Sentence Correction

HI

When should be "compared to" be used and when should "compared with" be used?

Is there any rule i general for this case.

Thanks

rexchinnappa wrote:HI

When should be "compared to" be used and when should "compared with" be used?

Is there any rule i general for this case.

Thanks

'Compare to' is used to point out the similarity between two unrelated things. More than a comparison, it's actually just a statement stating that one thing is similar to another to emphasize that particular thing.

John compared his wife's face to the moon.

In the above sentence John is not actually pointing out the similarities and differences between his wife's face and the moon, but is rather empahisizing his wife's beauty by comparing her to the moon.

'Compare with' is used to actually compare two things by pointing out the similairites as well as differences between them.

Jerry is comparing a Toyota with a Honda.

In the above sentence Jerry is actually comparing the similarities & differences between the two brands so as to be able to decide which one is better.

Source: Aristotle SC Grail
https://www.aristotleprep.com/book/arist ... tion-grail

Can anyone bring an OG example OR MGMAT SC sample on this regard?

BOTH ARE EQUAL AND CORRECT FORMS.

SEE THE EXPLANATION BELOW from most reputable and respectable sources of English grammar.

In the eyes of GMAT,both are correct.If GMAT were to make this the make or break of a sentence there would chaos.

MGMAT CAT Question

Studies of test scores show that watching television has a markedly positive effect on children whose parents speak English as a second language, as compared to those who are native English speakers.

(A) to those who are

(B) with children who are

(C) with

(D) to those whose parents are

(E) with children whose parents are

There are two problems in the original sentence. First, comparisons must compare logically parallel things, but this sentence compares "children whose parents speak English as a second language" with "those (children, presumably) who are native English speakers" themselves. Logic tells us that a child can both in both of these categories: a child who is a native English speaker can have parents who speak English as a second language. Thus, these are not parallel categories. Secondly, the antecedent of the pronoun "those" is ambiguous; "those" could refer to "children" or "parents."

(A) This choice is incorrect as it repeats the original sentence.

(B) Although this choice resolves the pronoun issue by replacing "those" with "children," it continues to compare "children whose parents speak English as a second language" with "children who are native English speakers."

(C) This choice incorrectly compares "children whose parents speak English as a second language" with all "native English speakers."

(D) Although this choice makes a clear comparison between two similar or parallel things (children of two different groups of parents), the comparison does not resolve the pronoun issue because it retains the ambiguous "those."

(E) CORRECT. This choice correctly compares "children whose parents speak English as a second language" with the logically parallel "children whose parents are native English speakers." Moreover, it resolves the pronoun issue by replacing "those" with "children."

Note that "compared to" and "compared with" are equivalent idioms from the point of view of the GMAT; thus this split is a red herring. According to some usage experts, these two idioms differ slightly in their emphasis on similarities vs. differences, but this distinction is not universally respected.

I doubt that a reputable GMATPrep company such as MGMAT would make a false a claim as the above.

So guys whenever you see compared to vs compared with there is something else that is also going on in the sentence.Do not focus on compared to vs compared with.

This following is an the explanation right from the oxford dictionary.

compared

estimate, measure , or note the similarity or dissimilarity between:

individual schools compared their facilities with those of others in the area

the survey compares prices in different countries

total attendance figures were 28,000, compared to 40,000 at last year's event

(compare something to) point out or describe the resemblances with; liken to:

her novel was compared to the work of Daniel Defoe

(compare something to) draw an analogy between one thing and (another) for the purposes of explanation or clarification:

he compared the religions to different paths towards the peak of the same mountain

[no object, with adverbial] have a specified relationship with another thing or person in terms of nature or quality:

salaries compare favourably with those of other professions

[no object, usually with negative] be of an equal or similar nature or quality:

the dried stuff just can't compare with the taste and aroma of fresh basil

2 Grammarform the comparative and superlative degrees of (an adjective or an adverb):

words of one syllable are usually compared by '-er ' and '-est'

Usage

Is there any difference between compare with and compare to, and is one more correct than the other ? There is a slight difference, in that it is usual to use to rather than with when describing the resemblance, by analogy, of two quite different things, as in critics compared Ellington's music to the music of Beethoven and Brahms. In the sense' estimate the similarity or dissimilarity between ', with is often preferred to to, as in schools compared their facilities with those of others in the area. However , in practice the distinction is not clear-cut and both compare with and compare to can be used in either context

Who can dispute Oxford dictionary's explanation? The world's most credible source of English?

rishab1988 wrote:Although shovan has pointed out the difference between the two,I must add ,as MGMAT says it, GMAT DOES NOT TEST BETWEEN COMPARED TO AND COMPARED WITH"

In the eyes of GMAT,both are correct.

I agree. I have never seen any GMAT question testing this.

So guys you can use compared to and compared with interchangeably.

Good that someone asked this question.I think I made it clear for everyone.No OG question can counter that and neither can the real GMAT.Anybody can raise questions for the reason they eliminated the answer choice.

GMAC IS MUCH LESS CREDIBLE AS COMPARED TO OXFORD.

NO ONE WOULD ACCEPT GMAC's REASONING FOR ELIMINATING THE ANSWER CHOICE.

I can even accept that MGMAT can be wrong and GMAC is right,but Oxford? you gotta be kidding me..

Thanks Payal.