compared with?

Question

Hello,Please check this sentence:Compared with a cat, a dog is more likely to eat vegetables than mice.Is this sentence ok? I mean using "compared with" and "more likely" like this.Thanks.

JohnParis · Accepted Answer

Your sentence is good English.
"Compared with" is correct.
However, compared to is slowly becoming acceptable and you will hear it often.
You have used "more likely" correctly as well.

Englishnewbie · Answer

Thanks.

Khoff · Answer

englishnewbieCompared with a cat, a dog is more likely to eat vegetables than mice.

Something about this sentence bothers me. You could say
A dog is more likely to eat vegetables than a cat is.
OR

A dog is more likely to eat vegetable than (to eat) mice.
but I don't think you can string them together without changing the wording. It seems as if you want one instance of "than" to function in two separate comparisons.

"A dog is more likely to eat vegetables than mice" is a complete thought about dogs. (I don't think it's true, by the way, but that's beside the point.) It has nothing to do with cats. Trying to cram them both into one sentence is like saying "Compared to a cat, dogs can bark."

If you want to compare the degree to which the two animals prefer one thing over the other, you could say
"Compared to a cat, a dog is more likely to choose vegetables over mice."
or
"A dog is more likely to choose vegetable over mice than a cat is."

Does anyone else see anything odd about the original sentence, or is it just me?

CalifJim · Answer

khoffDoes anyone else see anything odd about the original sentence, or is it just me?

It's not just you. Here's the original sentence.

Compared with a cat, a dog is more likely to eat vegetables than mice.

I have to confess I was not thinking too clearly when I read it the first time, but I could have sworn that it meant:

Compared with a cat, a dog is more likely than mice to eat vegetables.

And I said to myself, "Whaaaaa?"

CJ

JohnParis · Answer

khoff englishnewbie

If you want to compare the degree to which the two animals prefer one thing over the other, you could say"Compared to a cat, a dog is more likely to choose vegetables over mice."or"A dog is more likely to choose vegetable over mice than a cat is."Does anyone else see anything odd about the original sentence, or is it just me?

Call me old fashioned, or perhaps too scientifically orientated, but Strunk and White, The Economist Style Guide (10th edition) and the New York Times Manual of Use and Style (4th edition) still favor "compared with" when seeking to show differences. Here, the difference refers to the eating preferences of one animal versus the other - at least that is how I read it.

"Compare to" is used to show similarities. The heart can be compared to a pump.
or
"Shall I compare thee to a summer's day?
Thou art more lovely and more temperate:
Rough winds do shake the darling buds of May,
And summer's lease hath all too short a date..."

I thought the original sentence was rather elegant, but I am also willing to admit that my age shows through my style and use

. Perhaps it's time to change.

Anonymous · Answer

is 'as' necessary

The lifespan of a person working the graveyard shift over 20 years is considerably diminished as compared to someone who worked 9-5.
The lifespan of a person working the graveyard shift over 20 years is considerably diminished compared to someone who worked 9-5.

Is it phrased correctly please?

Thank you in advance

compared with?

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