Continuation of Literature Review

2

Unit VI

Lesson 4: Grammar and Style

Faulty Comparisons

Faulty Comparisons

One of the most important things about faulty comparisons is to be certain that you read carefully enough to make certain that equivalent things are being compared.

Read these two sentences for example:

· The price of food is even higher than Walmart and Target.

· The Russians had even more representatives present than China or India.

Note in the first sentence you cannot compare a “price” to a store—Walmart or Target. However, you could compare the “price of food” to a “price (or prices)" at Walmart or Target.

In the second sentence, you cannot compare representatives—here, Russians—to countries—China or India. A correction would require all three of the items compared to be either people or countries.

Another thing to remember about comparisons is that in many structures the word other or else is essential to the comparison.

Note these examples:

· Ha Jin is taller than any person that I know.

Here, if Ha Jin is a person, and if the speaker knows Ha Jin, then the statement says, literally, that Ha Jin is taller than himself, something that is ridiculous. However, the sentence should read, “Ha Jin is taller than any other person that I know.”

· Moab, at six feet, eight inches tall, is taller than anyone on the team.

Here, if Moab is on the team, then the statement is faulty because it says that Moab is taller than himself. The statement must read, “Moab, at six feet, eight inches, is taller than anyone else on the team.” The words other or else in many comparisons cannot be eliminated without creating a faulty comparison.

The most common comparisons involve degrees of comparisons with adjectives. There are three degrees of adjectives, the positive, comparative, and superlative. The positive degree is simply used to describe without any comparison. The comparative, as the name implies, is used to compare two things. Finally, the superlative, again as its name implies, is used to show the supreme degree of the adjective being applied.

Note these simple examples:

· John is tall. (positive)

· John is taller than Ralph. (comparative)

· John is the tallest person on the team. (superlative)

The structures of these adjectives are very consistent, with the adjective itself in its basic or root form used to describe something. When a comparison is needed between two things, the – er suffix is added. Finally, for the superlative, the – est suffix is added.

Faulty comparisons also commonly occur in writing and speaking when one uses the comparative degree to compare more than two things or when the superlative degree is used to compare any two items.

For example:

· Of the two brothers, Jack is the tallest. (Faulty comparison—the form must be . . . is the taller.)

· Jack is the taller of the young men on the basketball team. (Faulty comparison—since a basketball team contains a minimum of five members, the form tallest must be used.)

One further type of faulty comparison is the double comparison. A double comparison occurs when a writer or speaker uses both the comparative and superlative together to create an ungrammatical form, most of the times associated with slang and a regional dialect.

For example:

· Mary is the most tallest girl in her family.

Here, tallest is correct unless there are only two members in her family. Double comparisons are always incorrect. The word most should be removed from the sentence.

Homecoming last year was the most drunkest I have ever been in my life.

Here, even if drunkest is low diction under any circumstances, the double comparison is just that much worse. Again, most should be removed.

Check for Understanding (on Faulty Comparisons)

(See Answer Key at bottom of document.)

Select the correct form in parentheses:

1. The pollution control devices on the new Volkswagen are more complex than (any other car, those of any other make of car).

2. The Italians have done more for organized crime than (Russia or China, the Russians or the Chinese.)

3. The city of Chicago is (larger and has more violence, larger and has more violence than any other Midwestern city its size).

4. Of the four starting linemen, Mean Joe is (taller, tallest).

5. The population of Dallas is a lot bigger than (Houston, that of Houston).

6. The cross country team is running (faster, more faster) today than they ran last week at the district competition.

7. The food in the campus cafeteria is better than (Hardee’s, that from Hardee’s).

8. John is tall at six-four, but his brothers are (taller, tallest) at a minimum of six-eight.

9. Americans are more concerned with global warming than (any other country in the world, the people of any other country in the world).

10. Of the two cities, Jacksonville is by far the (largest, larger) in its geographical area.

Answer Key

Faulty Comparisons

1. those of any other make of car

2. the Russians or the Chinese.

3. is larger and has more violence than any other Midwestern city its size

4. tallest

5. that of Houston

6. faster

7. that from Hardee’s

8. taller

9. the people of any other country in the world

10. larger