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Prepositions and Idioms: Comparisons with “To”
Of course, the GMAT Sentence Correction loves comparisons. The following comparative forms use the preposition “to”
compare A to B
compare to
compared to (or compared with)
in contrast to A, B
Here are some exemplary sentences to demonstrate proper usage.
• In The Crucible, Arthur Miller compared the activities of the HUAC to the Salem witch trials.
• Warren G. Harding won one of the largest landslide victories in American presidential history, but in retrospect, his administration does not compare well to those of virtually all other presidents.
• Compared to/with California, New Jersey has a relatively small coast.
• Compared to/with other writers of the early 20th century, James Joyce may seem to have produced a limited output, if one judges purely by number of books.
• In contrast to politics throughout Europe, politics in America are influenced much more heavily by religion.
• In contrast to the numerous theorems of Geometry readily accessible to high school students, most of the theorems of Number Theory are so sophisticated that only those with advanced degrees in mathematics can understand them.
The GMAT does not like the words “compared to” or “compared with” combined with other comparative words:
Compared to A, B is taller.
A has more money, compared to B.
When compared to A, …
Also, adding the word “when” before the word “compared” is always 100% wrong.
This post is excerpted from Magoosh’s GMAT Idiom eBook.