Do we say "Nothing is compared with the Egyptian pyramids" or "Nothing is compared to the Egyptian pyramids"?
If both are correct,is either one favourable in general or in British or American English?
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1The word "with" is the least of your problems. Neither sentence is correct. It should be "Nothing can be compared to ..." or "Nothing compares to..." The way you're phrasing it makes it sound like somebody is doing the comparing.– Mr ListerCommented Jan 16, 2019 at 18:45
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3 Answers
Saying "Nothing is compared with the Egyptian pyramids" or "Nothing is compared to the Egyptian pyramids" implies that no one has ever done such a comparison. Eg, no one has ever compared the height of a pyramid with the height of a well-known office building. This is most certainly false.
Saying "Nothing compares with ...", on the other hand, implies that when a comparison is done, the pyramids are always found to be superior in some aspect.
answered Oct 14, 2019 at 0:00
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1Nothing is comparable to Egyptian Pyramids. Nothing can be compared to Egyptian Pyramids. dailywritingtips.com/compared-to-or-compared-with Commented Mar 12, 2020 at 11:14
I made a grammatical change to the verb:
In regards to the use of compare to or compare with:
- "Nothing compares with the Egyptian pyramids."
or
- "Nothing compares to the Egyptian pyramids."
From the OED, either with or to is acceptable and my sense is both are used interchangeably with not much difference in AmE & BrE:
to compare: (a thing) for one to compare, (a thing) to be compared, comparable (to, with).
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So does the same go for the original sentence? Commented Jan 16, 2019 at 21:27
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Interestingly, I would take your two sentences slightly differently, even though the definitions are virtually identical! I would interpret the first sentence as suggesting that the pyramids are unique, while the second sentence suggests that the pyramids are of superior quality. Commented Feb 15, 2019 at 20:09
If you want to be pernickety, then strictly speaking it should be "with" or nothing at all.
Why? Because the prefix "com" is Latin for "with" and the word "compare" comes from Latin.
compare (v.) c. 1400, "regard or treat as equal;" early 15c. "liken, make a comparison, represent as similar," from Old French comparer "to compare, liken" (12c.), from Latin comparare "to liken, to compare," from com "with, together" (see com-) + par "equal" (see par (n.)).
answered Nov 7, 2020 at 1:14
