Bryan Garner glosses compare with and compare to :
The usual phrase has for centuries been compare with , which means “to place side by side, noting differences and similarities between” <let us compare his goals with his actual accomplishments>. Compare to = to observe or point only to likenesses between <he compared her eyes to limpid pools>.Persnickety children and young adults: raise your hands and correct your teachers. Do it this fall!
Compare and contrast is an English teacher’s tautology, for in comparing two things (one thing with another) one notes both similarities and differences.
Related reading
All OCA Bryan Garner posts (Pinboard)
[Orange Crate Art is a Garner-friendly zone.]
So the Prince song should be Nothing Compares with U?
ReplyDeleteTo seems right to me: nothing compares to you, there are no likenesses between you and anyone else. I think that’s right.
ReplyDeleteBut also, I think that with songs, anything goes: “I Only Have Eyes for You” beats “I Have Eyes for Only You.”