully.

Argumentative essays try to convince the reader to agree with a certain point of view. Descriptive essays, on the other hand, try to give a detailed description of a topic. Analytical essays, on the other hand, require the writer to look at the topic objectively and judge it, as well as use evidence from different sources to back up their claims. In an analytical essay, you can’t say enough about how important analysis is. Analysis is the process of breaking down big ideas or thoughts into smaller, more manageable pieces. By analyzing the topic, the writer can find the main ideas, patterns, and connections, which can then be used to back up their arguments.

Also, analysis lets the author draw conclusions that make sense based on the evidence given. If there wasn’t any analysis in an analytical essay, it would just be a list of facts and opinions. Analysis is what gives depth and substance to an analytical essay and lets the writer make a well-reasoned, evidence-based argument.

Analytical essays are different from other types of essays because they focus on analysis and evaluation. They require a thorough look at a subject, breaking it down into its different parts and judging each one objectively. Students can get the skills they need to do well in school and in the workplace by learning what makes an analytical essay unique and what role analysis plays in this type of writing.

Choosing a Topic for Your Analytical Essay

It can be hard to decide what to write about in an analytical essay, but there are several ways to come up with ideas. One way to do this is to make a list of possible topics based on your interests, your schoolwork, or what’s going on in the world right now. You can also find possible topics by reading articles, books, or other materials in your field of study. When choosing a topic for your analytical essay, you should think about a few things. First and foremost, the topic must fit with the needs of the course or assignment. It should also be narrow enough to allow for a detailed analysis while still having enough information for research . Also, the topic should be something you’re interested in as a writer. This will make the writing process more interesting and fun.

To help you get started, here are some examples of potential analytical essay topics:

1. The impact of social media on mental health

2. Analyzing the themes of race and identity in Toni Morrison’s “Beloved”

3. The role of technology in modern education

4. An analysis of the effectiveness of the Affordable Care Act

5. Examining the causes and consequences of income inequality in the United States

6. The portrayal of gender roles in Shakespeare’s plays

7. Analyzing the impact of climate change on global food production

8. A critical analysis of the role of the media in shaping public opinion

9. A comparison of different political ideologies and their impact on society

10. An analysis of the ethical implications of gene editing technology.

A topic for an analytical essay must be chosen with care, taking into account several factors such as relevance, scope, and personal interest. By brainstorming ideas, researching different sources, and applying these criteria, you can choose a topic that is both interesting and informative, allowing you to write a well-researched and well-argued analytical essay.

Conducting Research for Your Analytical Essay

In order to write an analytical essay, you need to do research. It lets the writer gather relevant information, find patterns and relationships, and come to conclusions that make sense. If you didn’t do research for your analytical essay, it wouldn’t have much substance or credibility, and the arguments you made would be weak and not backed up. You can gather information for your analytical essay from a number of different places. There are many examples, such as books, academic journals, online databases, government reports, and reputable news sources. When choosing sources, think about how relevant, reliable, and trustworthy they are. Academic sources like peer-reviewed journals and scholarly books are more reliable and credible than popular sources like blogs and social media posts.

To conduct effective research for your analytical essay, here are some tips to keep in mind:

1. Start early: Give yourself plenty of time to conduct research, as it can be a time-consuming process.

2. Use multiple sources: Gather information from a variety of sources to ensure you have a well-rounded understanding of the topic.

3. Take notes: Keep detailed notes on the information you gather, including the source and page number, to make it easier to cite your sources later.

4. Evaluate your sources: Assess the reliability and credibility of your sources, looking for biases or conflicts of interest that may affect the information presented.

5. Organize your research: Create a system for organizing your research, such as using annotated bibliographies or note-taking apps, to keep track of your sources and ideas.

You can conduct effective research for your analytical essay by following these tips, gathering reliable and credible information that supports your arguments and improves the overall quality of your writing.

Developing a Thesis Statement for Your Analytical Essay

A thesis statement is a short sentence that sums up the main argument or point of an essay. It gives the reader a clear idea of where the author stands on the subject and acts as a road map. In an analytical essay, the thesis statement is very important because it sets the tone for the whole essay and shows the writer how to analyze and evaluate the subject . In an analytical essay, you can’t say enough about how important a strong thesis statement is. A well-written thesis statement states the writer’s main point in a clear and concise way, making it easier for the reader to follow the writer’s thought process and understand the purpose of the essay. A strong thesis statement also helps the writer focus their analysis and evaluation, making sure that each paragraph supports the main point and builds on it.

To develop a strong thesis statement for your analytical essay, here are some tips to consider:

1. Start with a question: Ask yourself a question related to your topic and use the answer to develop your thesis statement.

2. Be specific: Your thesis statement should be specific and focused on the main argument of your essay .

3. Use evidence: Support your thesis statement with evidence from your research, such as quotes or statistics, to give it more credibility and strength.

4. Be original: Your thesis statement should be unique and original, providing a fresh perspective on the topic.

5. Revise as needed: As you write your essay , revisit your thesis statement and revise it if necessary to ensure it remains relevant and accurate.

By following these tips, you can develop a strong thesis statement for your analytical essay, providing a clear and concise statement of your main argument and guiding the reader through your analysis and evaluation of the topic.

Analytical Essay Structure

An analytical essay is made up of an introduction, body paragraphs, and a conclusion, just like a regular essay. The purpose of the introduction is to give background on the topic, introduce the thesis statement, and get the reader interested. Through analysis and evaluation of the topic, the body paragraphs should support the thesis statement with evidence and examples . The conclusion should sum up the main points of the essay and restate the thesis statement in a new way that makes sense.

Here is a more detailed breakdown of the structure of an analytical essay:

1. Introduction: The introduction should set the tone for the essay by providing background information on the subject as well as a clear thesis statement. It should also engage the reader and convey the writer’s point of view on the subject.

2. Body paragraphs: The body of the essay should be divided into several paragraphs, each focusing on a different aspect of the topic. Each paragraph should start with a clear topic sentence that supports the thesis statement and then proceed to an analysis and evaluation of the subject matter, using evidence and examples to support the writer’s argument.

3. Conclusion: The conclusion should summarize the essay’s main points and restate the thesis statement in a new and meaningful way. It should also provide the reader with a sense of closure, leaving them with a clear understanding of the writer’s point of view on the subject.

To organize your ideas in an analytical essay, here are some tips to consider:

1. Create an outline: Before you start writing your essay , create an outline that organizes your ideas and supports your thesis statement. This will help you to organize your thoughts and ensure that each paragraph supports the main argument.

2. Use topic sentences: Each paragraph should begin with a clear topic sentence that supports the thesis statement and provides a roadmap for the reader.

3. Use evidence: Use evidence and examples to support each point you make in your essay , ensuring that each paragraph reinforces the main argument.

4. Use transitions: Use transitional phrases and sentences to connect your ideas and ensure that your essay flows smoothly from one paragraph to the next.

By following these tips, you can organize your ideas effectively in an analytical essay, producing a well-structured and well-supported piece of writing.

Writing the Introduction Paragraph

An analytical essay’s introduction paragraph serves as a road map for the reader, providing background information on the topic, introducing the thesis statement, and engaging the reader. The introduction’s purpose is to set the tone for the essay , grab the reader’s attention, and provide a clear understanding of the writer’s viewpoint on the topic.

To write an engaging introduction paragraph for your analytical essay, here are some tips to consider:

1. Start with a hook: Begin your introduction with a hook that captures the reader’s attention and makes them want to keep reading. This could be a surprising statistic, a provocative question, or a striking image.

2. Provide background information: Provide some context for the topic by providing background information and explaining why it is important.

3. Introduce the thesis statement: Clearly state your thesis statement in the introduction, providing a roadmap for the reader and guiding the rest of your essay.

4. Be concise: Keep your introduction concise and to the point, avoiding unnecessary information or tangents.

5. Revise as needed: As you write your essay, revisit your introduction and revise it as needed to ensure that it remains relevant and engaging.

Here are some examples of effective introduction paragraphs for an analytical essay:

1. “Throughout history, the concept of justice has been a subject of debate and controversy. From the ancient Greeks to modern-day philosophers, the definition and application of justice have been explored in depth. In this essay, I will examine the concept of justice in the context of criminal justice reform and argue that a more restorative approach is needed to address the root causes of crime and reduce recidivism.

2. The rise of social media has had a profound impact on our society, transforming the way we communicate, share information, and interact with the world around us. However, this transformation has not been without its challenges. In this essay, I will explore the impact of social media on mental health and argue that we need to take a more proactive approach to addressing the negative effects of social media on our well-being.

3. “Climate change is one of the most pressing issues of our time, affecting everything from the environment to the economy. Despite the overwhelming scientific evidence, there are still those who deny the reality of climate change or refuse to take action. In this essay, I will analyze the reasons for this denial and argue that we need to take urgent action to address the threat of climate change before it’s too late.”

Writing the Body Paragraphs

An analytical essay’s body paragraphs are where the writer presents their analysis and evaluation of the topic. The purpose of the body paragraphs is to provide evidence and examples to support the thesis statement, while using clear and concise language to make the argument as persuasive as possible.

To write clear and concise body paragraphs for your analytical essay, here are some tips to consider:

1. Use topic sentences: Each body paragraph should begin with a clear topic sentence that supports the thesis statement and provides a roadmap for the reader.

2. Provide evidence: Use evidence and examples to support each point you make in your essay , ensuring that each paragraph reinforces the main argument. The evidence should be relevant, reliable, and credible.

3. Use analysis and evaluation: Analyze and evaluate the evidence you present to demonstrate how it supports your argument. This shows the reader that you have thought deeply about the topic and considered multiple perspectives.

4. Be clear and concise: Use clear and concise language to make your argument as persuasive as possible. Avoid using jargon, complex sentences, or overly technical language that may confuse the reader.

5. Use transitions: Use transitional phrases and sentences to connect your ideas smoothly and ensure that your essay flows from one paragraph to the next.

Here are some examples of effective body paragraphs for an analytical essay:

1. The first reason why a restorative approach to criminal justice reform is necessary is that it addresses the root causes of crime. Rather than simply punishing offenders, restorative justice encourages dialogue between the offender and the victim, allowing both parties to understand the harm that has been caused and work together to find a solution. This approach has been shown to reduce recidivism rates and promote healing within communities.”

2. One of the most significant negative effects of social media on mental health is the increase in anxiety and depression. Studies have shown that social media use is associated with feelings of isolation, comparison, and low self-esteem, all of which contribute to poor mental health . In order to address this issue, we need to take a more proactive approach to promoting mental health and well-being, such as limiting social media use, encouraging face-to-face interactions, and providing mental health resources for those in need.

3. One of the main reasons why climate change denial persists is due to the influence of special interest groups and political ideology . These groups use their resources to spread misinformation and discredit the overwhelming scientific consensus on climate change. In order to combat this, we need to prioritize education and awareness, promote scientific literacy, and hold those who spread misinformation accountable for their actions.”

Writing the Conclusion Paragraph

The conclusion paragraph of an analytical essay summarizes the author’s main points and emphasizes the significance of the thesis statement. The conclusion’s goal is to leave a lasting impression on the reader by bringing the essay to a close and reinforcing the main argument .

To write a strong conclusion for your analytical essay, here are some tips to consider:

1. Restate the thesis statement: The conclusion should restate the thesis statement in a new and meaningful way, emphasizing its importance and relevance to the topic.

2. Summarize the main points: Summarize the main points of the essay, highlighting the evidence and examples that support the thesis statement .

3. Provide a final thought: End the essay with a final thought or reflection on the topic, leaving the reader with something to think about or consider.

4. Be concise: Keep the conclusion concise and to the point, avoiding any new information or arguments.

5. Make it memorable: Use language and phrasing that is memorable and impactful, leaving a lasting impression on the reader.

Here are some examples of effective conclusion paragraphs for an analytical essay:

1. “In conclusion, a restorative approach to criminal justice reform is not only necessary but essential. By addressing the root causes of crime, promoting dialogue and understanding, and fostering healing within communities, we can create a more just and equitable society for all.”

2. In order to address the negative effects of social media on mental health , we need to take a more proactive approach to promoting well-being. By limiting social media use, encouraging face-to-face interactions, and providing mental health resources, we can create a healthier and more connected society.

3. “Climate change is one of the most pressing issues of our time, and we must take urgent action to address it. By promoting education and awareness, prioritizing scientific literacy, and holding those who spread misinformation accountable, we can create a more sustainable and equitable future for generations to come.”

Editing and Proofreading Your Analytical Essay

The editing and proofreading stages of the essay writing process are critical. It ensures that the essay is clear, concise, and error-free, improving overall writing quality and the credibility of the arguments presented.

To edit and proofread your analytical essay, here are some tips to consider:

1. Take a break: After completing your essay, take a break before editing and proofreading it. This will allow you to approach the essay with fresh eyes and a clear mind.

2. Read it out loud: Reading the essay out loud can help you to identify awkward phrasing, grammatical errors, and other issues.

3. Be consistent: Ensure that you are consistent in your use of language, formatting, and citation styles throughout the essay.

4. Use a checklist: Use a checklist to ensure that you have addressed all the necessary components of the essay, such as the thesis statement, evidence, and analysis.

5. Get feedback: Ask a friend or colleague to read your essay and provide feedback on areas that need improvement.

Common mistakes to avoid in analytical essays include:

1. Using overly complicated language or jargon that may confuse the reader.

2. Failing to provide evidence or examples to support the thesis statement.

3. Neglecting to address counterarguments or alternative perspectives on the topic.

4. Making unsupported claims or presenting opinions as facts.

5. Failing to proofread and edit the essay thoroughly, leading to grammatical errors and typos.

By following these tips and avoiding common mistakes, you can edit and proofread your analytical essay effectively, producing a well-written and error-free piece of writing.

Analytical Essay Examples

Here are some examples of successful analytical essays:

1. “The Symbolism of the Green Light in The Great Gatsby” by F. Scott Fitzgerald: This essay analyzes the symbolism of the green light in the novel, arguing that it represents Gatsby’s hopes and dreams and his ultimate failure to achieve them.

2. “The Rhetoric of Malcolm X” by Malcolm X: In this essay, Malcolm X analyzes his own rhetorical strategies, explaining how he uses language and persuasion to achieve his goals.

3. “The Role of Women in Shakespeare’s Macbeth” by William Shakespeare: This essay analyzes the role of women in the play, arguing that they are often marginalized and oppressed by the male characters.

Each of these essays follows a clear and well-structured format, with a strong thesis statement, supporting evidence, and a clear conclusion. The writers use analysis and evaluation to present their arguments, using evidence and examples to support their claims.

When using analytical essay examples to improve your writing, here are some tips to consider:

1. Choose examples that are relevant to your topic or subject matter.

2. Read the example essays carefully, paying attention to the structure, language, and evidence used.

3. Identify the thesis statement and main arguments of the essay.

4. Analyze the evidence used to support the arguments, evaluating its relevance and credibility.

5. Consider how the writer uses language and rhetoric to persuade the reader.

6. Use The examples as a guide for structuring your own essay, but be sure to use your own unique ideas and perspective.

7. Practice writing your own analytical essays and seek feedback from others to improve your writing skills.

8. Avoid copying or plagiarizing the example essays, as this can lead to serious academic consequences.

Frequently Asked Questions

1. what is an analytical essay.

An analytical essay is a type of academic writing that requires the writer to analyze and evaluate a specific topic or subject matter. The writer presents an argument or thesis statement and supports it with evidence and examples, using analysis and evaluation to persuade the reader.

2. What are the main characteristics of an analytical essay?

The main characteristics of an analytical essay include:

– A clear and concise thesis statement that presents the writer’s argument

– Use of evidence and examples to support the argument

– Analysis and evaluation of the evidence presented

– Clear and logical structure, with well-developed paragraphs and transitions between them

– Use of formal and academic language

– Objective and impartial tone

3. What are some tips for writing an analytical essay?

Here are some tips for writing an analytical essay:

– Choose a topic that interests you and that you can analyze in depth

– Develop a clear and concise thesis statement that presents your argument

– Use evidence and examples to support your argument, ensuring that they are relevant, reliable, and credible

– Analyze and evaluate the evidence presented, demonstrating your critical thinking skills

– Use a clear and logical structure, with well-developed paragraphs and transitions between them

– Use formal and academic language, avoiding slang and colloquialisms

– Edit and proofread your essay thoroughly, ensuring that it is error-free and well-written.

To summarize, writing an effective analytical essay necessitates a thorough understanding of the subject matter, a well-developed thesis statement, strong evidence and analysis, and a clear and logical structure. To summarize the main points covered in this guide:

– The writer of an analytical essay must analyze and evaluate a specific topic or subject matter.

– A clear thesis statement, evidence and examples to support the argument, analysis and evaluation of the evidence, a clear and logical structure, formal and academic language, and an objective tone are the main characteristics of an analytical essay.

– Choosing a relevant topic, developing a clear thesis statement, using credible evidence and examples, analyzing and evaluating the evidence, using a clear and logical structure, using formal and academic language, and thoroughly editing and proofreading the essay are all tips for writing a successful analytical essay.

An effective analytical essay demonstrates critical thinking skills as well as the ability to analyze and evaluate complex issues. It is an important skill for both academic and professional success.

Finally, practicing writing on a regular basis, seeking feedback from others, and reading and analyzing examples of successful analytical essays can all help you improve your own writing skills.

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How To Write an Analytical Essay

If you enjoy exploring topics deeply and thinking creatively, analytical essays could be perfect for you. They involve thorough analysis and clever writing techniques to gain fresh perspectives and deepen your understanding of the subject. In this article, our expert research paper writer will explain what an analytical essay is, how to structure it effectively and provide practical examples. This guide covers all the essentials for your writing success!

What Is an Analytical Essay

An analytical essay involves analyzing something, such as a book, movie, or idea. It relies on evidence from the text to logically support arguments, avoiding emotional appeals or personal stories. Unlike persuasive essays, which argue for a specific viewpoint, a good analytical essay explores all aspects of the topic, considering different perspectives, dissecting arguments, and evaluating evidence carefully. Ultimately, you'll need to present your own stance based on your analysis, synthesize findings, and decide whether you agree with the conclusions or have your own interpretation.

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How to Structure an Analytical Essay

Crafting an excellent paper starts with clear organization and structuring of arguments. An analytical essay structure follows a simple outline: introduction, body, and conclusion.

Introduction: Begin by grabbing the reader's attention and stating the topic clearly. Provide background information, state the purpose of the paper, and hint at the arguments you'll make. The opening sentence should be engaging, such as a surprising fact or a thought-provoking question. Then, present your thesis, summarizing your stance in the essay.

Body Paragraphs: Each paragraph starts with a clear topic sentence guiding the reader and presents evidence supporting the thesis. Focus on one issue per paragraph and briefly restate the main point at the end to transition smoothly to the next one. This ensures clarity and coherence in your argument.

Conclusion: Restate the thesis, summarize key points from the body paragraphs, and offer insights on the significance of the analysis. Provide your thoughts on the topic's importance and how your analysis contributes to it, leaving a lasting impression on the reader.

Meanwhile, you might also be interested in how to write a reflection paper , so check out the article for more information!

How to Write an Analytical Essay in 6 Simple Steps

Once you've got a handle on the structure, you can make writing easier by following some steps. Preparing ahead of time can make the process smoother and improve your essay's flow. Here are some helpful tips from our experts. And if you need it, you can always request our experts to write my essay for me , and we'll handle it promptly.

Step 1: Decide on Your Stance

Before diving into writing, it's crucial to establish your stance on the topic. Let's say you're going to write an analytical essay example about the benefits and drawbacks of remote work. Before you start writing, you need to decide what your opinion or viewpoint is on this topic.

• Do you think remote work offers flexibility and improved work-life balance for employees?
• Or maybe you believe it can lead to feelings of isolation and decreased productivity?

Once you've determined your stance on remote work, it's essential to consider the evidence and arguments supporting your position. Are there statistics or studies that back up your viewpoint? For example, if you believe remote work improves productivity, you might cite research showing increased output among remote workers. On the other hand, if you think it leads to isolation, you could reference surveys or testimonials highlighting the challenges of remote collaboration. Your opinion will shape how you write your essay, so take some time to think about what you believe about remote work before you start writing.

Step 2: Write Your Thesis Statement

Once you've figured out what you think about the topic, it's time to write your thesis statement. This statement is like the main idea or argument of your essay.

If you believe that remote work offers significant benefits, your thesis statement might be: 'Remote work presents an opportunity for increased flexibility and work-life balance, benefiting employees and employers alike in today's interconnected world.'

Alternatively, if you believe that remote work has notable drawbacks, your thesis statement might be: 'While remote work offers flexibility, it can also lead to feelings of isolation and challenges in collaboration, necessitating a balanced approach to its implementation.'

Your thesis statement guides the rest of your analytical essay, so make sure it clearly expresses your viewpoint on the benefits and drawbacks of remote work.

Step 3: Write Topic Sentences

After you have your thesis statement about the benefits and drawbacks of remote work, you need to come up with topic sentences for each paragraph while writing an analytical essay. These sentences introduce the main point of each paragraph and help to structure your essay.

Let's say your first paragraph is about the benefits of remote work. Your topic sentence might be: 'Remote work offers employees increased flexibility and autonomy, enabling them to better manage their work-life balance.'

For the next paragraph discussing the drawbacks of remote work, your topic sentence could be: 'However, remote work can also lead to feelings of isolation and difficulties in communication and collaboration with colleagues.'

And for the paragraph about potential solutions to the challenges of remote work, your topic sentence might be: 'To mitigate the drawbacks of remote work, companies can implement strategies such as regular check-ins, virtual team-building activities, and flexible work arrangements.'

Each topic sentence should relate back to your thesis statement about the benefits and drawbacks of remote work and provide a clear focus for the paragraph that follows.

Step 4: Create an Outline

Now that you have your thesis statement and topic sentences, it's time to create an analytical essay outline to ensure your essay flows logically. Here's an outline prepared by our analytical essay writer based on the example of discussing the benefits and drawbacks of remote work:

Step 5: Write Your First Draft

Now that you have your outline, it's time to start writing your first draft. Begin by expanding upon each point in your outline, making sure to connect your ideas smoothly and logically. Don't worry too much about perfection at this stage; the goal is to get your ideas down on paper. You can always revise and polish your draft later.

As you write, keep referring back to your thesis statement to ensure that your arguments align with your main argument. Additionally, make sure each paragraph flows naturally into the next, maintaining coherence throughout your essay.

Once you've completed your first draft, take a break and then come back to review and revise it. Look for areas where you can strengthen your arguments, clarify your points, and improve the overall structure and flow of your essay.

Remember, writing is a process, and it's okay to go through multiple drafts before you're satisfied with the final result. Take your time and be patient with yourself as you work towards creating a well-crafted essay on the benefits and drawbacks of remote work.

Step 6: Revise and Proofread

Once you've completed your first draft, it's essential to revise and proofread your essay to ensure clarity, coherence, and correctness. Here's how to approach this step:

• Check if your ideas make sense and if they support your main point.
• Make sure your writing style stays the same and your format follows the rules.
• Double-check your facts and make sure you've covered everything important.
• Cut out any extra words and make your sentences clear and short.
• Look for mistakes in spelling and grammar.
• Ask someone to read your essay and give you feedback.

What is the Purpose of an Analytical Essay?

Analytical essays aim to analyze texts or topics, presenting a clear argument. They deepen understanding by evaluating evidence and uncovering underlying meanings. These essays promote critical thinking, challenging readers to consider different viewpoints.

They're also great for improving critical thinking skills. By breaking down complex ideas and presenting them clearly, they encourage readers to think for themselves and reach their own conclusions.

This type of essay also adds to academic discussions by offering fresh insights. By analyzing existing research and literature, they bring new perspectives or shine a light on overlooked parts of a topic. This keeps academic conversations lively and encourages more exploration in the field.

Analytical Essay Examples

Check out our essay samples to see theory in action. Crafted by our dissertation services , they show how analytical thinking applies to real situations, helping you understand concepts better.

With our tips on how to write an analytical essay, you're ready to boost your writing skills and craft essays that captivate your audience. With practice, you'll become a pro at analytical writing, ready to tackle any topic with confidence. And, if you need help to buy essay online , just drop us a line saying ' do my homework for me ' and we'll jump right in!

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How to Write an Analytical Essay?

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10.7 Comparison and Contrast

Learning objectives.

• Determine the purpose and structure of comparison and contrast in writing.
• Explain organizational methods used when comparing and contrasting.
• Understand how to write a compare-and-contrast essay.

The Purpose of Comparison and Contrast in Writing

Comparison in writing discusses elements that are similar, while contrast in writing discusses elements that are different. A compare-and-contrast essay , then, analyzes two subjects by comparing them, contrasting them, or both.

The key to a good compare-and-contrast essay is to choose two or more subjects that connect in a meaningful way. The purpose of conducting the comparison or contrast is not to state the obvious but rather to illuminate subtle differences or unexpected similarities. For example, if you wanted to focus on contrasting two subjects you would not pick apples and oranges; rather, you might choose to compare and contrast two types of oranges or two types of apples to highlight subtle differences. For example, Red Delicious apples are sweet, while Granny Smiths are tart and acidic. Drawing distinctions between elements in a similar category will increase the audience’s understanding of that category, which is the purpose of the compare-and-contrast essay.

Similarly, to focus on comparison, choose two subjects that seem at first to be unrelated. For a comparison essay, you likely would not choose two apples or two oranges because they share so many of the same properties already. Rather, you might try to compare how apples and oranges are quite similar. The more divergent the two subjects initially seem, the more interesting a comparison essay will be.

Writing at Work

Comparing and contrasting is also an evaluative tool. In order to make accurate evaluations about a given topic, you must first know the critical points of similarity and difference. Comparing and contrasting is a primary tool for many workplace assessments. You have likely compared and contrasted yourself to other colleagues. Employee advancements, pay raises, hiring, and firing are typically conducted using comparison and contrast. Comparison and contrast could be used to evaluate companies, departments, or individuals.

Brainstorm an essay that leans toward contrast. Choose one of the following three categories. Pick two examples from each. Then come up with one similarity and three differences between the examples.

• Romantic comedies
• Internet search engines
• Cell phones

Brainstorm an essay that leans toward comparison. Choose one of the following three items. Then come up with one difference and three similarities.

• Department stores and discount retail stores
• Fast food chains and fine dining restaurants
• Dogs and cats

The Structure of a Comparison and Contrast Essay

The compare-and-contrast essay starts with a thesis that clearly states the two subjects that are to be compared, contrasted, or both and the reason for doing so. The thesis could lean more toward comparing, contrasting, or both. Remember, the point of comparing and contrasting is to provide useful knowledge to the reader. Take the following thesis as an example that leans more toward contrasting.

Thesis statement: Organic vegetables may cost more than those that are conventionally grown, but when put to the test, they are definitely worth every extra penny.

Here the thesis sets up the two subjects to be compared and contrasted (organic versus conventional vegetables), and it makes a claim about the results that might prove useful to the reader.

You may organize compare-and-contrast essays in one of the following two ways:

• According to the subjects themselves, discussing one then the other
• According to individual points, discussing each subject in relation to each point

See Figure 10.1 “Comparison and Contrast Diagram” , which diagrams the ways to organize our organic versus conventional vegetables thesis.

Figure 10.1 Comparison and Contrast Diagram

The organizational structure you choose depends on the nature of the topic, your purpose, and your audience.

Given that compare-and-contrast essays analyze the relationship between two subjects, it is helpful to have some phrases on hand that will cue the reader to such analysis. See Table 10.3 “Phrases of Comparison and Contrast” for examples.

Table 10.3 Phrases of Comparison and Contrast

Create an outline for each of the items you chose in Note 10.72 “Exercise 1” and Note 10.73 “Exercise 2” . Use the point-by-point organizing strategy for one of them, and use the subject organizing strategy for the other.

Writing a Comparison and Contrast Essay

First choose whether you want to compare seemingly disparate subjects, contrast seemingly similar subjects, or compare and contrast subjects. Once you have decided on a topic, introduce it with an engaging opening paragraph. Your thesis should come at the end of the introduction, and it should establish the subjects you will compare, contrast, or both as well as state what can be learned from doing so.

The body of the essay can be organized in one of two ways: by subject or by individual points. The organizing strategy that you choose will depend on, as always, your audience and your purpose. You may also consider your particular approach to the subjects as well as the nature of the subjects themselves; some subjects might better lend themselves to one structure or the other. Make sure to use comparison and contrast phrases to cue the reader to the ways in which you are analyzing the relationship between the subjects.

After you finish analyzing the subjects, write a conclusion that summarizes the main points of the essay and reinforces your thesis. See Chapter 15 “Readings: Examples of Essays” to read a sample compare-and-contrast essay.

Many business presentations are conducted using comparison and contrast. The organizing strategies—by subject or individual points—could also be used for organizing a presentation. Keep this in mind as a way of organizing your content the next time you or a colleague have to present something at work.

Choose one of the outlines you created in Note 10.75 “Exercise 3” , and write a full compare-and-contrast essay. Be sure to include an engaging introduction, a clear thesis, well-defined and detailed paragraphs, and a fitting conclusion that ties everything together.

Key Takeaways

• A compare-and-contrast essay analyzes two subjects by either comparing them, contrasting them, or both.
• The purpose of writing a comparison or contrast essay is not to state the obvious but rather to illuminate subtle differences or unexpected similarities between two subjects.
• The thesis should clearly state the subjects that are to be compared, contrasted, or both, and it should state what is to be learned from doing so.

There are two main organizing strategies for compare-and-contrast essays.

• Organize by the subjects themselves, one then the other.
• Organize by individual points, in which you discuss each subject in relation to each point.
• Use phrases of comparison or phrases of contrast to signal to readers how exactly the two subjects are being analyzed.

Writing for Success Copyright © 2015 by University of Minnesota is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License , except where otherwise noted.

How to Write a Comparative Analytical Essay

What is a comparative analytical essay, 3 steps in writing a comparative essay.

​ A comparative analytical essay compares two things--perhaps two people, two texts, or two historical events, for instance--and explores the things that are similar and the things that make them different. ​

Writing a comparative analysis is great practice for writing other types of academic papers, so students can expect to write a good number of these during their school career. While it's called a comparative analysis, you will actually need to both ​ compare ​ and ​contrast ​ in this type of essay.

1. Make a List of Similarities and Differences

• After examining the list, develop a thesis statement for your paper. A thesis statement will be the hook which all your points will hang on, and a more complex thesis will incorporate both a similarity and difference.

2. Choose a Format for the Essay

• The text-by-text format, or parallel-order comparison, is when you first make thesis statement in the introduction, then discuss a first similarity, in the first work then the second one. Then a second similarity, text by text. Next, do the differences. In a point-by-point format, thesis is followed by a first point, and how the two things differ on the point, then how they are the same on that point. Have two more sections or so organized that way.

3. Write a Conclusion

• Your conclusion should refer back to the thesis statement while avoiding merely summarizing what's already been stated in the body of the paper.

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• Comparative Analysis

What It Is and Why It's Useful

Comparative analysis asks writers to make an argument about the relationship between two or more texts. Beyond that, there's a lot of variation, but three overarching kinds of comparative analysis stand out:

• Coordinate (A ↔ B): In this kind of analysis, two (or more) texts are being read against each other in terms of a shared element, e.g., a memoir and a novel, both by Jesmyn Ward; two sets of data for the same experiment; a few op-ed responses to the same event; two YA books written in Chicago in the 2000s; a film adaption of a play; etc. 
• Subordinate (A  → B) or (B → A ): Using a theoretical text (as a "lens") to explain a case study or work of art (e.g., how Anthony Jack's The Privileged Poor can help explain divergent experiences among students at elite four-year private colleges who are coming from similar socio-economic backgrounds) or using a work of art or case study (i.e., as a "test" of) a theory's usefulness or limitations (e.g., using coverage of recent incidents of gun violence or legislation un the U.S. to confirm or question the currency of Carol Anderson's The Second ).
• Hybrid [A  → (B ↔ C)] or [(B ↔ C) → A] , i.e., using coordinate and subordinate analysis together. For example, using Jack to compare or contrast the experiences of students at elite four-year institutions with students at state universities and/or community colleges; or looking at gun culture in other countries and/or other timeframes to contextualize or generalize Anderson's main points about the role of the Second Amendment in U.S. history.

"In the wild," these three kinds of comparative analysis represent increasingly complex—and scholarly—modes of comparison. Students can of course compare two poems in terms of imagery or two data sets in terms of methods, but in each case the analysis will eventually be richer if the students have had a chance to encounter other people's ideas about how imagery or methods work. At that point, we're getting into a hybrid kind of reading (or even into research essays), especially if we start introducing different approaches to imagery or methods that are themselves being compared along with a couple (or few) poems or data sets.

Why It's Useful

In the context of a particular course, each kind of comparative analysis has its place and can be a useful step up from single-source analysis. Intellectually, comparative analysis helps overcome the "n of 1" problem that can face single-source analysis. That is, a writer drawing broad conclusions about the influence of the Iranian New Wave based on one film is relying entirely—and almost certainly too much—on that film to support those findings. In the context of even just one more film, though, the analysis is suddenly more likely to arrive at one of the best features of any comparative approach: both films will be more richly experienced than they would have been in isolation, and the themes or questions in terms of which they're being explored (here the general question of the influence of the Iranian New Wave) will arrive at conclusions that are less at-risk of oversimplification.

For scholars working in comparative fields or through comparative approaches, these features of comparative analysis animate their work. To borrow from a stock example in Western epistemology, our concept of "green" isn't based on a single encounter with something we intuit or are told is "green." Not at all. Our concept of "green" is derived from a complex set of experiences of what others say is green or what's labeled green or what seems to be something that's neither blue nor yellow but kind of both, etc. Comparative analysis essays offer us the chance to engage with that process—even if only enough to help us see where a more in-depth exploration with a higher and/or more diverse "n" might lead—and in that sense, from the standpoint of the subject matter students are exploring through writing as well the complexity of the genre of writing they're using to explore it—comparative analysis forms a bridge of sorts between single-source analysis and research essays.

Typical learning objectives for single-sources essays: formulate analytical questions and an arguable thesis, establish stakes of an argument, summarize sources accurately, choose evidence effectively, analyze evidence effectively, define key terms, organize argument logically, acknowledge and respond to counterargument, cite sources properly, and present ideas in clear prose.

Common types of comparative analysis essays and related types: two works in the same genre, two works from the same period (but in different places or in different cultures), a work adapted into a different genre or medium, two theories treating the same topic; a theory and a case study or other object, etc.

How to Teach It: Framing + Practice

Framing multi-source writing assignments (comparative analysis, research essays, multi-modal projects) is likely to overlap a great deal with "Why It's Useful" (see above), because the range of reasons why we might use these kinds of writing in academic or non-academic settings is itself the reason why they so often appear later in courses. In many courses, they're the best vehicles for exploring the complex questions that arise once we've been introduced to the course's main themes, core content, leading protagonists, and central debates.

For comparative analysis in particular, it's helpful to frame assignment's process and how it will help students successfully navigate the challenges and pitfalls presented by the genre. Ideally, this will mean students have time to identify what each text seems to be doing, take note of apparent points of connection between different texts, and start to imagine how those points of connection (or the absence thereof)

• complicates or upends their own expectations or assumptions about the texts
• complicates or refutes the expectations or assumptions about the texts presented by a scholar
• confirms and/or nuances expectations and assumptions they themselves hold or scholars have presented
• presents entirely unforeseen ways of understanding the texts

—and all with implications for the texts themselves or for the axes along which the comparative analysis took place. If students know that this is where their ideas will be heading, they'll be ready to develop those ideas and engage with the challenges that comparative analysis presents in terms of structure (See "Tips" and "Common Pitfalls" below for more on these elements of framing).

Like single-source analyses, comparative essays have several moving parts, and giving students practice here means adapting the sample sequence laid out at the " Formative Writing Assignments " page. Three areas that have already been mentioned above are worth noting:

• Gathering evidence : Depending on what your assignment is asking students to compare (or in terms of what), students will benefit greatly from structured opportunities to create inventories or data sets of the motifs, examples, trajectories, etc., shared (or not shared) by the texts they'll be comparing. See the sample exercises below for a basic example of what this might look like.
• Why it Matters: Moving beyond "x is like y but also different" or even "x is more like y than we might think at first" is what moves an essay from being "compare/contrast" to being a comparative analysis . It's also a move that can be hard to make and that will often evolve over the course of an assignment. A great way to get feedback from students about where they're at on this front? Ask them to start considering early on why their argument "matters" to different kinds of imagined audiences (while they're just gathering evidence) and again as they develop their thesis and again as they're drafting their essays. ( Cover letters , for example, are a great place to ask writers to imagine how a reader might be affected by reading an their argument.)
• Structure: Having two texts on stage at the same time can suddenly feel a lot more complicated for any writer who's used to having just one at a time. Giving students a sense of what the most common patterns (AAA / BBB, ABABAB, etc.) are likely to be can help them imagine, even if provisionally, how their argument might unfold over a series of pages. See "Tips" and "Common Pitfalls" below for more information on this front.

Sample Exercises and Links to Other Resources

• Common Pitfalls
• Advice on Timing
• Try to keep students from thinking of a proposed thesis as a commitment. Instead, help them see it as more of a hypothesis that has emerged out of readings and discussion and analytical questions and that they'll now test through an experiment, namely, writing their essay. When students see writing as part of the process of inquiry—rather than just the result—and when that process is committed to acknowledging and adapting itself to evidence, it makes writing assignments more scientific, more ethical, and more authentic. 
• Have students create an inventory of touch points between the two texts early in the process.
• Ask students to make the case—early on and at points throughout the process—for the significance of the claim they're making about the relationship between the texts they're comparing.
• For coordinate kinds of comparative analysis, a common pitfall is tied to thesis and evidence. Basically, it's a thesis that tells the reader that there are "similarities and differences" between two texts, without telling the reader why it matters that these two texts have or don't have these particular features in common. This kind of thesis is stuck at the level of description or positivism, and it's not uncommon when a writer is grappling with the complexity that can in fact accompany the "taking inventory" stage of comparative analysis. The solution is to make the "taking inventory" stage part of the process of the assignment. When this stage comes before students have formulated a thesis, that formulation is then able to emerge out of a comparative data set, rather than the data set emerging in terms of their thesis (which can lead to confirmation bias, or frequency illusion, or—just for the sake of streamlining the process of gathering evidence—cherry picking). 
• For subordinate kinds of comparative analysis , a common pitfall is tied to how much weight is given to each source. Having students apply a theory (in a "lens" essay) or weigh the pros and cons of a theory against case studies (in a "test a theory") essay can be a great way to help them explore the assumptions, implications, and real-world usefulness of theoretical approaches. The pitfall of these approaches is that they can quickly lead to the same biases we saw here above. Making sure that students know they should engage with counterevidence and counterargument, and that "lens" / "test a theory" approaches often balance each other out in any real-world application of theory is a good way to get out in front of this pitfall.
• For any kind of comparative analysis, a common pitfall is structure. Every comparative analysis asks writers to move back and forth between texts, and that can pose a number of challenges, including: what pattern the back and forth should follow and how to use transitions and other signposting to make sure readers can follow the overarching argument as the back and forth is taking place. Here's some advice from an experienced writing instructor to students about how to think about these considerations:

a quick note on STRUCTURE

     Most of us have encountered the question of whether to adopt what we might term the “A→A→A→B→B→B” structure or the “A→B→A→B→A→B” structure.  Do we make all of our points about text A before moving on to text B?  Or do we go back and forth between A and B as the essay proceeds?  As always, the answers to our questions about structure depend on our goals in the essay as a whole.  In a “similarities in spite of differences” essay, for instance, readers will need to encounter the differences between A and B before we offer them the similarities (A d →B d →A s →B s ).  If, rather than subordinating differences to similarities you are subordinating text A to text B (using A as a point of comparison that reveals B’s originality, say), you may be well served by the “A→A→A→B→B→B” structure.  

     Ultimately, you need to ask yourself how many “A→B” moves you have in you.  Is each one identical?  If so, you may wish to make the transition from A to B only once (“A→A→A→B→B→B”), because if each “A→B” move is identical, the “A→B→A→B→A→B” structure will appear to involve nothing more than directionless oscillation and repetition.  If each is increasingly complex, however—if each AB pair yields a new and progressively more complex idea about your subject—you may be well served by the “A→B→A→B→A→B” structure, because in this case it will be visible to readers as a progressively developing argument.

As we discussed in "Advice on Timing" at the page on single-source analysis, that timeline itself roughly follows the "Sample Sequence of Formative Assignments for a 'Typical' Essay" outlined under " Formative Writing Assignments, " and it spans about 5–6 steps or 2–4 weeks. 

Comparative analysis assignments have a lot of the same DNA as single-source essays, but they potentially bring more reading into play and ask students to engage in more complicated acts of analysis and synthesis during the drafting stages. With that in mind, closer to 4 weeks is probably a good baseline for many single-source analysis assignments. For sections that meet once per week, the timeline will either probably need to expand—ideally—a little past the 4-week side of things, or some of the steps will need to be combined or done asynchronously.

What It Can Build Up To

Comparative analyses can build up to other kinds of writing in a number of ways. For example:

• They can build toward other kinds of comparative analysis, e.g., student can be asked to choose an additional source to complicate their conclusions from a previous analysis, or they can be asked to revisit an analysis using a different axis of comparison, such as race instead of class. (These approaches are akin to moving from a coordinate or subordinate analysis to more of a hybrid approach.)
• They can scaffold up to research essays, which in many instances are an extension of a "hybrid comparative analysis."
• Like single-source analysis, in a course where students will take a "deep dive" into a source or topic for their capstone, they can allow students to "try on" a theoretical approach or genre or time period to see if it's indeed something they want to research more fully.
• DIY Guides for Analytical Writing Assignments

• Types of Assignments
• Unpacking the Elements of Writing Prompts
• Formative Writing Assignments
• Single-Source Analysis
• Research Essays
• Multi-Modal or Creative Projects
• Giving Feedback to Students

Assignment Decoder

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Analytical Essay

Definition of analytical essay, difference between an analytical essay and a critical essay, types of analytical essay, examples of analytical essay in literature, example #1: liposuction: the key to energy independence (by barbara ehrenreich).

“I say to my fellow humans: It’s time to stop feeding off the dead and grow up! I don’t know about food, but I have a plan for achieving fuel self-sufficiency in less time than it takes to say ‘Arctic National Wildlife Refuge.’ The idea came to me from reports of the growing crime of French fry oil theft: Certain desperate individuals are stealing restaurants’ discarded cooking oil, which can then be used to fuel cars. So the idea is: why not skip the French fry phase and harvest high-energy hydrocarbons right from ourselves?”

Example #2: Freedom (by Joyce M. Jarett)

“On the first day of school, I was escorted by hordes of national guardsmen. Like a funeral procession, the steady stream of official-looking cars followed me to the campus. Some patrolmen were parked near campus gates, while others, with guns strapped to their sides, stood near building entrances. Though many of my escorts had given me smiles of support, still I was not prepared for what I encountered upon entering my new school.”

Example #3: The Ways of Meeting Oppression (by Martin Luther King, Jr.)

“The third way open to oppressed people in their quest for freedom is the way of nonviolent resistance. Like the synthesis in Hegelian philosophy, the principle of nonviolent resistance seeks to reconcile the truths of two opposites—the acquiescence and violence—while avoiding the extremes and immoralities of both. The nonviolent resister agrees with the person who acquiesces that one should not be physically aggressive toward his opponent; but he balances the equation by agreeing with the person of violence that evil must be resisted. He avoids the nonresistance of the former and the violent resistance of the latter. With nonviolent resistance, no individual or group need submit to any wrong, nor need anyone resort to violence in order to right a wrong.”

Function of Analytical Essay

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How to Write an Analytical Essay

There are many types of academic papers, and each has to be written according to very specific rules. To succeed in academic writing and get high marks for writing assignments, a student should be aware of these rules and be able to follow them strictly. 

An analytical essay is one of the most common essay types; every student gets to write it more than once throughout his or her school and college years. It is also one of the most complex types of essays, as it requires strong analytical and research skills and a good knowledge of analytical essay structure. In the following article, you’ll find everything you need to know about writing an analytical essay that will impress any demanding reader.

What Is an Analytical Essay?

In order to write an impressive paper, one should know the analytical essay definition and how this essay type differs from the rest. An analytical essay is a form of academic writing that focuses on details and methods rather than on the overall contents of the subject. Figuratively, it deals with the elements of the puzzle which is a complete work of art to show how the picture is made.

Considering the latter, keep in mind that analysis is an essential part of an analytical essay. A simple summary of the plot or description of an event will not make a good essay of this type. Trying to insist on your personal point of view or focusing on your own impressions from the subject will also get you to fail the assignment. An essay should be based on facts and evidence that you have proof of.

Now that we have the definition, we can move on to the next question.

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What Is the Analysis In Writing?

Analysis in general means dividing something into smaller elements in order to examine them (usually by asking critical questions such as “how” and “why”) and draw your own conclusions based on the results of such examination.

In your academic analytical essays, you will most probably be focusing on literary analysis. That will require you to look at how the author uses various techniques to produce certain effects, as well as how the issues are addressed. Sometimes such analysis will also require evaluating a literary work from the point of logic and proper handling of the issues of controversy.

What Is an Analytical Argument?

An analytical argument is basically the body of your essay. It is built upon a thesis statement (which we will discuss later in this article) and should focus on discussing one idea with supporting evidence.

It is important to distinguish between an argument and an opinion. An argument is always backed up by sufficient evidence. Whereas an opinion is a personal point of view that is based upon an individual experience or is downright intuitive.

Let’s see how it works. 

For example, “Employees who are working from home are less productive than those who work at the office. I know that from my own family’s example – me and my husband always get interrupted and can never concentrate,” this is an opinion because it is based on individual experience.

On the contrary, “A 2019 study by Airtasker conducted among 1004 full-time employees from different parts of the U.S. found that working from home increases productivity and leads to healthier lifestyles, so remote work can be a better alternative for both companies and workers,” is an argument, as it draws conclusions based on evidence.

Having explained all these terms, we can finally discuss an analytical essay outline and structure.

Analytical Essay Outline and Structure 

An analytical paper is a complex work that involves extensive research, using many sources for citations and reference, and putting together a lot of facts and thoughts on the subject. So, thorough knowledge of an analytical essay structure is essential, as is creating an outline.

An outline is a good way to encompass all the preparatory work that you do for your essay. It starts by taking down notes about possible topic ideas, arguments, and any useful resources on the subject of your paper. When you do any research, don’t forget to archive the sources and highlight the citations you might need to use in your work so that you could access them easily during your writing process. Having all this information will help you write a strong thesis, formulate persuasive arguments, and fill in the gaps in your outline step-by-step.

You can organize your outline any way you like, but the easiest and most efficient way to do it is to create a simple bulleted list. This is how it may look like.  ‍

Introduction: ‍

• Hook statement;
• A short summary of background information;    
• Thesis statement. It usually has a complex form of a number of correlating factors and should be controversial.

Body paragraphs (there are 3 of them usually) :

• Topic sentence. This is where you introduce your main point;
• Analysis. Here, you should analyze the provided evidence and determine its meaning;
• Evidence. Every paragraph should have evidential support in the form of a source or an actual quote;
• Concluding sentence. Here, you can restate and emphasize the main point.

Conclusion:

• Restatement of your thesis statement; 
• Short summary of the essay’s key points; 
• Proof of why the text is important.

Now that you know how to work with an outline, let’s start filling in the gaps. 

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How to Start an Analytical Essay: Introduction Paragraph

An analytical essay introduction is crucial to catching your reader’s attention. Therefore, it should be relevant and concise, and provoke interest for how you’re going to develop your topic. There are three main components that an analytical essay introduction should contain:

• Thesis statement;
• A short explanation of how you’re going to prove your thesis in the following paragraphs.

A hook is immensely important for the overall impression that your essay will produce on the reader. So, it must contain something interesting, engaging, or surprising. It should instantly grab your audience’s attention and make them wonder what you have to say next. You only have one chance to win your readers at this point, so put a lot of effort into formulating a good hook. Start with finding out who your readers are, and then choose from the most effective methods of attracting their attention. You can do it with a quote, statistic figures, a rhetorical question, or a provocative statement.

Then, move on straight to your thesis statement. In this essential part of your essay, you should explain to your readers what your paper’s subject is and why it matters. You might give your own opinion about the topic, and state why it is important to read your analytical work. Read on to learn how to write a strong thesis statement – we will discuss it in the next paragraph.

How to Create a Strong Analytical Thesis Statement?

But what is a thesis statement for an analytical essay, exactly? Before we move on, let’s define the term. So, a thesis statement is basically your answer to the question posed in the topic. A thesis is usually placed at the end of the introductory paragraph and consists of one to three sentences that encompass the gist of your paper, concentrating your viewpoint on the subject and giving the reader an idea of how you’re going to develop the topic.

The claim you make in your thesis statement should be debatable so that you could have something to work with in the next sections of your essay. A strong thesis statement helps to get a clear idea of a paper from the start and serves to organize and develop the arguments in the body paragraphs. 

A good thesis includes the following:

• The main idea;
• Key points of your topic; 
• Your position towards the subject of the discussion; 
• Conclusion.

In order to create a powerful thesis statement, follow this step-by-step guideline:

• Brainstorm an interesting topic.
• Make the topic more specific.
• Formulate the question for further research.
• Extract the main idea and make a statement.
• Decide on your position on the topic.
• Mention an opposing position.
• Support your point of view using arguments, evidence, and reasoning.
• Draw a conclusion.

There are also some things you should avoid when writing a thesis statement:

• Using common knowledge, bare facts, or quotes (all these make a poor thesis).
• Be careful not to choose topics that are too broad, and avoid language that’s vague or ambiguous.
• Exclude all information that is irrelevant to the topic and phrases like “I think”, “I believe”, etc.

To get a better understanding of what a strong thesis statement should and should not be like, compare the examples below.

• According to various studies, more than a half of first-year college students experience strong anxiety, which puts their health at a great risk. In order to protect it, psychologists should work with every freshman on campus. (Strong).
• Academic anxiety is a big problem for all students. (Weak).

Body Paragraphs of an Analytical Paper

A body paragraph is where you make an argument and bring evidence to support your claims. An analytical essay format usually implies having three of four body paragraphs. Each of them should start with a sentence that defines the main point of discussion for the paragraph – sort of a mini-thesis. Then, you should analyze this point, looking at it from different angles and bringing sufficient evidence to support your assertions. The more evidence you provide, the more persuasive your arguments will be. After you’ve run out of strong points for the arguments, move to the next paragraph. You can also add a transition sentence to make you text smoother; some professors require it, and some don’t.

So, each body paragraph should include:

• An introductory sentence;
• Evidence (actual quotes from the text, statistic figures, facts from trusted sources);
• Transition sentence to the next paragraph (mandatory).

If you still wonder about how to write a good analysis, look at the following sample body paragraph to see how it should work in an actual paper.

For example, our topic is the perception of happiness in Aldous Huxley’s “Brave New World”. The first body paragraph might be as follows:

“The world in Aldous Huxley’s “Brave New World” is a place where hardly anyone thinks about what happiness really is. Safety and stability are what matters for them the most, not happiness. But the majority of the society depicted by Huxley really considers themselves happy: they have everything they need to satisfy their basic needs, and these are all the needs they seem to have. People in the brave new world don’t have to struggle for anything, they have everything. So, in an episode where Bernard asks Lenina if she wants to be happy in her own way, she seems to not understand what he’s talking about. And what was he?.”

In the second paragraph, we can discuss Bernard’s own perception of freedom, and in the third – move on to John the Savage, who is the impersonator of freedom in the novel.

After you’ve dealt with several body paragraphs in this manner, proceed with the conclusion.

How to Conclude Your Analytical Essay?

An analytical essay conclusion is where you rephrase and emphasize your thesis statement, summarize the key points of your analysis and give some concluding afterthoughts. There’s no need to present any new ideas in the final paragraph, but it’s important to give the reader a clear idea of what your essay was about. When rephrasing anything you said earlier in your essay, be careful to keep the same meaning and avoid any ambiguity.

Here is what your essay conclusion should consist of: 

• Restatement of your thesis statement in other words;
• Summary of the main points of the body paragraphs;
• Concluding afterthoughts.

That’s basically all you need to know about how to write an analytical essay. Now you can go an extra mile – examine our sample topics.

Analytical Essay Topics to Inspire

Below you’ll find an analytical essay topics list on literature, art, society, and nature. Use them for inspiration to create powerful topics of your own.

Literature:

• What are Achilles' biggest flaws? Explain the modern use of the phrase “Achilles’ heel” using the Greek hero’s motivations, character, and deeds. 
• Irony in Shakespeare’s “Twelfth Night”: where does it occur? Provide examples of verbal and situational irony and explain where exactly the irony in them is and why. 
• Which of the characters in Fitzgerald’s “The Great Gatsby” relates the most to “the lost generation” and why?
• What is so frightening about Aldous Huxley’s fantasy of the “Brave New World” and why has it become one of the most famous dystopias ever?
• John Updike’s Harry “Rabbit” Angstrom as an “average American man”. What makes the character so believable?
• Impressionism in art. What makes it so special?
• Modern art: is it art at all, after all? Analyze several works of modern art to explain what features they have that enable them to be considered art.
• When and how did photography become art?
• The therapeutic effect of art: does it really exist?
• Multicultural families. Is it possible to maintain an ideal cultural balance within such families?
• Feminism: do we still need it and why?
• The transformation of gender roles throughout the XX century. Was it ever avoidable?
• The Internet and its effect on the educational system. Advantages and disadvantages of its use in a study process.
• Climate change as a major threat to the stability of ecosystems worldwide.
• Can we do anything now to prevent rising numbers of natural disasters in the future?
• Is testing and experimenting on animals a necessary evil?
• Why is it essential to protect the Arctic?
• Biodiversity on Earth. Why is it so important?

When it comes to writing a good analytical essay, it's important to have a clear understanding of the analytical essay definition and structure. This type of essay requires in-depth research, critical thinking, and the ability to draw conclusions based on evidence.

To write a successful analytical essay, it's recommended to create a bulleted outline before starting to write. This can help organize your thoughts and ensure that you include all the key elements such as a hook, thesis statement, and analysis. Additionally, seeking help from online resources such as Studyfy college homework help, proofreading, tutoring, and essay editing services can also be beneficial in producing a high-quality essay.

If you are struggling to come up with a topic, putting in the effort to develop your own can greatly enhance your writing experience. However, if you need someone to write an essay for you, there are various services available such as dissertation writing services , research paper service , and admission essay writer s who can assist in creating a well-written essay.

In conclusion, writing an analytical essay can be a challenging task, but with the right resources and understanding of the essay's structure, you can produce a high-quality paper. Remember to utilize online resources such as Studyfy and take the time to develop a strong topic. Good luck in your writing endeavors!

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 How to Write a Perfect Analytical Paragraph

8-minute read

• 30th January 2023

If you are looking up how to write an analytical paragraph, you are most likely writing an argumentative or analytical essay. Analytical essays are similar to other essays, such as descriptive essays, in that you have a central idea, organize supporting ideas into body paragraphs, and make conclusions.

However, analytical essays differ from other essays because the writer must go further. They require the writer to interpret and analyze a given text or information using evidence to support their central idea or thesis statement. This analysis takes place in analytical paragraphs, or body paragraphs, if you are writing an analytical essay .

In this article, you’ll learn the components of a perfect analytical paragraph: the topic sentence, evidence, analysis, and conclusion. Keep reading to learn more.

What Is an Analytical Paragraph?

An analytical paragraph is a paragraph that breaks down a piece of literature, an idea, or a concept into smaller parts and analyzes each part to understand the whole. Being able to write an effective and successful analytical paragraph reflects a writer’s critical thinking and organizational writing skills. All in all, like any other type of writing, writing an analytical paragraph requires skill and practice.

Write the Topic Sentence

A topic sentence is usually the first, or sometimes second, sentence at the beginning of anybody paragraph. Your topic sentence should contain one main idea related to the thesis statement . If it is not related to your thesis statement, then you are likely off topic.

Pro Tip: If your topic sentence is the second sentence of your paragraph, then your first sentence should be a transitional sentence .

Let’s look at a thesis statement and some topic sentences to get a better idea.

Topic: Examine and analyze the marriages in George Eliot’s Middlemarch .

Thesis Statement: Eliot uses three different marriages to give depth to everyday people and show the reader the struggles of marriage within the nineteenth century’s societal standards of submissive roles, class range, and financial status.

Topic Sentence 1: Lydgate and Rosamond had a terrible marriage in Middlemarch , like all other marriages during this time.

This topic sentence is not effective because it is not specific enough and does not directly relate to the thesis statement. It does not mention how their “terrible” marriage is related to submissive roles, class range, or financial status. Additionally, the overly generalized language of “all” marriages being terrible marriages during this time is a weak argument.

Topic Sentence 2: Financial matters play a huge role in the Lydgate and Rosamond marriage, as Lydgate has no money and Rosamond is a big spender.

This topic sentence is effective because it directly supports the thesis statement. It is focused on the financial status of this marriage.

Provide Evidence

The type of evidence you use to support your topic sentence will largely depend on the topic of your analytical essay. For example, if you are writing an essay related to a work of literature, you will need to provide direct quotes, paraphrasing, specific details, or a summary from the work to support your main idea. If your topic is related to analyzing data, then you may use figures, statistics, or charts and graph evidence to support your topic sentence.

Regardless of what type of evidence you provide, it must be appropriate and directly relate to and support your topic sentence.

For example, if we take the above thesis and topic sentence, we might select direct quotes, paraphrases, or summaries from the novel Middlemarch that depict the marriage’s financial stress.

Pro Tip: When using direct quotes, make sure you always provide an in-text citation and use correct punctuation to ensure your essay is neat and clean.

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Once you have provided evidence, you should analyze it to illustrate its significance and how it relates to the topic sentence. In your analysis, you can discuss how an author uses certain literary devices to emphasize character traits, themes, patterns, and connections in a literary work.

Be sure that your analysis always connects to the topic sentence/main idea of the paragraph. Avoid introducing new ideas in this section. Save those for later paragraphs or consider creating a new one to explore and analyze the new point.

Conclude Your Paragraph

When closing an analytical paragraph, you can consider doing two things:

●  Briefly emphasize the main point your reader should take away after having read the paragraph.

●  Begin a transition if the analysis continues into the next paragraph. (This strategy may be more suitable for longer, more in-depth analytical essays).

Using the above example topic sentence, we might conclude the paragraph as follows:

Notice how this concluding statement not only emphasizes the main points from the paragraph but also ties back into the thesis statement.

Writing Tips For Analytical Paragraphs

Leave out first person language.

Avoid using language such as “in my opinion,” “from my perspective,” or “I think.” While the analysis is your interpretation of a text or information, you should rely on and focus on using evidence to support your ideas. Overall, you should aim to maintain an objective tone .

Instead of saying “I think Rosamond is manipulative,” you should use evidence from the text to show that she was manipulative. For example, “Rosamond shows a pattern of manipulation throughout Middlemarch , specifically toward her husband. For instance, she says, ‘…’”

Do Writing Exercises

When writing, especially in the early drafts of an essay, it is typical to find the main idea of a paragraph at the end. This is a natural course for our thinking process. However, the main idea should be presented as your topic sentence at the beginning of this paragraph. Additionally, most students leave this main idea at the end because they do not identify it as the main idea.

To overcome this dilemma, try a looping prewriting exercise . In this exercise, you write continuously for a designated time (maybe 10 minutes, your choice). At the end of that time, read over what you’ve written and circle the main idea of the text (this is usually at the end). In the next cycle, you start with this main idea at the beginning and further examine and analyze it.

This is a wonderful exercise to help you pick out main ideas and delve deeper into your analysis.

Get Feedback

If you are a student, there are several options to get feedback for free. Ask a friend to read your essay. Go to your writing center to get feedback and help with your writing. Go to your professor’s office hours with your writing or questions to get detailed advice. More often than not, they are happy to see you take advantage of their expertise.

As a working professional, writer, or author, you can look to fellow authors or bookish friends to read your work. You can find free beta readers online from sites such as Goodreads to get feedback from your target audience. You can also find writing groups on social media platforms.

Proofread Your Work

It can be easy to finish writing an essay and think “Finally, I’m done!” Unfortunately, that is only half the process. Be sure to always read and reread your writing before hitting submit. Check for stray commas, spelling errors, or awkward sentences to make your main ideas and hard work shine. Learn about 6 Quick and Easy Tips for Proofreading you can do at home.

Writing an analytical paragraph doesn’t have to be stressful. Be sure to include a topic sentence at the beginning of your paragraph that connects to the thesis statement. Provide a variety of evidence to support your main idea, analyze the text by highlighting literary devices used, themes, and patterns, and end with a brief concluding statement.

If you need more help with writing analysis, descriptive essays, or any other type of essay, then Proofed is here to help. Try our free trial today!

What Is a Topic Sentence?

A topic sentence goes at the beginning of a body paragraph and clearly states the main idea of the paragraph.

How Do I Organize an Analytical Paragraph?

An analytical paragraph has four components: topic sentence, evidence, analysis, and conclusion. The topic sentence is the most important part of any body paragraph because it establishes the main idea of the paragraph and relates to the thesis statement.

What Makes a Good Analytical Paragraph?

A good analytical paragraph has a clear topic sentence, strong evidence, and a thorough analysis that reflects the writer’s critical thinking and writing skills. It should conclude by emphasizing the main idea of the paragraph and how it supports the essay overall.

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Analytical Essay Guide

Analytical Essay Example

15 Analytical Essay Samples to Learn From - Tips Included

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Analytical Essay Step by Step Writing Guide

Interesting Analytical Essay Topics Ideas for Students

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Writing an analytical essay can be tough for students. It requires a deep understanding of the topic and the ability to break it down into smaller parts. This can cause stress, lower grades, and frustration among students.

But don't worry! We have a solution for you. In this blog, we'll give you great analytical examples and simple tips for writing amazing analytical essays.

Ready to tackle the analytical essay? Let's get started!

• 1. Understanding Analytical Writing
• 2. Analytical Essay Examples
• 3. Analytical Essay Outline Example
• 4. Analytical Essay Topics Examples 
• 5. Tips to Write an Effective Analytical Essay

Understanding Analytical Writing

An analytical essay is a type of academic writing that looks into a specific subject, dissecting it into its various components and examining how they interrelate.

It requires the writer to not only present a clear understanding of the topic but also to analyze and evaluate it critically. 

Unlike a descriptive essay , an analytical essay demands a more in-depth exploration, often involving an argument or thesis statement that guides the critical analysis. 

Analytical Essay Examples

To truly understand the art of analytical essay writing, one of the most effective methods is to examine practical examples. 

Analytical essay examples provide a clear blueprint of how to approach this type of essay successfully. So, read the examples below to find inspiration for writing a clear analytical essay.

Analytical Essay Example PDF For Students

Here are some analytical essay examples for students in PDF form that you can read and download for free:

Analytical Essay Example (Pdf)

Analytical Essay Example Sample

Analytical Essay Structure

Analytical Essay Example University

Analytical Essay Example College

Analytical Essay Examples For High School

Short Analytical Essay Example

If you are still having difficulty, here are some more examples of analytical essays to help you get inspired.

How To Write An Analytical Essay - Example

APA Analytical Essay Example

Analytical Essay Example APA Format

Analytical Essay Example on A Book

Macbeth Analytical Essay Example

Analytical Essay Example Movie

Analytical Essay Outline Example

When tackling an analytical essay create an outline that is well structured. This outline serves as a roadmap, guiding you through the essay-writing process. The proper structure ensures you don't miss vital elements. 

Let's break down the essential sections of an analytical essay outline with examples: 

Introduction - Setting the Stage

In the introduction , your aim is to set the stage for your analysis. This section should introduce the topic, provide context, and present a clear thesis statement that outlines the main argument or focus of your essay.

Let’s take a look at another thesis statement for an analytical essay example:

Body - Analyzing Key Points

The body paragraphs of your analytical essay typically are where the real analysis takes place. This section can be divided into multiple paragraphs, each addressing a specific point or aspect related to your thesis. 

Here, you should provide evidence, examples, and critical analysis to support your argument.

Conclusion - Summarize Key Points

As you reach the essay conclusion , it's time to tie it all together. Summarize your main points, restate your thesis statement, and underscore the importance of your analysis. 

Remember, this is not the place to introduce new background information. Instead, offer insights and an impactful recap of your discoveries.

Conclusion for analytical essay example: 

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Analytical Essay Topics Examples 

Choosing the right type of essay topic is an important first step when writing an analytical essay. The topic you select should be engaging, relevant, and suitable for in-depth analysis. 

Here are some thought-provoking analytical essay topics to consider:

• The Symbolism of the "Green Light" in F. Scott Fitzgerald's "The Great Gatsby"
• The Impact of Social Media on Mental Health
• Analyzing the Causes and Consequences of Income Inequality
• The Role of Nature in Shakespeare's Sonnets
• Analyzing the Historical Significance of the Industrial Revolution
• The Influence of Technology on Education
• The Psychology of Marketing and Consumer Behavior
• The Impact of Globalization on Cultural Identity
• Analyzing the Ethical Dilemmas in Artificial Intelligence
• The Evolution of Environmental Policies and Their Impact on Conservation

Are you still having trouble coming up with a good analytical essay topic? Check out this blog for more than 150 compelling analytical essay topics .

Tips to Write an Effective Analytical Essay

Writing an effective analytical essay requires a structured approach and attention to detail. Here are some valuable tips to help you craft a compelling analytical essay:

• Focus Your Topic: Select a specific topic or aspect for in-depth analysis rather than a broad subject matter.
• Research Thoroughly: Gather reliable sources and evidence to support your analysis.
• Create a Well-Structured Outline: Plan your essay with a clear introduction, body, and conclusion.
• Analyze, Don't Summarize: Avoid summarizing the subject; instead, critically evaluate and interpret it.
• Use Clear Topic Sentences: Start each paragraph with a clear topic sentence that relates to your thesis.
• Provide Evidence: Support your analysis with quotes, examples, and data from your research.
• Critical Thinking: Engage in critical thinking to question assumptions and explore alternative perspectives.
• Maintain Clarity: Use clear and concise language to convey your points effectively.

In conclusion, the analytical essay stands as a potent tool for honing your skills and conveying your understanding of complex subjects.

Through this guide, we've explored the essence of analytical essays and the essential steps to compose a compelling piece.

If you are assigned to write an analytical essay, take help from the above-mentioned examples. Another option is to get assistance from a professional analytical essay writer. 

The top analytical essay writing service at MyPerfectWords.com can assist you and provide customized written essays and papers for every academic level. We offer the best essay writing service.

So, why wait? Get expert help from our essay writing service for students now.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is an example of an analytical sentence.

A concise example of an analytical sentence is: In "To Kill a Mockingbird," Harper Lee uses the character of Atticus Finch to explore themes of morality and justice in the face of racial prejudice.

What is an example of analysis?

Here is an example of analysis: Through Atticus Finch's unwavering commitment to defending Tom Robinson, despite facing societal backlash, Lee highlights the importance of integrity and standing up for what is right, even in the face of adversity.

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Analytical vs Argumentative Essay: How Do They Compare?

by  Antony W

May 2, 2023

In this guide, we’ll tell you everything you should know about analytical vs argumentative essay.

While the two require concise writing without skipping the most significant points, they have quite dissimilar fundamentals.

Key Takeaways 

• An argumentative essay presents two sides of an argument and then uses evidence and facts to demonstrate why one side of an issue is stronger, better, or more favorable.
• The analytical essay, on the other hand, is an evaluation of information collected from different sources put together in one document.
• An analytical essay gives a sound explanation and interpretation while an argumentative essay communicates your strong stand on a controversial topic to an audience that may or may not agree with you.

What is Argumentative Writing?

The argumentative writing goes beyond demonstrating your ideas in a manner that support your thesis statement. An author takes one side of an argument and develops it.

By using irrefutable and solid evidence, they attempt to convince the reader that the position they hold on the claim or subject at hand is the correct one.

An important element that must reflect in argumentative writing is the credibility of the sources used. In other words, you can only use reliable scholarly sources as evidence to support your arguments.

What is Analytical Writing?

In analytical writing , an author gathers information from a number of credible and reliable sources and then combines the information to come up with an analysis in the form of an essay.

Instead of taking a side and defending your argument, analytical writing requires you to present both positive and negative viewpoint.

In order to come up with a well-written analytical paper, you need to conduct more research to dig up as much data and information as you possibly can.

Analytical vs Argumentative Essay: Objective

Purpose of an argumentative essay.

The primary objective of an argumentative essay is to demonstrate to your reader that you can take a strong stand on a controversial subject.

When it comes to writing this essay, you should first highlight opposing views and then use strong argument to refute those views.

The secret to writing a thought-provoking argumentative essay is to make sure you choose opposing arguments that are inferior to your own.

Again, your logic has to be as authentic as possible, which means you must never include logical fallacies in the essay.

Purpose of an Analytical Essay

In analytical essay, your objective is to examine a subject for the purpose of accurate explanation and sound interpretation.

You’ll analyze different aspects of literary work, an event in history, or a concept, depending on the subject area, and relate its purpose to a theme or structure.

Literary essays require you to analyze the form and structure of the work, or its content in terms of the characters, plot, or setting.

In analyzing a concept, the analyst needs to evaluate a concept and provide means for defining and understanding the concept and its overall implication.

Analytical vs Argumentative Essay: Writing

Writing an analytical essay.

In analytical writing, you have to use a balanced or neutral approach to present a clear picture of the topic and draw an appropriate conclusion.

To present your ideas clearly , you should divide the analytical essay into four major parts. The assignment should have an introduction, an analysis of the text, a personal response, and a conclusion.

In the introduction of your analytical essay, tell your audience what to expect from your writing.

As with any literary writing, your analytical essay should include a thesis statement or research question , and  make sure you bring out the major theme so that they focus of the essay is very clear to understand.

The analysis part of the essay is more than likely going to be the longest. That means you have sufficient room to analyze an issue and connect it with your argument.

As you analyze the text, make sure you pay close attention to the literary devices that the author uses for communication. 

An in-depth analysis should make it easy for you to draw an objective conclusion on whether make their ideas or goals clear to their intended reader. 

More importantly, rather than just making personal assumption when doing your analysis, you should accompany them with reasonable evidence.

The third step to writing an analytical essay is to write your personal response.

Here is your chance to show that you understand the topic. You should use a critical approach when writing your response. And don’t forget to give reasonable evidence throughout.

Include a strong conclusion for your analytical essay.

The goal here isn’t to introduce an idea or find a quote to conclude the essay .

Instead, you should show a clear relationship between the text or subject that you’ve analyzed and the argument that you have presented.

If you need help to get your analytical essay written, check out our analysis paper writing service and place your order. You get a coupon of up to 15% discount on your first order. Plus, our team will do custom writing, so you don’t have to worry about plagiarism.

Writing an Argumentative Essay 

Unlike an analytical essay, an argumentative essay doesn’t take a balanced approach on a topic.

You take a persuasive approach instead, in which case you have to show that your opinion, claim , theory, or hypothesis is either correct or more truthful than other arguments.

When writing an argumentative assignment, it’s important to make sure your arguments are clear, focused, and concise.

For a chance to stand out and prove that your position on an issue is convincingly more truthful, you should pick a side that you can easily support with strong evidence.

The most important writing rule when it comes to writing your argument is to work with a proper formatting in mind. In other words, you need to structure your arguments properly.

Write an interesting introduction with a thesis statement. Also, you need to get your body paragraphs right, making sure that each covers a single idea.

Ensure there are proper transitions between paragraph, each ending with a closing link and easily taking the reader to the next idea. End the essay with a very strong conclusion.

Do in-depth research before working on your arguments. Even if you already understand your audience and know what can win them over, you need to look into the evidence that you want to present to make sure it’s convincing.

Keep your language formal, easy to read and understand, and add a bit of attention-grabbing clauses or phrases to make the essay easy to read.  

Writing an argumentative essay isn’t as easy. Even if you have an interesting topic to explore, you must invest hundreds of hours in research, evidence extraction, and writing. With the help of our argumentative essay writer , you can spend less time on the task and get high quality paper delivered.

Similarities Between Analytical and Argumentative Essays?

While there are obvious differences in writing analytical and argumentative essay, there is one thing that both essays must reflect.

When working on either paper, your writing should reflect logical thinking, in-depth research, and comprehensive evaluation of the information you include in them.

About the author 

Antony W is a professional writer and coach at Help for Assessment. He spends countless hours every day researching and writing great content filled with expert advice on how to write engaging essays, research papers, and assignments.

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A complete guide to writing a comparison essay – tips, strategies, and examples.

When it comes to analyzing and exploring different ideas, a comparison essay is an invaluable tool in any writer’s arsenal. A well-crafted comparison essay allows you to highlight the similarities and differences between two or more subjects, giving you the opportunity to delve into their intricacies and uncover new perspectives. Whether you are an aspiring writer or a seasoned one looking to refine your skills, learning how to effectively write a comparison essay is an essential skill.

Comparisons enable us to understand the world around us on a deeper level. They provide us with the ability to envision the connections between seemingly disparate entities, to draw parallels between opposing viewpoints, and to unveil the nuanced aspects that make each subject unique. Crafting a compelling comparison essay requires finesse, as it involves not only presenting the similarities and differences but also offering a coherent and insightful analysis that expands the reader’s understanding.

Throughout history, renowned writers and thinkers have employed the art of comparison to captivate audiences and convey complex ideas. From the works of Shakespeare to the philosophical teachings of Socrates, these masterpieces of comparison have stood the test of time, offering us timeless wisdom and inspiration. By studying and analyzing these literary gems, you can gain a deeper appreciation for the power of comparison and harness it within your own writing, making your words resonate with readers and leave a lasting impact.

Understanding the Purpose and Structure of a Comparison Essay

When composing a comparison essay, it is crucial to grasp its underlying purpose and follow a well-defined structure. Comparison essays, also known as comparative essays, require the writer to analyze and discuss the similarities and differences between two or more subjects. These essays serve to showcase the writer’s ability to critically examine the given topics, provide thoughtful analysis, and draw meaningful conclusions.

The purpose of a comparison essay is to highlight the similarities and differences between the subjects being compared. This type of essay allows the writer to explore various aspects of the subjects and provide insights into their similarities and disparities. It provides an opportunity to delve into the characteristics, qualities, and features of the subjects in a structured manner.

Regarding the structure, a comparison essay typically follows a systematic approach. It consists of an introduction, body paragraphs, and a conclusion. The introduction sets the tone for the essay and provides a brief overview of the subjects being compared. It also includes a thesis statement that presents the main argument or point of comparison.

The body paragraphs form the core of the essay and present the detailed analysis of the subjects. Each paragraph focuses on one aspect or characteristic, comparing and contrasting it between the subjects. Clear topic sentences help to guide the reader through the comparison process, while supporting evidence and examples provide credibility to the writer’s analysis.

Finally, the conclusion summarizes the main points discussed in the body paragraphs and restates the thesis statement. It offers the writer an opportunity to leave the reader with a compelling closing thought or emphasize the significance of the comparison. It should not introduce any new information but rather provide a concise summary of the essay’s main ideas.

Understanding the purpose and structure of a comparison essay is essential for producing a well-organized and compelling piece of writing. It allows the writer to present a thoughtful comparison of the subjects and effectively convey their insights and conclusions to the reader.

Choosing the Right Topics for Comparison

One of the crucial steps in writing a comparison essay is selecting suitable topics for comparison. This stage requires careful consideration and evaluation of potential subjects to ensure a meaningful and engaging analysis. By choosing the right topics, you can effectively highlight similarities and differences, providing your readers with valuable insights.

When selecting topics for comparison, it is essential to opt for subjects that share some similarities, yet possess distinctive features that can be explored in depth. This contrast will enable you to showcase the nuances and complexities of the subjects being compared, leading to a more comprehensive and thought-provoking essay.

• Choose two subjects that are related or have a connection in some way, whether it is through their characteristics, themes, or historical context.
• Consider selecting topics that you have a personal interest in or are knowledgeable about. This will make the writing process more enjoyable and allow you to provide unique insights.
• Ensure that the topics selected are relevant and meaningful to your intended audience. By addressing subjects that resonate with your readers, you can create a stronger impact and generate interest.
• Look for topics that offer sufficient material for comparison. It is essential to have enough similarities and differences between the subjects to provide a comprehensive analysis.

By following these guidelines and taking the time to carefully select your topics, you can create a strong foundation for your comparison essay. Remember to consider the interests and preferences of your audience, while also focusing on subjects that allow for a thorough exploration of similarities and differences. With the right selection, you can deliver a compelling and impactful analysis that resonates with your readers.

Gathering and Organizing Relevant Information

To create a well-rounded comparison essay, it is crucial to gather and organize relevant information effectively. This step involves collecting the necessary data and materials that will aid in the comparison process.

Begin by identifying the key elements or subjects of comparison. These could be two similar products, concepts, theories, or any other items that you want to compare. Make a list or create a mind map to help visualize the connections between these subjects.

Next, conduct thorough research on each subject. Look for reliable and credible sources such as books, scholarly articles, reputable websites, and academic journals. Take note of any relevant quotes, statistics, examples, or arguments that can be used to support your points in the essay.

Once you have gathered the necessary information, it is important to organize it in a structured manner. This can be done by creating an outline or a table that compares the different aspects of each subject. Consider using headings and subheadings to categorize the information and make it easier to follow.

When organizing the information, keep in mind the main purpose of your comparison essay. Are you trying to highlight similarities, differences, or both? Use this objective as a guide when arranging the gathered information. For example, if you are focusing on similarities, you may want to group similar aspects of each subject together for easy comparison.

Additionally, it is essential to properly cite and reference the sources you used during your research. This not only gives credit to the original authors but also adds credibility to your essay. Use a consistent citation style, such as APA or MLA, and include in-text citations as well as a bibliography or works cited page at the end of your essay.

Gathering and organizing relevant information sets a strong foundation for a comparison essay. By following these steps, you will be able to present a well-structured and well-informed analysis of the subjects under comparison.

Developing a Strong Thesis Statement

Formulating a compelling thesis statement is essential when writing a comparative essay. It serves as the roadmap for the entire piece, allowing the reader to understand the main argument or point being made. The thesis statement should concisely summarize the main ideas that will be explored in the essay, while also highlighting the similarities and differences between the subjects being compared.

One effective way to develop a strong thesis statement is to first analyze the similarities and differences between the two subjects. By identifying the key aspects that will be discussed, it becomes easier to craft a thesis statement that accurately represents the main focus of the essay.

Another approach is to consider the overall purpose of the essay. Are you trying to persuade the reader to favor one subject over the other? Or are you simply presenting an objective analysis of the similarities and differences? Clarifying the purpose of the comparison essay can help guide the development of a strong thesis statement that aligns with the intended message.

In addition, it is important to consider the scope of the essay. Are you comparing just one aspect of the subjects or their overall characteristics? The depth of the analysis will impact the specificity of the thesis statement. For a more focused comparison, the thesis statement can be more specific, while a broader analysis may require a more general thesis statement.

Lastly, it is crucial to ensure that the thesis statement is clear and concise. Avoid vague or ambiguous language, and instead, use precise wording to clearly communicate the main argument of the essay. The thesis statement should provide a clear direction for the reader, guiding them through the comparative analysis that will follow.

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Analytical Essay

Analytical essay generator.

There are different types of essays which I would assume most of you are already familiar with. Persuasive essays , reflective essays , and descriptive essays  are just among the few examples. Essays are rather seen important especially in the life of a student, because it is often what your grades are based on.

Knowing how to start an essay is an important in key in writing effective essay . In addition to that, your point of view will determine the kind of essay you are writing. This article will be able to help you in understanding another kind of essay, which is the analytical essay.

What is an Analytical Essay?- Definition

An analytical essay is a type of academic writing where the writer breaks down a topic or argument into its component parts, evaluates the issue or idea, and presents this breakdown and evaluation to the audience. It aims to convey a deeper understanding and insight into the subject being analyzed. Analytical essays require critical thinking and a clear argumentative structure, often addressing questions of “how” and “why.”

Structure of an Analytical Essay

An analytical essay is structured to break down and examine a specific topic, idea, or argument in depth. The goal is to present a comprehensive analysis that offers insights and a deeper understanding of the subject. Here’s how it’s typically structured:

Introduction

Hook: Start with an engaging sentence to draw in the reader. Background Information: Provide context or background necessary to understand the topic. Thesis Statement: Present a clear, concise statement that expresses the main argument or analysis that the essay will support.

Body Paragraphs

Topic Sentence: Each paragraph should start with a topic sentence that introduces the main idea of the paragraph. Analysis: Present detailed analysis of the evidence. This includes interpreting the evidence, explaining how it supports the thesis, and discussing its implications. Evidence: Include specific examples, quotations, or data that support the analysis. Make sure to properly cite sources. Link: Conclude each paragraph by linking its main idea to the thesis statement, ensuring the essay remains focused on the analysis.

Summary: Briefly summarize the key points made in the essay, reaffirming how they support the thesis. Thesis Restatement: Restate the thesis in a new way, reflecting the insights gained through the analysis. Final Thoughts: Offer final insights, reflections, or a call to action, suggesting the implications of your analysis or areas for further exploration.

Works Cited (if required)

Sources: List all sources cited in the essay in the appropriate format.

How to Write an Analytical Essay: Key Steps

• Choose Your Topic: Select a specific, analyzable topic that interests you.
• Conduct Thorough Research: Gather information from credible sources to support your analysis.
• Formulate a Thesis Statement: Develop a clear, concise thesis that outlines your essay’s main argument.
• Create an Outline: Organize your main points and evidence in a logical structure.
• Write the Essay:

Introduction : Start with a hook, provide context, and present your thesis. Body Paragraphs : Each should include a topic sentence, evidence, analysis, and a concluding sentence linking back to the thesis. Conclusion : Summarize the analysis, restate the thesis, and highlight the importance of your findings.

• Revise and Edit: Review your essay for coherence, accuracy, and errors. Ensure clarity in argumentation and evidence presentation

Analytical Essay Samples

• Essay on Artificial Intelligence (AI)
• Essay on Cyber Bullying
• Essay on Deforestation
• Essay on Discipline
• Essay on Education Rules

Analytical Essay Examples

Critical analytical.

Poetry Analytical Example

Literary Analytical Essay

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Short Analytical Sample

Comparative Analytical Example

High School Analytical

What is the Purpose of an Analytical Essay?

The purpose of an analytical essay is to break down and examine a piece of literature, film, event, or any other subject, in order to present a thorough understanding and insightful interpretation of it. This type of essay focuses on analyzing the subject’s structure, components, and underlying themes or messages. It aims to reveal deeper meanings, relationships, and complexities within the subject, encouraging readers to see beyond the surface level. Additionally, an analytical essay seeks to support its analysis with evidence, thereby fostering critical thinking and enhancing the reader’s comprehension and appreciation of the subject matter. Through this detailed examination, the essay not only contributes to academic discourse but also aids in developing the writer’s analytical and evaluative skills

Analytical Essay vs. Descriptive Essay: What’s the Difference?

The main difference between an analytical essay and a descriptive essay lies in their purpose and approach to the topic. Each serves a unique goal and employs distinct methods to achieve its objectives.

Importance of Analytical Essay

The aim of analytical essay to start is not to present a story but to analyze and it to make readers understand what the writer intends to accomplish with the essay. Some students who are asked to write an analytical essay tend to tell the readers the next scenario of the story instead of analyzing it. Remember that it is not a narrative essay, rather an essay which is aimed at analyzing the subject.

The importance of analytical essay is to provide readers a more comprehensible understanding of a story or a book by assessing all its important elements. It is a good way of practicing critical thinking by looking at a story from different angles.

How to Conclude an Analytical Essay

The conclusion of any essay, like in an expository essay , is to recap the main point in order for the readers to get a gist of the essay. This process of making a conclusion can also be applied to an analytical essay, except the writer should be able to present two important factors: the analysis and the argument .

• The analysis is the study of the main issue that is presented with its supporting elements, like the plot of the story and the characters.
• The argument is your personal response to the subject and line of reasoning based on the analysis.

How Do You Write a Text Analysis Essay?

To write a text analysis essay, start by reading the text critically to understand its themes, characters, and plot. Develop a thesis that makes a claim about the text, then organize your essay into an introduction, several body paragraphs that support your thesis with evidence from the text, and a conclusion that summarizes your analysis and reiterates the thesis.

What is the Pattern of an Analytical Essay?

The pattern of an analytical essay typically includes an introduction with a thesis statement, body paragraphs that present evidence and analysis to support the thesis, and a conclusion that summarizes the analysis and reinforces the thesis. Each body paragraph should focus on a specific aspect of the analysis.

Is an Analytical Essay a Persuasive Essay?

An analytical essay is not inherently a persuasive essay, but it can contain persuasive elements. While an analytical essay focuses on breaking down and interpreting information, a persuasive essay aims to convince the reader of a particular viewpoint. However, both may use evidence and reasoning to support their purposes.

What is the Hardest Type of Essay to Write?

The hardest type of essay to write can vary depending on the writer’s skills and interests, but many find persuasive essays challenging due to the need to effectively argue a point of view, using logic, reasoning, and evidence to convince readers to agree with a specific stance.

What is an Analytical vs Descriptive Essay?

An analytical essay breaks down and interprets various aspects of a topic to provide in-depth understanding or argument, focusing on the “how” and “why.” In contrast, a descriptive essay vividly describes a person, place, object, or event, focusing on creating a sensory experience for the reader.

Is an Analytical Essay an Expository Essay?

Yes, an analytical essay can be considered a type of expository essay. Both aim to explain or inform. However, an analytical essay specifically analyzes and interprets elements of a subject to provide deeper insight, while expository essays can also define, explain, or instruct without necessarily analyzing.

Text prompt

• Instructive
• Professional

Key Steps for Writing an Analytical Essay

Crafting Thesis Statements for Analytical Essays

Analytical Essay Outline: Structure Your Thoughts

Transition Words for Cohesive Analytical Essays

Analyzing Themes: Tips for Analytical Essays

Comparing and Contrasting in Analytical Essays

Using Evidence Effectively in Analytical Essays

Concluding Your Analytical Essay with Impact

Analytical Essay on Historical Events: How-To

Literary Analysis: Dissecting Symbolism in Texts

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162 lies and distortions in a news conference. NPR fact-checks former President Trump

Domenico Montanaro

Former President Donald Trump, the Republican presidential nominee, speaks during a news conference at his Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida on Aug. 8. Joe Raedle/Getty Images hide caption

There were a host of false things that Donald Trump said during his hour-long news conference Thursday that have gotten attention.

A glaring example is his helicopter emergency landing story, which has not stood up to scrutiny .

But there was so much more. A team of NPR reporters and editors reviewed the transcript of his news conference and found at least 162 misstatements, exaggerations and outright lies in 64 minutes. That’s more than two a minute. It’s a stunning number for anyone – and even more problematic for a person running to lead the free world.

Politicians spin. They fib. They misspeak. They make honest mistakes like the rest of us. And, yes, they even sometimes exaggerate their biographies .

The expectation, though, is that they will treat the truth as something important and correct any errors.

But what former President Trump did this past Thursday went well beyond the bounds of what most politicians would do.

Here’s what we found, going chronologically from the beginning of Trump’s remarks to the end:

1. “I think our country right now is in the most dangerous position it’s ever been in from an economic standpoint…” 

The U.S. economy has rebounded from the pandemic downturn more rapidly than most other countries around the world. Growth has slowed in recent months, but gross domestic product still grew at a relatively healthy annual clip of 2.8% in April, May and June – which is faster than the pace in three of the four years when Trump was president. — Scott Horsley, NPR chief economics correspondent

2. “…from a safety standpoint, both gangs on the street…”

We don’t have great, up-to-date data on gang activity in the U.S., but violent crime trends offer a good glimpse into safety in the country. Nationally, violent crime – that includes murder, rape, robbery and aggravated assault – has been trending way down after a surge in 2020, according to the most recent data from the FBI . That data is preliminary and incomplete, covering around three-quarters of the country, but other crime analysts have found similar trends. Crime levels, of course, vary locally : murders are down in Philadelphia, for instance, but up in Charlotte, N.C. — Meg Anderson, NPR National Desk reporter covering criminal justice

3. “...and frankly, gangs outside of our country in the form of other countries that are, frankly, very powerful. They’re very powerful countries.”

The U.S. is not in the “most dangerous position” from a foreign-policy standpoint than ever before. Biden pulled troops out of Afghanistan in his first year in office — though the withdrawal itself was chaotic and a target of much criticism — and since then, U.S. troops have not been actively engaged in a war for the first time in 20 years. The U.S. is supporting Ukraine and Israel, of course, and has troops in Iraq and Syria, but they’re not fighting on any regular basis.

What’s more, however, FBI Director Christopher Wray has said the greatest threat to the country is domestic extremism . And beyond organized groups the very definition of extremism is changing, as fringe ideologies move into the mainstream, and radicalization takes hold amongst parts of the populace. Consider: the Jan. 6 riot at the U.S. Capitol and the assassination attempt on Trump’s life, even with a motive that remains murky at best. Regardless, the call is coming from inside the house, domestic extremism experts warn. Many polls show a sobering degree of support for political violence to drive change. — Andrew Sussman, NPR supervising editor for national security

4-5. “ We have a lot of bad things coming up. You could end up in a Depression of the 1929 variety, which would be a devastating thing, took many years– took many decades to recover from it, and we’re very close to that.”

There is nothing to suggest that a 1930s style Depression is on the horizon for the United States. And the Depression did not take “many decades to recover from.” It ended during World War Two , in 1941. — Scott Horsley

6. “And we’re very close to a world war. In my opinion, we’re very close to a world war.”

No serious person thinks that the U.S., Russia and China are about to start a world war. Right now, Russia appears to be having a hard time defending Russia, given Ukraine’s recent incursions. While there are concerns about things like the potential for regional conflagrations in the Middle East, only Trump is talking about world war. — Andrew Sussman

7. “ Kamala's record is horrible. She's a radical left person at a level that nobody's seen.” 

It’s debatable how liberal Harris is. Some in California didn’t like her record on criminal justice and thought she was not progressive enough. She’s clearly liked by progressives and her voting scores as a senator are on the liberal end of the spectrum, but is she “radical left” and “at a level that nobody’s seen”? There are plenty of people alive and in history who would be considered far more liberal and more radical.

8. “She picked a radical left man.”

Few, if any, reasonable people would say Walz is a “radical left man.” He had a progressive record as governor with a Democratic legislature, but the things passed are hardly radical – free school lunch, protecting abortion rights, legalizing marijuana, restricting access to certain types of guns. All of these things have majority support from voters. What’s more, that “progressive” record ignores Walz’s first term as governor when he worked with Republicans because Democrats didn’t control the legislature. And it ignores Walz’s time as a congressman when he was considered a more moderate member given that he was from a district that had been previously held by a Republican.

9. “He's going for things that nobody's ever even heard of. Heavy into the transgender world.” 

Last year, Walz championed and signed a bill that prevented state courts of officials from complying with child-removal requests, extraditions, arrests or subpoenas related to gender-affirming health care that a person receives or provides in Minnesota. “Heavy into the transgender world” is vague and misleading.

10. “He doesn't want to have borders. He doesn't want to have walls.”

Walz has never called for having no borders. He has voiced opposition to a wall because he doesn't think it will stop illegal immigration. He told Anderson Cooper on CNN , for example, that a wall "is not how you stop" illegal immigration He called for more border-control agents, electronics and more legal ways to immigrate.

11. “He doesn't want to have any form of safety for our country.”

Trump himself praised Walz’s handling of the aftermath of the George Floyd murder at the hands of a police officer. And it’s certainly hyperbole to say he “doesn’t want any form of safety for our country.” Walz served in the U.S. National Guard for 24 years, so clearly, he’s interested in the country having national security. And domestically, he’s never been a “defund the police” advocate. Walz opposed a ballot measure that would have gotten rid of minimum police staffing levels, for example. That angered advocates. He signed police reforms into law , but that does not prove wanting no safety.

12. “He doesn't mind people coming in from prisons.”

Walz has not said he wants people coming in from prisons. Trump is trying to tie his claim that other countries are sending prisoners to the United States to Democrats’ immigration policies.

13. “And neither does she, I guess. Because she's not, she couldn't care less.”

Harris has said a lot to the contrary of not caring about the levels of migrants coming across the border, let alone people coming in from prisons. In fact, when in Guatemala, she said her message for people thinking of immigrating to the United States was: " Do not come. Do not come ."

14. “She's the border czar. By the way, she was the border czar, 100%. And all of a sudden, for the last few weeks, she's not the border czar anymore, like nobody ever said it.”

Harris was never appointed “border czar.” That’s a phrase that was used incorrectly by some media outlets. Biden tasked Harris with leading the “ diplomatic effort ” with leaders in Central American countries, where many migrants are coming from.

Biden said he wants Harris “to lead our efforts with Mexico and the Northern Triangle and the countries that help — are going to need help in stemming the movement of so many folks, stemming the migration to our southern border.” He added that Harris “agreed to lead our diplomatic effort and work with those nations to accept — the returnees, and enhance migration enforcement at their borders — at their borders.”

Harris herself that day spoke of “the need to address root causes for the migration that we’ve been seeing.”

15. “We have a very, very sick country right now. You saw the other day with the stock market crashing. That was just the beginning. That was just the beginning.”

The stock market did not “crash.” The stock market fell sharply at the end of last week as investors fretted about a softening job market. This was amplified on Monday when Japan’s stock market tumbled 12%, sparking a selloff around the world. Stocks in Japan and elsewhere have since regained much of this ground, however. The Dow Jones Industrial Average jumped 683 points on the day of Trump’s news conference. — Scott Horsley

16. “Fortunately, we've had some very good polls over the last fairly short period of time.”

Most good polls have shown Harris gaining not just nationally, but also in the swing states, though these same polls show a very close race.

17. “Rasmussen came out today. We're substantially leading.” 

Trump is not substantially leading, and Rasmussen is viewed as one of the least credible pollsters in the country.

18. “And others came out today that we're leading, and in some cases, substantially, I guess, MSNBC came out, or CNBC came out also, with a poll that was, you know, has us leading.” 

Polls have not shown substantial leads. CNBC had Trump leading by 2, unchanged from his 2-point lead in July.

19. “And leading fairly big in swing states. In some polls, I'm leading very big in swing states… .”

Again, polls in swing states have shown a tightened race.

20. “But as a border czar, she's been the worst border czar in history, in the world history.”

Vice President Harris was never asked to lead immigration policy. That’s the job of Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas. Again, the term “border czar” was used inaccurately by some media outlets, and it’s a term conservatives have been using to attack her, in part, because she has only visited the Southern U.S. border a few times since 2021. But in reality, Harris was tapped by President Biden to address the root causes of migration . Her approach has focused on deterrence. She’s told migrants to not come to the U.S., and she has been able to secure more than $5 billion in commitments from private companies to help boost the economy in Central American countries. — Sergio Martínez-Beltrán, NPR immigration correspondent based in Texas 

21. “I think the number is 20 million, but whether it's 15 or 20, it's numbers that nobody's ever heard before. 20 million people came over the border in the last– during the Biden-Harris administration. Twenty-million people. And it could be very much higher than that. Nobody really knows what the number is.”

It’s unclear where Trump is getting this number from. According to U.S. Customs and Border Protection , since 2021 agents have had more than 7.3 million encounters nationwide with migrants trying to cross into the country illegally. Under Biden, unlawful crossings hit an all-time high last year, but that number has decreased significantly, in part, due to Biden’s asylum restrictions at the Southern U.S. border. An April report from the Office of Homeland Security Statistics found there’s nearly 11 million unauthorized migrants in the country. — Sergio Martínez-Beltrán

22. “Just like far more people were killed in the Ukraine-Russia war than you have reported.”

Neither Russia nor Ukraine is revealing its own casualty figures, so there are only very broad estimates. — Andrew Sussman 

23. “A lot of great things would have happened, but now you have millions and millions of dead people. And you have people dying financially, because they can't buy bacon; they can't buy food; they can't buy groceries; they can't do anything. And they're living horribly in our country right now.”

Grocery prices actually jumped sharply during Trump’s last year in office, as pandemic lockdowns disrupted the food supply chain and Americans were suddenly forced to eat more of their meals at home. Grocery inflation in June 2020 hit 5.6%. This was masked, however, by a plunge in other prices, as the global economy fell into pandemic recession.

As the economy rebounded, prices did, too. Inflation began to rise in 2021, and spiked in 2022 after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine sent food and energy prices soaring. Inflation has since moderated, falling from a peak of 9.1% in June 2022 to 3% in June 2024 . (July’s inflation figures will be released next week.) Grocery prices have largely leveled off in the last year, although they remain higher than they were before the pandemic – a potent reminder of the rising cost of living.

Economists have warned that Trump’s proposed import tariffs and immigration restrictions could result in higher inflation in the years to come. Researchers from the Peterson Institute for International Economics estimate the tariffs alone would cost the typical family about $1,700 a year . — Scott Horsley

24. “We've agreed with NBC, fairly full agreement, subject to them, on Sept. 10th.”

This is ABC, not NBC.

25. “She can't do an interview. She's barely competent and she can't do an interview.” 

Harris hasn’t done interviews since getting into the campaign, but she has done them in the past, so saying “she can’t do” one or that she is “barely competent” are just insults. Trump tends to revert to questioning the intelligence of Black women who challenge him. In fact, Trump did it nine times in this news conference, saying either Harris is not that “smart” (five times) "incompetent” (three times) or “barely competent,” as he did here.

26-27. “Why is it that millions of people were allowed to come into our country from prisons, from jails, from mental institutions, insane asylums, even insane asylums, that's a– it's a mental institution on steroids. That's what it is.”

Immigration experts have said they have not been able to find any evidence of this. Adam Isacson, director for defense oversight at the Washington Office on Latin America, told FactCheck.org : “It’s hard to prove a negative — nobody’s writing a report saying, ‘Ecuador is not opening its mental institutions’ — but what I can say is that I work full-time on migration, am on many coalition mailing lists, correspond constantly with partners in the region, and scan 300+ RSS feeds and Twitter lists of press outlets and activists region wide, and I have not seen a single report indicating that this is happening. … As far as I can tell, it’s a total fabrication.”

Notably, a version of this did happen in 1980 during the Mariel boatlift from Cuba . The Washington Post noted three years later: “Back in 1980, it seemed to be a humanitarian and patriotic gesture to accept provisionally, without papers or visas, all those fleeing from the port of Mariel. More than 125,000 came. Most were true refugees, many had families here, and the great majority has settled into American communities without mishap. But the Cuban dictator played a cruel joke. He opened his jails and mental hospitals and put their inmates on the boats too.”

Without a question, some migrants who have come into the U.S. have committed crimes, but the data show the vast majority do not. According to Northwestern University , immigrants are less likely to commit a crime than U.S.-born people and certainly at no higher rates that the population writ large. (Trump goes on to repeat this claim minutes later in the news conference as well, so it is included in our count here.)

28. “We have a president that's the worst president in the history of our country.”

Trump may have this opinion, but he says it as if it’s fact, and a 2022 survey of historians ranked Biden in the top half of presidents. Trump, on the other hand, was No. 43. The two below Trump were James Buchanan, who did little to stop the impending U.S. Civil War, and the impeached and nearly convicted Andrew Johnson.

29. “We have a vice president who is the least admired, least respected, and the worst vice president in the history of our country.” 

A recent rating of vice presidents did not show this. Harris was in the bottom half of vice presidents, but Spiro Agnew, Dan Quayle, Henry A. Wallace and were toward the bottom of the list.

30. “The most unpopular vice president.”

This might have been true about a year ago or so, but not anymore. An NBC poll then showed Harris had the lowest favorability rating of any modern VP they’d tested. But her numbers have turned around. The NPR poll had Harris with a 46%/48% favorable to unfavorable rating, which was higher than Trump’s and his running mate, JD Vance, who is among the least popular running mates in recent history .

31. “Don't forget, she was the first one defeated. As I remember it, because I watched it very closely, but she was the first one.”

Harris was not “defeated,” because she dropped out of the Democratic presidential race before Iowa. But even if one considers her dropping out on Dec. 3, 2019, a defeat, she was not the first of the Democratic candidates in that primary campaign to do so. At least 10 others dropped out sooner .

32-34. “And I'm no Biden fan, but I'll tell you what, from a constitutional standpoint, from any standpoint you're looking at, they took the presidency away. … And they took it away.” 

There’s nothing in the U.S. Constitution about picking presidential candidates. This is a party process, and everything has been done within party rules. And, again, the presidency wasn’t taken away: Biden is still president.

35. “They said they're going to use the 25th Amendment.”

This was never floated as a possibility to get Biden to withdraw from the race. Biden’s Cabinet members are all people he appointed and who are loyal to him. In addition, the 25th Amendment outlines a procedure for removing a sitting president from office, not from running for a second term.

36-39. "They're going to hit you hard. ‘Either we can do it the nice way. I heard, I know exactly, because I know a lot of people on the other side, believe it or not. And, they said, ‘We'll do it the nice way, or we'll do it the hard way.’ And he said, ‘All right.”

This was not said; he did not hear; no Democrats in the know are talking to Trump; and this dialogue is made up.

40. “We're leading, we're leading.”

The race is statistically tied in national polls and in the states. In some national polls, Harris leads. In some, Trump does.

41-42. “I'm saying it's a–, for a country with a Constitution that we cherish, we cherish this Constitution to have done it this way is pretty severe, pretty horrible. … But to just take it away from him, like he was a child.”

Again, this is Trump talking about how Biden stepped aside, and there’s nothing in the Constitution about how the political parties should pick candidates. And nothing was taken away.

43-46. “And he's a very angry man right now, I can tell you that. He's not happy with Obama, and he's not happy with Nancy Pelosi. Crazy Nancy, she is crazy, too. She's not happy with any of the people that told him that you've gotta leave. He's very unhappy, very angry, and I think he, He also blames her. He's trying to put up a good face, but it's a very bad thing in terms of a country when you do that. I'm not a fan of his, as you probably have noticed, and he had a rough debate, but that doesn't mean that you just take it away like that.” 

Trump can’t speak to Biden’s state of mind; all evidence is that Nancy Pelosi is perfectly sane – see her recent multiple rounds of interviews about her book, including with NPR ; again, Trump doesn’t know Biden’s state of mind; and again, nobody took it away.

47-51. “She's trying to say she had nothing to do with the border. She had everything. She was appointed to head the border. And then they said border czar. Oh, she loved that name. She loved that name. But she never went there. She went to a location once along the border, but that was a location that you would love to go and have dinner with your husband or whoever. That was a location that was not part of the problem. That was not really going to the border. So I– essentially she never went to the border.”

(1) As previously noted, she was not put in charge of the border and certainly did not have “everything” to do with it; (2) she was not appointed to head the border; (3) if “they” is the White House, then “they” did not call her “border czar”; (4) Trump doesn’t know what Harris might have thought about the term; (5) Harris did not go to a place at the border “you would love to go and have dinner with your husband or whoever.”

In 2021, Harris toured border patrol facilities in El Paso, Texas, visited an area where asylum seekers were screened, and met with migrants. Republicans criticized her at the time for not going to the Rio Grande Valley.

52. “Now we have the worst border in the history of the world.” 

World history is filled with cases where one country has crossed a border and invaded a neighboring country.

53. “She destroyed San Francisco. She destroyed California as the A.G. But as the D.A. She destroyed it. She– San Francisco. … She destroyed– no cash bail, weak on crime, uh, she's terrible.”

As San Francisco’s district attorney from 2004 to 2011, and then California’s attorney general until 2017, it’s true that Kamala Harris was deeply connected to how crime was prosecuted during that particular period. However, no single person is responsible for destroying any city or state, not to mention that both are not destroyed.

There are just too many factors that contribute to why crime rises and falls. What’s more, according to the FBI , both violent and property crime rates in California more or less mirrored national trends during her tenures. As a prosecutor, Harris was largely seen as aligning more with law-and-order tendencies, though she has supported some progressive reforms, like offering certain criminal defendants drug treatment instead of going to trial. She also tweeted support for a Minnesota bail fund after the 2020 protests of George Floyd’s murder. — Meg Anderson

During her campaign for the 2020 nomination, she rolled out a plan that would have phased out cash bail , and she pledged to eliminate it as president because “no one should have to sit in jail for days or even years because they don’t have the money to pay bail.” But in the same campaign, during a debate, former Hawaii Rep. Tulsi Gabbard criticized Harris for keeping cash bail in place as district attorney.

54. “And yet they weaponized the system against me.” 

The justice system was not weaponized against Trump. Biden went through pains to not show any interference with the Justice Department. And Trump was found guilty by a jury of his peers in New York in a state case.

55-58. “I won the big case in Florida. I won the big case. … Nobody even wrote about it. The big case.” 

(1) Trump did not “win” the classified documents case against him in Florida; (2) this was not “the big case” against him; (3) there was plenty of coverage of it; and (4) he goes on to repeat that he won the case later.

For context: the judge in the case controversially dismissed it, claiming the special counsel was unconstitutionally appointed despite Supreme Court decisions upholding independent counsels. The Justice Department has signaled it will appeal by the end of August but by the time the decision comes back, the election will be over.

Trump had four criminal cases against him including the classified documents case – the fraudulent business practices case in New York, for which he was convicted on 34 felony counts; an election interference case in Georgia; and the other federal case dealing with Jan. 6. If there was a biggest case, it was the last one.

59. “The judge was a brilliant judge, and all they do is they play the ref with the judges. But this judge was a fair but brilliant judge.”

There has been lots of criticism of the judge in the case, Aileen Cannon, who Trump appointed. She had very little experience as a trial judge, made several decisions that were questioned by legal experts and early in this case, had a ruling, in which she called for a special master to review classified documents first, overturned by the 11th Circuit.

60. “Now Biden lost it because he didn't have presidential immunity. He didn't have the Presidential Records Act. He lost it.”

This was not “Biden’s case.” It was to be tried by special counsel Jack Smith, who was appointed by Attorney General Merrick Garland. The Biden White House has made efforts to keep an arms-length distance from the investigation. Biden often declined to comment on the Justice Department’s and state investigations into Trump when it would likely have been politically advantageous for him to talk about it on the campaign trail.

61. “But the– I call it prosecutors, special counsel, special prosecutor to me. He–, appointed by him and appointed by Garland. He said the man's incompetent. He can't stand trial, but he can run for president.” 

This appears to be a misrepresentation of what special counsel Robert Hur said of Biden in a report he released investigating the president’s handling of classified documents. Hur said he wouldn’t be charging Biden, called the president “an elderly man with a poor memory" and said a jury might find sympathy with him because of it. He did not say Biden was incompetent and could not stand trial.

62. “She couldn't pass her bar exam.”

This is false. Harris passed her bar exam on the second try . She failed on first attempt, which is not unusual for California’s bar exam given its difficulty.

63. “I was doing very well with Black voters, and I still am. I seem to be doing very well with Black males. This is according to polls, as you know. 

Trump was not doing “very well” with Black voters. Biden was not doing as well with Black voters as he did in 2020, according to most surveys, but that didn’t mean Black voters were moving heavily toward Trump. Many seemed more likely not to vote. There were signs that Trump was doing better with Black men, but there wasn’t much good evidence to support this in polling, considering most national polls have such high margins of error with voter groups. A typical national survey might have 1,000 voters and 100 or so Black voters, give or take. That’s typically a margin of error upward of +/- 10 percentage points, meaning results could be a whopping 10 points higher or lower.

64. “Extremely well with Hispanic.”

Like with Black voters, it’s difficult to tell in most national surveys exactly how well a candidate is doing with Latino voters because of high margins of error. “Extremely well” depends on how it’s defined, but this is an exaggeration.

65. “Jewish voters, way up.”

Jewish voters traditionally vote roughly 2-to-1 for Democrats in presidential elections, so this seems more like a hope than reality.

66. “White males, way up. White males have gone through the roof. White males, way up.” 

It’s just not the case that Trump is “way up.” NPR polling finds that while Trump is doing as well as ever with white men without college degrees, Harris – and Biden before her – is actually leading with white men with college degrees, a group Trump won in 2020, according to exit polls .

67. “It could be that I'll be affected somewhat with Black females. Well, we're doing pretty well. And I think ultimately they'll like me better, because I'm gonna give them security, safety and jobs.”

Trump is not doing well with Black females. Black women are a key pillar Democratic voting group, and Black voters have moved more in Harris’ favor since she’s gotten in.

69. “We have a very bad economy right now. We could, we could literally be on the throes of a depression. Not recession, a Depression. And they can't have that. They can't have that.”

This is not the case. See earlier fact check. (He repeats this again later in the press conference, so it is included here in the count.)

70. “I know Josh Shapiro. He's a terrible guy. And he's not very popular with anybody.” 

A Fox News poll last month showed Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro, a finalist to be Harris’ running mate, had a 61% approval rating in the state. Other polls also found him with a net-positive rating, though, not quite as high.

71. “Listen, I had 107,000 people in New Jersey. You didn't report it.”

It was reported that the numbers come from faulty information about the size of a crowd at Trump’s rally. More accurate estimates appear to be anywhere from 30,000 to 60,000 . Still, a very large crowd, but Trump is exaggerating here.

72-77. “What did she have yesterday? 2,000 people? If I ever had 2,000 people, you'd say my campaign is finished. It's so dishonest, the press. … When she gets 1,500 people, and I saw it yesterday on ABC, which they said, ‘Oh, the crowd was so big.’ … I have 10 times, 20 times, 30 times the crowd size. And no, they never say the crowd was big. … I think it's so terrible when you say, ‘Well she has 1,500 people, 1,000 people,’ and they talk about, oh, the enthusiasm.” 

(1-3) Trump gave at least three incorrect estimates here, downplaying Harris’ crowd sizes (2,000, 1,500 and 1,000); (4) He also far overestimated how big his crowd sizes are compared to Harris’; (5-6) He twice said the press is dishonest about her crowd size and about his.

For context, the Harris campaign’s estimate was 10,000 or more at each rally. What the exact number is might be unclear — as is often the case with crowd-size estimates — but they were bigger than 2,000 and 1,500. Reporters have often commented on the size of Trump’s crowds. Frequently, they are very large, certainly larger than ones that Hillary Clinton drew in 2016 or Joe Biden this year, but Trump also regularly exaggerates their sizes.

78. “If I were president, you wouldn't have Russia and Ukraine, where it never happened. Zero chance. You wouldn't have had Oct. 7th of Israel.”

This is speculation, and that there is simply no way to know what would have happened in either case if he'd been reelected.

79. “You wouldn't have had inflation. You wouldn't have had any inflation because inflation was caused by their bad energy problems.” 

Again, this is speculative. Energy and food prices jumped sharply around the world following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and the resulting sanctions on Russian energy. Gasoline prices in the U.S. hit a record high topping $5 a gallon. But domestic energy production has not suffered during the Biden administration. In fact, U.S. oil and natural gas production hit record highs last year. AAA reports the average price of gasoline today is $3.45/gallon. — Scott Horsley

80. "I don't know if you know, they're drilling now because they had to go back because gasoline was going up to $7, $8, $9 a barrel."

Oil and gas production has largely been determined by energy companies. They were disciplined about not expanding production when prices were low but have become more aggressive as prices climbed. While Kamala Harris opposed “fracking” for oil and gas during her 2019 presidential campaign, she now says she would not try to outlaw the practice – which is important in battleground states such as Pennsylvania. — Scott Horsley

81. “Everybody's going to be forced to buy an electric car, which they're not going to do because they don't want that. It's got a great market. It's got a market. It's really a sub market.”

The Biden administration has set a goal of having 50% of new vehicle sales be electric by 2030 . It has primarily tried to achieve this through carrots rather than sticks, offering incentives to make electric cars more affordable, encouraging the development of electric charging stations and using the federal government’s own purchasing power to create demand. — Scott Horsley

82. “We don't have enough electricity. We couldn't make enough electricity for that.”

A shift to electric vehicles will require a rapid updating and expansion of the U.S. power grid, according to the Electric Power Research Institute . However, as EVs become more efficient, the increased demand could be reduced by as much as 50% per mile traveled over the next three decades. — Scott Horsley

83. “The weight of a car, the weight of a truck, they want all trucks to be electric. Little things that a lot of people don't talk about. The weight of a truck is two-and-a-half times, two-and-a- half times heavier.” 

Electric vehicles are typically heavier than gasoline-powered vehicles, because of the batteries. But the weight difference is about 30% , not 250% as Trump said. What’s more, American vehicles have been getting heavier for decades, long before the move to EVs, thanks to the popularity of pickup trucks and SUVs.

84. “You would have to rebuild every bridge in this country, if you were going to do this ridiculous policy.”

While many bridges and other transportation infrastructure need improvement , the additional weight of EVs is just one of many factors that will need to be considered. Another challenge is that bridges and highways are typically funded through gasoline taxes. The shift to EVs, which don’t use gasoline, will require an alternate source of highway funding.

85-90. “So, but on crowd size in history, for any country, nobody's had crowds like I have, and you know that. And when she gets 1,000 people and everybody starts jumping, you know that if I had a thousand people would say, people would say, that's the end of his campaign. I have hundreds of thousands of people in, uh, South Carolina. I had 88,000 people in Alabama. I had 68,000 people. Nobody says about crowd size with me, but she has 1,000 people or 1,500 people, and they say, oh, the enthusiasm's back.”

There were at least six different misstatements here – (1) Trump has had large crowds, but “in history,” there certainly there have been people with larger crowds, from Barack Obama and others; (2, 3) her crowds have been larger than 1,000, which he repeats twice; (4) no serious analysts have said this is the end of Trump’s campaign. This race is very close; (5) there’s no evidence for crowds of the size Trump notes in South Carolina and Alabama; (6) people do talk about Trump’s crowd sizes.

91. “They wanna stop people from pouring into our country, from places unknown and from countries unknown from countries that nobody ever heard of.”

Someone has likely heard of whatever the unnamed country is.

92-93. “We're leading in Georgia by a lot. We're leading in Pennsylvania by a lot.”

The races in Georgia and Pennsylvania are within the margin of error, according to an average of the polls.

94. “So I won Alabama by a record. Nobody's ever gotten that many votes. I won South Carolina by a record. You don't win Alabama and South Carolina by records and lose Georgia. It doesn't happen.”

It does, and here’s why. Demographically, Georgia has become very different from South Carolina and Alabama. Georgia’s population is now majority-minority, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. Alabama and South Carolina are 64% and 63% white, respectively.

Georgia’s Black population is also significant politically — 33% of the state’s population is Black. By comparison, Alabama is 27% Black, South Carolina 26%. Latinos also make up 11% of Georgia’s population and Asian Americans are 5%, both of which are higher than Alabama and South Carolina. And Georgia’s population is marginally younger — 15% of Georgia’s population is older than 65% compared to 18% in Alabama and 19% in South Carolina.

95. “If we have honest elections in Georgia, if we have honest elections in Pennsylvania, We're gonna win them by a lot.”

Winning them by a lot is highly unlikely, considering how close the states have been in recent elections, but perhaps more pressing is Trump’s insinuation that there were voting problems in the two states, which there were not. That’s why Trump is upset with Republican Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp, for example, because he upheld the valid 2020 election results even in the face of pressure from Trump.

96. “Of course there'll be a peaceful transfer. And there was last time.”

This wholly ignores the Jan. 6 siege on the Capitol, which took place because of Trump’s election lies.

97. “Because I'm leading by a lot.”

Again, this is a very close race.

98. “We have commercials that are at a level I don't think that anybody's ever done before.”

This is false. Since Super Tuesday, Democrats have outspent Trump’s campaign and outside groups supporting him by more than double, according to data provided by AdImpact and analyzed by NPR — $373.5 million to $150.6 million.

99. “She's not smart enough to do a news conference.”

There is plenty of evidence that Harris is “smart enough to do a news conference,” as she has done in the past.

100. "We're in great danger of being in World War III. That could happen." 

Again, no serious analyst believes this.

101. “I think those people were treated very harshly, when you compare them to other things that took place in this country where a lot of people were killed.”

The Justice Department investigation into the events of Jan. 6, 2021, is the largest and most complex federal criminal probe in U.S. history, the attorney general has said. More than 140 law enforcement officers were injured that day, in what U.S. Attorney Matthew Graves has described as the biggest mass casualty event involving police. It’s hard to find any comparable event in recent American history.

As of Aug. 6, 2024, according to Graves’s office, prosecutors have charged more than 160 people with using a deadly or dangerous weapon or causing serious bodily injury to an officer. Prosecutors have also secured convictions on the rarely-deployed charge of seditious conspiracy, or attempting to overthrow the government by use of force, against top leaders of the Oath Keepers and the Proud Boys.

Even so, only a small number of Jan. 6 defendants have been held in federal custody while they await trial. Mostly, these are the rioters who allegedly used the most violence on that day more than three years ago. Republican members of Congress have toured the jail facilities and decried conditions there, expressions of support that defendants facing ordinary charges in D.C. have not received. — Carrie Johnson, NPR national justice correspondent

102. “Nobody was killed on Jan. 6th.” 

Conservatives were upset at the time that one of the rioters, Ashli Babbitt, was killed when she was shot by police, as she was trying to force her way into the Speaker’s Lobby of the Capitol, which leads to the House chamber, with a crowd of others. Many officers were injured that day; one died of a stroke as a result of Jan. 6; and others later died by suicide that their families say was also a result of Jan. 6.

103-105. “And, you know, it's very interesting, the biggest crowd I've ever spoken to. … The biggest crowd I've ever spoken before was that day. … The biggest crowd I've ever spoken. … I've spoken to the biggest crowds. Nobody's spoken to crowds bigger than me.” 

It was not the biggest crowd he’s ever spoken to. His inauguration would have topped that. And others have had bigger crowds, as noted earlier.

106. “I said peacefully and patriotically.”

While Trump did utter those words, it is misleading. Trump also said the word “fight” multiple times , and he told the already angry crowd because of the election lies he fed them: “We fight like Hell and if you don’t fight like Hell, you’re not going to have a country anymore.” Trump aides testified that he “refused” to tweet the word “peaceful” in the days leading up to the rally because he thought it might discourage people from being there, and he was concerned about his crowd size.

107-108. “If you look at Martin Luther King, when he did his speech, his great speech, and you look at ours, same real estate, same, everything, same number of people. If not, we had more. …You look at the picture of his crowd, my crowd, uh, we actually had more people.”

First, the speeches did not take place at the “same real estate.” Trump spoke from a position just south of the Ellipse. Martin Luther King Jr. spoke from the steps of the Lincoln Memorial

Second, the crowds were not the same size and Trump’s was certainly not larger. It is an extraordinary claim and shows just how much Trump cares about crowd size.

109. “We have a Constitution. It's a very important document, and we live by it. She has no votes.” 

Again, there’s nothing in the Constitution about how parties should pick their presidents.

110-111. “They said, ‘You're not going to win, you can't win, you're out.’ And at first they said it nicely, and he wasn't leaving, and then you, you know, the, you know it better than anybody. … At first, they were going to go out to another vote, they were going to go through a primary system, a quick primary system, which it would have to be. And then it all disappeared, and they just picked a person.”

As explained earlier, this is not how Biden wound up stepping aside. The story is yet another Trump invention. He also lies here in saying that “they were going to go through a primary system” and “it would have to be” a quick primary system.” There’s no requirement that a primary is held. In fact, for many years, candidates’ selection as party nominees had nothing to do with primaries, and they were not as prevalent as today.

112-113. “That was the first out. She was the first loser, OK? So, we call her the first loser. She was the first loser when– during the primary system, during the Democrat primary system, she was the first one to quit. And she quit.”

As explained earlier, Harris was not the first one out in the 2020 Democratic primary race. And “first loser” appears to be a name Trump made up at this news conference, as Harris has not been referred to that way as a result of her run for the 2020 nomination.

114. “She did, obviously, a bad job. She never made it to Iowa. Then for some reason, and I'm, I know he regrets it, you do too, uh, he picked her, and she turned on him too. She was working with the people that wanted him out."

Once again, this is a false conspiracy invented by Trump.

115. “She was the first one out.” 

Trump repeats this false line again.

116. “I think the abortion issue is written very much tempered down, and I've answered I think very well in the debate, and it seems to be much less of an issue, especially for those where they have the exceptions.”

Abortion rights as a political and social issue has certainly not “tempered down.” There are millions of women, especially across the South, who do not have access to abortion and women who have experienced pregnancy losses with the inability to access medications for those necessary procedures.

117. “As you know, and I think it's when I look for 52 years, they wanted to bring abortion back to the states. They wanted to get rid of Roe v. Wade and that's Democrats, Republicans, and Independents, and everybody. Liberals, conservatives, everybody wanted it back in the states. And I did that.”

Everybody absolutely did not want that. It was actually quite unpopular for the Supreme Court to overturn Roe . And he again repeats that it has become less of an issue.

118-119. “I think that abortion has become much less of an issue. It's a very small.” 

“I think it's actually going to be a very small issue. What I've done is I've done what every Democrat and every Every Republican wanted to have done.” 

“I think the abortion issue has been taken down many notches. I don't think it's of– I don't think it's a big factor anymore, really.”

Minutes apart from each other, he repeats these three false claims. Abortion rights is not a “very small” issue for millions of voters. Democrats are organizing around it, and it has been seminal to Biden and Harris’ campaigns.

120. “Previous to [Virginia Gov.] Glenn [Youngkin], the governor, he said the baby will be born, we will put the baby aside, and we will decide with the mother what we're going to do. In other words, whether or not we're going to kill the baby.”

This is a distortion Republicans continue to push about what former Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam said. This has been fact-checked by others multiple times .

121-122. “I think the abortion issue has been, uh, taken down many notches. I don't think it's of, uh, I don't think it's a big factor anymore, really.”

“Everybody wanted it in the states.”

“But that issue has is very much subdued.”

He once again returns to the issue of abortions, which remains a “factor,” not everybody wanted it in the states, the issue is not “very much subdued.”

123-124. “ She wants to take away everyone's gun.” 

Harris has not proposed taking away all guns. She has proposed banning assault-style weapons, something that was in place for a decade. Some surveys had shown majority support for this. Others show a split. (Trump makes this case later, as well, so that is also included in the count.)

125. “Some countries have actually gone the opposite way. They had very strong gun laws and now they have gone the opposite way, where they allowed people to have guns, where in one case they encouraged people to go out and get guns, and crime is down 29%.”

It’s difficult to compare gun violence and gun laws in the United States to other countries, simply because of the staggering amount of guns we have here. Although the U.S. has less than 5% of the world’s population, it holds almost 40% or more of the world’s civilian-owned guns. And it has “the highest homicide-by-firearm rate of the world’s most developed nations,” per the Council on Foreign Relations . Norway, Canada and Australia all tightened their gun restrictions after shootings. — Meg Anderson

126. “On July 4th, 117 people were shot and 17 died. The toughest gun laws in the United States are in the city of Chicago. You know that. They had 117 people shot. Afghanistan does not have that.” 

Though Trump didn’t get the numbers exactly right, Chicago did have an incredibly violent July 4th holiday weekend this year. According to Mayor Brandon Johnson, more than 100 people were shot and 19 of those people died. Chicago does have strict gun laws, in part because its state does: Everytown For Gun Safety, a nonprofit that advocates for gun control, ranks Illinois third in the nation for the strength of its gun-control laws. However, no state or city exists within a bubble, and Illinois is surrounded by states with much weaker laws, including Indiana, which is just a short drive from Chicago. — Meg Anderson

127. “For 18 months, not one American soldier was shot at or killed, but not even shot at.” 

This is, to put it charitably, misleading. It appears that he’s actually referencing the period when the Trump administration signed the deal with the Taliban, in advance of U.S. troops leaving. The deal said the U.S. would be out in 14 months, and in exchange the Taliban wouldn’t harbor terrorists and would stop attacking U.S. service members. Needless to say, the deal didn’t hold. But as the AP notes , “There was an 18-month stretch that saw no combat, or ‘hostile,’ deaths in Afghanistan: from early February 2020 to August 2021.” – Andrew Sussman

128. “Kamala is in favor of not giving Israel weapons. That's what I hear.”

Harris does not support an Israel weapons embargo. A Biden administration official posted on social media that Harris "has been clear: she will always ensure Israel is able to defend itself against Iran and Iran-backed terrorist groups.” A leader of the uncommitted movement said Harris “expressed an openness” to a meeting about an embargo, but the Biden administration official said Harris "will continue to work to protect civilians in Gaza and to uphold international humanitarian law,” not that she would support an embargo.

129. “She's been very, very bad to Israel, and she's been very bad and disrespectful to Jewish people.”

Harris’ husband, Doug Emhoff, is Jewish. The couple has hosted Passover Seders.

130. “Well, I know Willie Brown very well. In fact, I went down in a helicopter with him. We thought maybe this is the end. We were in a helicopter going to a certain location together and there was an emergency landing.”

This claim has not held up to scrutiny. Politico reported that Trump did have to make an emergency landing in a helicopter with a Black California politician decades ago, but it wasn’t Willie Brown, the former San Francisco mayor and state assembly speaker. It was Nate Holden, a former Los Angeles city councilman and state senator.

131-132. “This was not a pleasant landing, and Willie was— he was a little concerned. So I know him. I know him pretty well. I mean, I haven't seen him in years. But he told me terrible things about her.”

“He was not a fan of hers very much at that point.”

This is something Trump repeated twice, minutes apart from each other. Brown strongly denies having been on a helicopter with Trump or telling Trump negative things about Harris, whom he dated in the mid-1990s and supports now for president. The relationship ended in 1995.

133. “Our tax cuts, which are the biggest in history… .”

The 2017 tax cuts were not the biggest in history. As a share of the economy, they barely make the top 10 . They were big enough, however, to blow a big hole in the federal budget, which is why Trump was overseeing a nearly $1 trillion dollar annual deficit before the pandemic. — Scott Horsley

134. “It'll destroy the economy.”

This is what Trump said will happen if his tax cuts are not renewed. But The 2017 tax cut did not deliver the economic boom that its supporters promised, and there’s no reason to think reversing a portion of the cut would cause economic destruction. — Scott Horsley

135. “I've never seen people get elected by saying, 'We're going to give you a tax increase.'”

Vice President Harris has echoed President Biden’s pledge not to raise taxes on anyone making less than $400,000. However, Biden has called for raising taxes on wealthy individuals and raising the corporate tax rate from 21% to 28% – halfway back to where it was before the 2017 cut. — Scott Horsley

136. “These guys get up, think of it. ‘We're going to give you no security.’ …”

No Democratic presidential candidate has advocated “no security.”

137. “We're going to give you a weak military… .’ ”

An analysis by the American Enterprise Institute, a conservative think tank, showed a “review of historical defense budget trends shows there is more at play in determining overall investments in defense than just which party is in the White House.” Indeed, since the year 2000, U.S.-led wars overseas have resulted in a surge of spending by both Democratic and Republican administrations.

138-139. “…We're going to give you no walls, no borders, no anything.”

Harris, Walz and the Democratic Party have never said they want “no borders.” They certainly oppose Trump’s wall/fence along the entire U.S.-Mexico border, citing the exorbitant cost and its relative ineffectiveness, they say, compared to using other methods. (Trump later says that Harris wants “open borders,” so that’s included in the count here.)

140. “...We're going to give you a tax increase.”

Again, this is misleading and suggests Harris wants to increase taxes across the board when they have consistently talked about increasing taxes only on the wealthy. In Harris’ view, those making more than $400,000 a year .

141. “They're gonna destroy Social Security.”

Democrats have consistently advocated for keeping Social Security and making it solvent.

142. “They've weaponized government against me. Look at the Florida case. It was a totally weaponized case. All of these cases, by the way, the New York cases are totally controlled out of the Department of Justice. They sent their top person to the various places. They went to the A.G.'s office, got that one going, then he went to the D.A.'s office, got that one going, ran through it. No, no, this is all politics, and it's a disgrace.”

In congressional testimony this year, Attorney General Merrick Garland told lawmakers that President Biden had never called him to discuss any of the cases against Trump. Garland also had aides review Justice Department leaders’ email for any correspondence with Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg. In a letter to Congress in June 2024, the Justice Department said it had found no such contacts.

In that same letter, Justice Department legislative affairs chief Carlos Uriarte said the department did not “dispatch” former acting Associate Attorney General Matthew Colangelo to New York to join Bragg’s team prosecuting Trump. “Department leadership was unaware of his work on the investigation and prosecution involving the former president until it was reported in the news,” Uriarte wrote. — Carrie Johnson

143. “Any time you have mail-in ballots, you're gonna have problems. ... We should have one-day voting; we should have paper ballots; we should have voter ID; and we should have proof of citizenship.” 

Trump continues to spread baseless claims about mail ballots. There’s no proof of widespread fraud with the voting method. When it comes to paper ballots, they're standard. One estimate found that in the 2024 general election, "nearly 99% of all registered voters will live in jurisdictions where they can cast a ballot with a paper record of the vote."

The proof of citizenship comment echoes a Republican push on the issue , though studies have shown voting by non-U.S. citizens in federal elections to be exceedingly rare. The GOP-led House has passed a bill to require such documentary proof, but it’s likely to go no further in a Senate led by Democrats who are opposed to adding new voting restrictions. — Ben Swasey, voting editor

144. “The polls have suggested, there are some polls that say we're going to win in a landslide.” 

There are no polls that suggest Trump will win in a landslide. By all accounts, this is a very close race.

145. “...they're paying 50, 60, 70 percent more for food than they did just a couple of years ago.”

The rise in grocery prices is a common complaint , but Trump exaggerates the scale of the increase. According to the Consumer Price Index, grocery prices have risen 25% since before the pandemic and 21% since President Biden took office. (At the same time, average wages have risen 23% since before the pandemic and 17% since President Biden took office.)

146-149. The Strategic National Reserve is “virtually empty now. We've never had it this low.”

“He's sucked all of the oil out.”

“Essentially the gasoline to keep the, to keep the price down a little bit. … But you know what? We have no strategic national reserves now. He's emptied it. It's almost empty. It's never been this low.”

“They've just, for the sake of getting some votes, for the sake of having gasoline–. You know, that's meant for wars. It's meant for, like, tragedy. It's not meant to keep a gasoline price down, so that somebody can vote for Biden or, in this case, Kamala.” 

The strategic oil reserve is actually up in the past year . Biden has since repurchased about 32 million barrels of oil for the Strategic Petroleum Reserve. As of this month, the reserve held about 376 million barrels of oil. The reserve was lower when Trump left office than when he got in.

150. “I see it right now, I see her going way down on the polls now.”

The opposite is true. Harris has continued her momentum since getting into the race.

151-152. “...now that people are finding out that she destroyed San Francisco, she destroyed the state of California.” 

As addressed earlier, Harris is not entirely responsible for San Francisco or the state of California. Crime trends there were similar to national crime trends during her time as district attorney in San Francisco and as the state’s attorney general. What’s more, preliminary data for this year indicates that many cities in California, including San Francisco, are seeing murder rates falling. (Trump repeats the claim one more time later in the news conference, so it is included in the count here.) — Meg Anderson

153. “She was early, I mean, she was the first of the prosecutors, really, you know, now you see Philadelphia, you see Los Angeles, you see New York, you see various people that are very bad, but she was the first of the bad prosecutors, she was early.”

Although Harris did refer to herself in her 2019 memoir as a “progressive prosecutor,” her legacy has largely been seen as tougher on crime. She has supported some progressive reforms, such as pretrial diversion, which offers certain criminal defendants things like drug treatment instead of going to trial. — Meg Anderson

154. “You know, with Hillary Clinton, I could have done things to her that would have made your head spin. I thought it was a very bad thing – take the wife of a president of the United States, and put her in jail. And then I see the way they treat me. That's the way it goes. But I was very protective of her. Nobody would understand that. But I was. I think my people understand it. They used to say, lock her up, lock her up. And I'd say, just relax, please.”

Trump called for Clinton’s imprisonment multiple times , including going along with crowd chants of “lock her up.”

155. “Don't forget, she got a subpoena from the United States Congress, and then after getting the subpoena, she destroyed everything that she was supposed to get. 

Clinton aides requested emails be deleted months before the subpoena, and the FBI said there’s no evidence the messages were deleted with a subpoena in mind. — Carrie Johnson

156. “I thought it was so bad to take her, and put her in jail, the wife of a president of the United States. And then, when it's my turn, nobody thinks that way.”

The Justice Department closed an investigation into Hillary Clinton’s use of a private email server to conduct some State Department business in 2016. Then-FBI Director Jim Comey gave a press conference to explain his reasoning in July of that election year. Comey said, “We did not find clear evidence that Secretary Clinton or her colleagues intended to violate laws governing the handling of classified information,” but he criticized Clinton and her aides for being “extremely careless in their handling of very sensitive, highly classified information” that flowed through the server.

By contrast, prosecutors in the Florida case against former President Donald Trump said Trump had flouted requests from the FBI and a subpoena for highly classified materials he stored in unsecure spaces like a ballroom and a bathroom at his Mar-a-Lago resort. The indictment in that case accuses Trump of unlawfully retaining government secrets and of intentionally obstructing justice with the help of an aide who moved boxes of materials and otherwise allegedly thwarted the FBI probe. Trump and his co-defendants pleaded not guilty. The Justice Department says it is appealing the district court’s decision to toss the case on constitutional grounds. — Carrie Johnson

157. “A lot of the MAGA, as they call them, but the base. And I think the base is, I think the base is 75% of the country, far beyond the Republican Party.”

Rounding up, Trump won 46% of the vote in 2016 and 47% of the vote in 2020. He has a high floor, but a low ceiling politically. Majorities continue to say they have an unfavorable rating of Trump, which has been consistent for years. No American presidential candidate has ever gotten 75% of the vote in this country, dating back to 1824 since data was kept for popular votes. Lyndon B. Johnson got 61% in 1964, Richard Nixon slightly less than 61% in 1972, Ronald Reagan 59% in 1984. Since then, Barack Obama got nearly 53% in 2008 and 51% in 2012, the first candidate since Eisenhower to win at least 51% of the vote twice.

158. “My sons are members, and I guess indirectly I'm a member, too.”

Trump here is talking about membership in the National Rifle Association. Another family member being an NRA member does not make someone else an NRA member “indirectly.”

159. “She served 24 years for being on a phone call having to do with drugs. You know who I'm talking about. She was great. And she had another 24 years to go. And it was largely about marijuana, which in many cases is now legalized, OK?”

Presumably, Trump is talking about Alice Marie Johnson, who had been convicted on cocaine conspiracy and money laundering charges . Kim Kardashian advocated for Johnson and won a pardon for her from Trump.

160. “They're either really stupid, and I don't believe they're stupid, because anybody that can cheat in elections like they cheat is not stupid.”

More than 60 court cases proved there was not widespread fraud or cheating that would have made any difference in any state.

161. “Lately I've seen where they're trying to sign these people up to vote. And they have to stop. They cannot let illegal immigrants vote in this upcoming election.”

This is a conspiracy not based in fact. Immigrants in the country illegally cannot vote in presidential elections, and there’s no evidence there is an intentional effort to sign them up in mass numbers to sway elections.

162. “If you go to California, and you ask the people of California, do they like the idea of sanctuary cities? They don't like it.”

The subject of sanctuary cities actually mostly splits Californians. Slim majorities have actually said that they favor the sanctuary-state law and are against their cities opting out of the law. Of course, this breaks down along party lines, and since California is heavily Democratic, those results might not be surprising. But it’s more divided than Trump suggests.

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Harris’s Rise Has Unsettled Trump, Who Is Struggling to Focus, Supporters Say

Donald J. Trump’s allies want him to talk about the issues, but he seems distracted by Kamala Harris’s burst of momentum.

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By Shawn McCreesh

Follow live updates on the 2024 election .

Former President Donald J. Trump dialed into “Fox & Friends” on Wednesday morning for his first interview since Vice President Kamala Harris picked Gov. Tim Walz of Minnesota as her running mate.

“Talk about how you’re going to handle this on the campaign trail,” the friendly Fox host Ainsley Earhardt said to the former president. “Will you just really hone in on how they voted in the past?”

It was really more of a plea than a question.

“Well, I am,” Mr. Trump assured her. “I’m going to be doing that.”

The way Republicans see it, it should not be hard for Mr. Trump to pivot from President Biden to this new Democratic ticket. All he has to do is hammer Ms. Harris and Mr. Walz for things they have said and done, to paint them as out-of-step from most Americans, on everything including policing, immigration and transgender policies .

But lately Mr. Trump keeps getting tangled up in distractions of his own making. He has gone on tangents about Ms. Harris’s biracial identity. He has picked fights with fellow Republicans. He has fantasized that Mr. Biden might somehow snatch back the nomination.

Many in Mr. Trump’s party find this all to be counterproductive, to say the least.

“The Harris-Walz ticket is the furthest left ticket in American history. They are a target-rich environment,” said Ben Shapiro, the right-wing media warrior. “All he has to do is focus the attack, to dump the war chest he’s accrued on this extremist ticket, to stick to a simple point: You were better off in 2019 than you are in 2024.”

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