Hi this is Tutor Nick P and this is Lesson 387.
All right. The title of today's lesson is the difference between compared to and
compared with. Now over the years I've had a number of students ask me this and
this is really a tough one because the meaning is almost exactly the same. So
let's take a look at the note of that part first. Both phrases being in
relation to or judged against. You're basically comparing one thing to another.
Okay. Let's continue here. A number of dictionaries such as Webster's and
Collins actually lists compared with as a variant of compared to. You know, so one
it's another variation of having basically the same meaning. This word
would suggest in many cases they are interchangeable. Where you can just use
one or the other in many , many situations. Now having said that. I did find some
guidelines where you're a little more likely to use one than the other. But
really with some native speakers these are almost exactly the same. They're used
almost exactly the same. But let's cover the guidelines and see whether it is
true that maybe in this particular case this one's a little more common than
that one. It doesn't mean the other one is entirely wrong. So that this one
either compared to or compared with would be more common in a particular
case. All right. So let's look at the first part here. One is more likely to use
compared to in order to bring attention to or suggest similarities. Yeah. Compared
to is focusing more on the similarities between things or objects considered to
be of a different order or kind. So even though there are of a different order
you're suggesting something similar about them. Okay. Let's look at it. Here's a
couple of examples of this. He compared his retirement to an endless vacation.
Now obviously retirement and endless vacation are completely different things.
They're not of the same order, but there is some similarities. He's comparing it
to this. You know, maybe it just feels like he it goes on and on.
Well number two here. She compared her childhood to a prison sentence. Yeah.
Maybe she had to work as a child or was forced to work as a child and you know,
she's thinking back about that. So again you're showing that this is like this.
But really childhood and a prison sentence are very different things. They're of a
different order. But she's stressing the similarities between the two or maybe
the feelings between the two were ... Okay. Good. Let's continue. One is more likely
to use compared with to bring attention to the differences. So compared
with focuse a little bit more on stressing the differences of objects or
things of the same order. Okay. Okay. She ... but maybe this was an author or you
know speaker. She compared the Trump administration with the Obama
administration. So they're both administrations. But yet she's probably
stressing the differences between them. Maybe the way Trump runs his
administration is very , very different from the way Obama ran his
administration. So that's what they're saying here they are stressing the
differences but it's something of the same order The administration, the
administration of the government. So that part is the same, but they're stressing
the differences in these cases. You should probably use them compared with
would be more common. Okay. All right. Let's continue. He compared
living in Tokyo with living in Taipei. Okay. Again maybe you, you want to show
the differences about living in these two different places but they're both
talking about living in a major city. So it's kind of on the same order of the
same kind. All right. Well, let's continue. All right. Let's see
One is more likely to use compared to when the purpose is to state two or more
items or people are similar. So again the focus is stressing the similarities
without the need to explain in detail. So let's again give an example.
He compared the struggles of Gandhi to free India or the people of India and
improve rights of Indian citizens to the struggles of Martin Luther King trying
to improve civil rights for African Americans. Okay.
So again you're trying to stress the similarities here. All right. Then we
could say one is more likely to use compared with when placing facts or
items next to each other. Okay. This one can be either stressing differences or
similarities. John's pitching record of 24 wins and 10 losses is much better
compared with Jack's record of 12 wins and 15 losses. So you're really putting
the two records right next to each other. So you can compare them and you could
show the differences between them. But you , you have them kind of lined up. In
this case they say compared with would be a little more common. But again, they
they are so close in meaning they are kind of interchangeable. I wouldn't worry
too much but there's just some cases where you're a little more likely to use
one than the other. But the question had come up many, many times. Okay. Anyway, I
hope you got a better feel. I hope you enjoyed it. I hope it was clear. Thank you
for your time. Bye-bye.