When You’re (Missing) a Word in a Comparison
Writers sometimes leave out small necessary words when making comparisons. Sometimes sentences look just fine to our eyes at first glance, but a deeper examination reveals a problem.
Take a look at these sentences and see if they seem structurally correct to you:
- Tech employees fear layoffs less than bus drivers.
- The district attorney considers those vigilantes more dangerous than the criminals.
- This book deals more with the mysteries of the universe than the laws of physics.
- Our profits were higher this year than 2014.
- The US imports more oil from the Middle East than Mexico.
Can you think of what words are missing from those sentences? Sometimes you need to put in a verb or preposition to make the sentence structurally correct.
Here are the sentences rewritten correctly:
- Tech employees fear layoffs less than bus drivers do.
- The district attorney considers those vigilantes more dangerous than she does the criminals.
- This book deals more with the mysteries of the universe than with the laws of physics.
- Our profits were higher this year than in 2104
- The US imports more oil from the Middle East than from Mexico
It may seem a small thing to consider, but if you are aiming for accuracy and clarity, it’s best to (not) ignore the small necessary words!
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