Читать книгу The Century Handbook of Writing - Garland Greever - Страница 10

4. Comparisons must be completed logically.

 Wrong: His speed was equal to a racehorse.

 Wrong: Of course my opinion is worth less than a lawyer.

 Wrong: The shells which are used in quail hunting are different than in rabbit hunting.

Compare a thing with another thing, an abstraction with another abstraction. Do not carelessly compare a thing with a part or quality of another thing. Always ask yourself: What is compared with what?

 Right: His speed was equal to that of a racehorse.

 Right: Of course my opinion is worth less than a lawyer's.

 Right: The shells used in quail hunting are different from those used in rabbit hunting.

 Self-contradictory: Chicago is larger than any city in Illinois.

 Right: Chicago is larger than any other city in Illinois.

 Impossible: Chicago is the largest of any other city in Illinois.

 Right: Chicago is the largest of all the cities in Illinois. [Or] Chicago is the largest city in Illinois.

Note.—After a comparative, the subject of the comparison should be excluded from the class with which it is compared; after a superlative, the subject of the comparison should be included within the class.

 Wrong:taller of all the girls.tallest of any girl.

 Right:taller than any other girl [comparative].tallest of all the girls [superlative].

Exercise:

1 The climate of America helps her athletes to become superior to other countries.

2 This tobacco is the best of any other on the market.

3 You men are paid three dollars more than any other factory in the city.

4 I thought I was best fitted for an engineering course than any other.

5 Care should be taken not to turn in more cattle than the grass in the pasture.