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1000 SC 779 - Compare to vs compare with

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by reply2spg » Tue Mar 09, 2010 11:11 am
The metabolic rate of sharks is low compared with the rates of most other fishes.

(A) with the rates of most other fishes

(B) to most other fishes' rate

(C) to that of rates for most other fishes

(D) to most other fishes

(E) with most other fishes

OA A what is wrong with B
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by Osirus@VeritasPrep » Tue Mar 09, 2010 11:39 am
The only thing I can see wrong with B is that its not structurally parallel to the first part of the original sentence
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by josh@knewton » Tue Mar 09, 2010 11:47 am
The answer is A for two main reasons.

1) When stressing the differences between two things, use compare with rather than compare to. The differences between the two rates are emphasized here, so with is correct. Compare to is used more to point out similarities between two things. The doctor compared her metabolism to that of a hibernating bear. Though a person and a bear are quite different, using to stresses that their metabolisms are similar.

2) The rate of the shark (singular) is compared to rates of other, plural, fishes. All other fishes do not have the same, singular rate. Just as you wouldn't say "My house is bigger than most of my neighbors' house," unless most other fishes share a rate, the fishes' rate compared in B does not make sense.

Hopefully helpful,
Josh
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by reply2spg » Tue Mar 09, 2010 12:43 pm
Thanks Josh. It is clear now.
josh@knewton wrote:The answer is A for two main reasons.

1) When stressing the differences between two things, use compare with rather than compare to. The differences between the two rates are emphasized here, so with is correct. Compare to is used more to point out similarities between two things. The doctor compared her metabolism to that of a hibernating bear. Though a person and a bear are quite different, using to stresses that their metabolisms are similar.

2) The rate of the shark (singular) is compared to rates of other, plural, fishes. All other fishes do not have the same, singular rate. Just as you wouldn't say "My house is bigger than most of my neighbors' house," unless most other fishes share a rate, the fishes' rate compared in B does not make sense.

Hopefully helpful,
Josh
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by reply2spg » Wed Mar 10, 2010 7:33 am
So can we conclude that Compare with is used to describe the differences between like things and compare to is used to describe the similarities between unlike things.
josh@knewton wrote:The answer is A for two main reasons.

1) When stressing the differences between two things, use compare with rather than compare to. The differences between the two rates are emphasized here, so with is correct. Compare to is used more to point out similarities between two things. The doctor compared her metabolism to that of a hibernating bear. Though a person and a bear are quite different, using to stresses that their metabolisms are similar.

2) The rate of the shark (singular) is compared to rates of other, plural, fishes. All other fishes do not have the same, singular rate. Just as you wouldn't say "My house is bigger than most of my neighbors' house," unless most other fishes share a rate, the fishes' rate compared in B does not make sense.

Hopefully helpful,
Josh
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