ABSTRACT
The comparison might be the subject of the essay, or might be given just to provide evidence for the argument. In all cases, it is important to explain clearly what is being compared and to make the comparison as accurate as possible. This chapter illustrates various forms of comparison and practises their use. The comparisons can be modified by the use of adverbs such as slightly, considerably, significantly and substantially. For example, The Dutch economy is slightly larger than Australias. Similarity can be noted by the use of as as: Frances population is as large as Britains. This form can also be used for quantitative comparison. The term high/low are used for comparing abstract ideas (e.g. rates of inflation): Unemployment is lower in the cities than the country. When using superlatives, take care to define the group (e.g. the cheapest car has no meaning) The cheapest car in the Ford range/in the USA.
