grammar · academic
compared with / compared to + noun/clause
Used to make a comparison between two things. 'Compared with' often suggests detailed contrast; 'compared to' can suggest analogy or general likeness.
Examples
“Compared with last year, this year's sales have increased markedly.”
“She compared his voice to a violin.”
“Compared to other cities, this town is relatively quiet.”
Band 8 sentence
“Compared with similar initiatives abroad, the domestic programme lacks consistent funding and long-term planning.”
Collocations
- compared with last year
- compared to a
Word family
Common mistakes
compared to last year→compared with last year
comparing to→comparing with / compared to
Say it for a higher band
5compared to last year (in data contexts)→6comparing to→7+compared with / compared to + noun/clause
Synonyms
in comparison with
Easily confused
compared to vs compared with
“Compared with the 1990s, today's students have more access to information.”
Related words
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In Comparatives
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