BREAKING: Target Test Prep releases Brand New 2026 On Demand GMAT prep course

Redeem
TTP OnDemand GMAT Video Course
Featured Course

Target Test Prep GMAT OnDemand

Scott Woodbury-Stewart’s private virtual classroom — 400 hours of master-class video lessons for the GMAT Focus Edition.

  • 715+ score guarantee — highest in the industry (99th percentile)
  • 52 chapters · 1,500+ lessons · 4,000+ practice questions
  • 400 hours of video · 1,500+ instructor-led HD smartboard lessons
  • 300,000+ students accepted to Harvard, Stanford, Wharton, Booth & Sloan & more
  • 24/7 live support + weekly Zoom office hours with GMAT instructors
  • TTP AI Assist — 24/7 AI-powered virtual tutor for instant help
  • 1,200+ flashcards + AI-powered study assistant & daily calendar
  • OnDemand, LiveTeach & GMAT Bootcamp formats available
  • Also: GRE, SAT Math & Executive Assessment courses
  • MBA Admissions Consulting now available
  • 🏆 2025 EdTech Breakthrough Award: Test Prep Solution Provider of the Year
  • 200,000+ students served
  • 5-day free trial — $0 to start, no auto-billing, cancel anytime
★★★★★ 5.0 (559 reviews)
130-pt guarantee
$0 to start then $127/mo
Start Free 5-Day Trial Read 559 Reviews →

Comapre to vs compare with

Expert replies
Post new topic Locked
Previous Topic Next Topic
Newbie | Next Rank: 10 Posts
Posts: 2
Joined: Fri Sep 03, 2010 2:17 pm
by kunal640 » Mon Sep 13, 2010 12:35 pm
The BTGMAT Flash card says:

"Compare to" compares UNLIKE things, whereas "compare with" compares LIKE things. "Compare to" is used to stress resemblance.
CORRECT: "She compared the evening gown to the cocktail dress. "
"Compare with" can be used to show either similarity or difference (usually difference).
CORRECT: "When compared with Laura's work product, Jim's showed a world of difference."


But the first example , "She compared the evening gown to the cocktail dress", compares LIKE things, here clothes.

Please help me understand this disparity.

Thank you in advance!

Kunal
Top
Join the discussion
Log in to postLogin with Googleuse password
QUOTE IN REPLY
Source: — Sentence Correction |
Legendary Member
Posts: 759
Joined: Mon Apr 26, 2010 10:15 amFollowed by: 3 members
Thanked: 85 times

by clock60 » Mon Sep 13, 2010 12:53 pm
resently found the below note in MG CAT, hope this can help

"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."
Top
Join the discussion
Log in to postLogin with Googleuse password
QUOTE IN REPLY

GMAT/MBA Expert

User avatar
GMAT Instructor
Posts: 645
Joined: Mon Jul 26, 2010 12:42 pmFollowed by: 227 members
Location: US
Thanked: 527 times

by e-GMAT » Mon Sep 13, 2010 4:27 pm
clock60, you are absolutely correct. :)

There is not a single question in OG12 that tests the usage of compare to vs. compare with in terms of stating similarities or differences. So I suggest that we consider this idiomatic usage to be out of scope of GMAT syllabus (!!). However, we must know what GMAT considers as incorrect when it comes to such comparison expressions.

when compared to/with
when contrasted to/with
as contrasted to

Correct expressions are:
in comparison to/with
in contrast to/with

compared to/with
contrasted to/with

Thanks,

Payal

For e-gmat users, this concept of comparison expressions is covered in the concept titled "Idioms - Comparison Expressions"
Top
Join the discussion
Log in to postLogin with Googleuse password
QUOTE IN REPLY
Post new topic Locked
• Page 1 of 1