Faulty Comparisons
Soft Skills I
19SSK211
Faulty Comparisons
▸ Faulty comparison happens
when the comparison is not
complete or when the
items that are being
compared are in different
categories.
3
▸ Faulty comparisons are
illogical constructions,
which often means that
the ideas you intend to
convey may not come
through to your reader
and may render
statement or argument
ineffective.
4
Kinds of Comparison
• Errors in degree of comparison - positive,
comparative, and superlative.
• The positive form ( unaltered version of an adjective)
can be used to compare items when combined
with as.
Rahul is as smart as Kapil.
• When it comes to degrees of comparison - use comparative and superlative
forms of adjectives.
• The comparative degree is used when you are comparing two items.
• Most comparatives use the ending -er, like smarter, faster, and smoother but
some require you to use more followed by an adjective or adverb, such
as more attractive.
• The comparative degree is often used in association with than.
He read Whitman’s poem faster than Cassie did.
6
▸ The superlative degree compares three or more items and is
considered the greatest degree.
▸ Many superlatives end with –est: smartest, fastest, and smoothest,
unless the superlative ends with a y in which you would end with
or –iest, like happiest.
▸ The superlative degree is preceded by the and is followed by a
noun in the sentence.
Lekshmi has the highest grade in the group.
7
Double Comparative & Double
Superlative
▸ Irregular adjectives and adverbs. - the comparative form
of little is less, and the superlative form is least.
▸ Faulty comparison can also occur when a comparative ending
in –er or a superlative ending in -est is used with words
like more, most, less, or least.
Gabriel’s résumé is more clearer than Mike’s.
Gabriel’s résumé is clearer than Mike’s.
8
▸ Absolute words like perfect and unique cannot be logically
compared - there is not a degree of comparison.
▸ Something is either perfect or it is not—there are no higher
degrees of perfection.
Ernest wrote the most perfect correspondence today.
Ernest wrote a perfect correspondence today.
Ernest wrote a nearly perfect correspondence today.
9
Incomplete and Ambiguous Comparisons
Harish is not as mean.
Harish is not as mean as Varun is.
Naomi scored more points in this basketball game.
Naomi scored more points than she did in the last game.
Keith helped Amber more than Elizabeth on the homework assignment.
Keith helped Amber more than he helped Elizabeth on the homework
assignment.
10
Illogical Comparisons
Illogical comparisons occur when two or more items are
compared, but the items are not in the same category.
• Illogical: The flowers in Quinton’s yard are prettier
than Jacob.
• Logical : The flowers in Quinton’s yard are prettier than
the ones in Jacob’s yard.
11
Spot the errors in the following sentences.
1. A golfer who controls his emotions is more successful.
Ans. A golfer who can control his emotions is successful.
2. Susan has always admired her brother more than her
sister.
Ans. Susan has always admired her brother more than her
sister did.
3. The many talents of Leonardo Da Vinci prove that he was
more of a renaissance man.
Ans. The many talents of Leonardo Da Vinci prove that he was more
of a renaissance man than Henry VIII was.
12
4. Richard offered more pay to Jim than Harry.
Richard offered more pay to Jim than Harry offered.
Richard offered more pay to Jim than to Harry.
5. Sylvia found the most unique dress for her daughter’s baptism.
Sylvia found a unique dress for her daughter’s baptism.
6. College varsity football sessions are much more grueling than high
school.
College varsity football sessions are much more grueling than that of
high school.
13
7. The house’s shutters are as weather beaten as the shed.
The house’s shutters are as weather beaten as the
shed's shutters.
The house's shutters are as weather beaten as the
shutters (those) on the shed.
8. John prefers smaller portions at lunchtime.
John prefers smaller portions than bigger portions at
lunchtime.
14
9-10. The underlined part of the sentence may or may not
have an error. Replace it with the correct option.
9. During the Civil War, nearly three times as many Americans lost their
lives from infections that could have been prevented with antiseptic
techniques than were killed on the battlefield
A. Than
B. than those who
C. than the number who Ans. E
D. as the number who
E. as
15
10. Like most other marsupial species and all other
kangaroo species, the diet of the swamp wallaby consists of
leaves and other sorts of vegetation.
A. Like most other marsupial species and all other kangaroo species, the
diet of the swamp wallaby consists
B. Like those of most other marsupial species and all other kangaroo
species, the diets of the swamp wallaby consists
C. Just like the diet of most other marsupial species and all other kangaroo
species, the diet of the swamp wallaby consists
D. Similar to the diets of most other marsupial species and all other
kangaroo species, the swamp wallabies have a diet which consists
E. Like most other marsupial species and all other kangaroo species, the
swamp wallaby has a diet consisting
Ans. E 16
