compare

A person compares the qualities of two things or two groups of things. Comparing almost always involves the number two; however, sometimes you will hear the word "compare" used when discussing the qualities of more than two things.

• Tom compared two schools and chose the one that was closer to his house.
• Compared to other cities in the United States, New York is actually very safe and livable.
• Rhonda always compares prices among the stores she visits to buy groceries.
• Those two places don’t even compare. (One is clearly much better than the other.)
• Compared to gold jewelry, silver jewelry is much cheaper.
• Compared to a cat, a dog is much friendlier and easier to train.

Sometimes when using the word "compare," a person suggests that there are some similarities.

• Lisa compares her father to a dictator. She says they both enforce strict rules.
• Henry was compared unfavorably to a dog.
• Someone in our class compared the teacher to a large rock.
• Valerie is so beautiful. She is often compared to Jennifer Lopez.

The word "comparison" is a noun.

• That’s a very good comparison.
• The comparison made between the two novels was very helpful for the students.
• Comparison shopping is essential if you are a careful shopper. (comparison shopping = visiting more than one store to compare prices and quality)

The word "comparative" is an adjective:

• The word "better" is a comparative adjective and a comparative adverb for the word "good."
• Some countries in Europe have a comparative advantage over other European countries because they have stronger productivity.

Click here for more vocabulary.

April 24, 2019