Meaning & use
comparison of two things
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Meanings
phrasefixed phrase
the act of looking at two things side by side to see how they are alike and how they differ.
Grammar: Often follows 'a' or 'the': 'make a comparison of two things'.
Patterns
- a comparison of two things
- make a comparison of two things
- a comparison of two things with something
The essay opens with a comparison of two things: a city bus and a bicycle.
Her report makes a careful comparison of two things that look alike but work very differently.
In a comparison of two things, you should mention both similarities and differences.
phrasecountable
a statement or piece of writing in which two things are judged against each other.
Grammar: Countable when it means one such statement: 'a comparison of two things', 'two comparisons of two things'.
Patterns
- draw a comparison of two things
- a direct comparison of two things
The teacher asked for a written comparison of two things we had studied this term.
A direct comparison of two things is unfair when they were made for different purposes.
Common combinations
- make a comparison of two things
- Before you buy, make a comparison of two things: price and running costs.
- a fair comparison of two things
- A fair comparison of two things uses the same standard for both.
- a detailed comparison of two things
- The chapter gives a detailed comparison of two things: solar power and wind power.
- draw a comparison of two things
- The writer draws a comparison of two things that seem unrelated at first.
- in comparison with
- In comparison with last year, sales of the smaller model have doubled.
Synonyms and how they differ
Word family
- compare verb
- to examine two or more things to see how they are similar or different
- comparable adjective
- similar enough to be judged against each other
- comparative adjective
- measured or judged by comparing with something else
Commonly confused: comparison of two things or comparison between two things?
comparison of two things vs comparison between two things
This is the more usual wording when you name both items; 'comparison of two things' treats the pair as one group being examined.
Practice
Which sentence uses the phrase correctly?
Choose one answer.
'A comparison of two things' is the standard pattern, with 'of' introducing what is compared. 'For' and 'to' do not fit here, and the second option repeats the object with 'them'.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “comparison of two things”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.