Improper Comparisons

When you make a comparison, make sure you compare two things of the same type.  SAT often compares two items but fails to fully describe one, so that it seems like two totally different objects are being compared.  Those types of sentences make sense in speech but not in writing.

For instance, you might say out loud to a friend:

 “Our dogs are better behaved than the neighbors.”

If you said that, most normal people would know that you were comparing your dogs and your neighbor’s dogs.  But, since you don’t actually say your neighbor’s dogs, someone might infer that you are comparing your dogs to your neighbors (the people!) – which would be incorrect. 

To make the comparison correct, you should write:

“Our dogs are better behaved than the neighbor’s dogs.”

The above phrase compares dogs to dogs and is grammatically correct.  

Note: You can’t see apostrophes when you talk, so many things that sound right verbally are wrong once you start adding (or skipping) punctuation.  Remember that on SAT, we’re talking about precise, written language.

SAT is picky about getting comparisons right.  Be careful!

 

Practice Problems:

  • Improper Comparisons Practice

    Find the objects that are being compared. Underline them and make sure that comparable items are being compared. If not, there may be a word or phrase missing. 

    Level 1

    1. She finds it easier to learn to dance than cooking.
    2. Grandma likes fruits from the farmers market more than the grocery store. 
    3. Pediatricians argue that toddlers should spend more time reading books than toys.
    4. Sprint's phone plan is more extensive than AT&T.
    5. My crazy sister likes food from Panda Express more than Chinatown. 
    6. Staff members at the university have better benefits than Macy's.
    7. Voters seem to appreciate candidates who are dramatic and loud more than honest.
    8. I prefer books about history more than science. 

    Level 2

    1. In his report Mr. Liu stated that the competing contractor’s maintenance agreement was not so detailed as the current contractor. 
    2. The flowers that Jane and Jonathon ordered to be sent to their mother were less fresh and much more expensive than Carr’s Flower Shop. 
    3. Because they painted scenes of life as ordinary people lived it, rather than scenes from myths, many nineteenth-century American artists differed from earlier times. 
    4. In the United States, the industrial use of plastics is greater than steel, aluminum, and copper combined. 

    Answer Key:

  • Improper Comparisons Practice

    Read the following sentences, checking for improper comparisons. If you find one, correct it.  Otherwise, mark the sentence correct.

    1. When you are looking to get a pet you have to decide between a shelter animal and a pet store.
    2. The jury had to decide between sentencing the defendant to death and jail time.
    3. The retail shop tries to buy from local manufacturers more often than overseas.
    4. Currently, anyone who is shopping for a new computer has a choose between an Apple computer and a PC.
    5. Anderson always prefers Panda Expresses orange chicken over China Kitchen.
    6. Pulitzer prizes are given for individual pieces of writing, while Nobel Prizes are given for an author's body of work.
    7. Quilters need a lot of material in different colors to finish their projects, usually deciding at the outset between recycling fabric scraps from old clothing and new.
    8. Bunk beds can be very dangerous; the most common injuries include broken bones and stitches.
    9. Kindergarteners learn many skills; two things they are supposed to master are coloring neatly and hopping on one foot.
    10. Looking back on elementary school, I see that I learned a lot more from Mrs. Troyer in third grade than from fourth grade.

    Answer Key:

Test Prep Practice

  • Improper Comparisons Test Prep

    Every few years a new tween or teen series comes out and takes over young readers everywhere. From the $\boxed 1$ young wizards' adventures at Hogwarts to Katniss's arena, these dramatic stories become massive best sellers. Movie studios drool at the prospect of $\boxed 2$ profits from multi-movie franchises matching the multi-book series. Because young adult fiction rarely gains the the respect $\boxed 3$ garnered by adults, it's easy to clump these novels all together. But are they really the same?

    There are many similarities, of course. All of these books have spunky and adorably flawed heroes and heroines. All present their main characters with a critical choice: $\boxed 4$ follow the hard path of the "right" decision or the easy path of the "wrong" choice.  $\boxed 5$ All force their characters to toss off adults in favor of their own smarts, grit, and resiliance.  All make it easy to see who is good and who is evil.

    Young fans also react to them similarly. They wait expectantly for each sequel. $\boxed 6$They demand that every scene in the movies be matched by the books. Every time a movie "based on" a best-selling teen series comes out, producers hold their breath. Does the young fans' $\boxed 7$ obsession with the movies match the books? When it doesn't, those movie sequels don't always come out. $\boxed 8$ Studios can't expect a sequel's profits to be strong when a first movie was low.

    And yet, there are critical differences. No one would argue that J.K. Rowling's Harry Potter series is interchangeable with $\boxed 9$ Suzanne Collins. And while some critics argue that the Harry Potter series got progressively darker, there really is no comparison $\boxed {10}$ between the Hunger Games's cruelty and gore and Harry Potter.  When you add a series like Twilight into the mix, most of the presumed commonalities among teen series fall away. $\boxed {11}$ Is Twilight's illict romance really comparable to Harry Potter's magical crusade or Hunger Games?  In truth, plot wise, these stories are quite different.

    What do they have in common then? The common denominator seems to be crossover.  These series not only attract $\boxed {12}$children's and teens' adoration, but adults. With fast-moving plots and easy language (they are geared toward children, after all), $\boxed {13}$ the appeal of these YA novels outpaces adult fiction. So, are young adult books really getting better, or are adults just getting so busy, that they are starting to only read young adult books?

     

     

    1.

    1. NO CHANGE
    2. adventures at Hogwarts to Katniss's perilous arena
    3. adventures at Hogwarts to Katniss's perils in the arena
    4. adventures at Hogwarts to Katniss

    2. 

    1. NO CHANGE
    2. profits from multi-movie franchises matching the profits from the multi-book series.
    3. profits from multi-movie franchises matching the profits.
    4. profits matching the multi-book series.

    3. 

    1. NO CHANGE
    2. garnered by fiction written by adults
    3. garnered by children's fiction
    4. garnered by adult fiction

    4. 

    1. NO CHANGE
    2. follow the hard path of the "right" decision or the easy path.
    3. follow the hard path of the "right" decision or the "wrong" decision.
    4. follow the "right" decision or the easy path of the "wrong" decision.

    5. 

    1. NO CHANGE
    2. toss off adult help in favor of their own smarts, grit, and resiliance.
    3. toss off adults in favor of their own.
    4. toss off adult smarts, grit, and resiliance.

    6. 

    1. NO CHANGE
    2. that every movie be matched by every book.
    3. that every scene in the movies be matched by the books' scenes.
    4. that every scene in the movies be matched by a scene in the books.

    7. 

    1. NO CHANGE
    2. obsession with the movies match their devotion to the books?
    3. obsession with the movies match the fanaticism?
    4. obsession match the books?


     

    8. 

    1. NO CHANGE
    2. Studios can't expect a sequel's profits to be as high as a first movie.
    3. Studios can't expect a sequel's profits to be strong when a first movie's profits were low.
    4. Studios can't expect a sequel to be strong when a first movie's profits were low.

    9. 

    1. NO CHANGE
    2. Suzanne Collins's books.
    3. the books of Suzanne Collins.
    4. Suzanne Collins's Hunger Games.

    10. 

    1. NO CHANGE
    2. between the Hunger Games's cruelty and gore and Harry Potter's sad plot twists.
    3. between the Hunger Games's cruelty and gore and Albus Dumbledore's death.
    4. between the Hunger Games's gore and Harry Potter.

    11.

    1. NO CHANGE
    2. Is Twilight's illict romance really comparable to Harry Potter or Hunger Games?
    3. Is Twilight's illict romance really comparable to Harry Potter's magical crusade or Hunger Games's macabre battles?
    4. Is Twilight's illict romance really comparable to Harry Potter or Hunger Games's revolutionary battles?

    12. 

    1. NO CHANGE
    2. children's and teens' adoration, but adult loyalty.
    3. children's and teens' adoration, but are read by adults.
    4. children's and teens', but adults.
    13.
    1. NO CHANGE
    2. the appeal of these YA novels outpaces adults
    3. the appeal of these outpaces adult fiction
    4. the appeal of these YA novels outpaces interest in adult fiction
     

    Answer Key:

Skill: