Rules for writers, Tenth edition - Diana Hacker, Nancy Sommers 2021
Add words needed to make comparisons logical and complete
Add needed words
Clarity
Comparisons should be made between items that are alike. To compare unlike items is illogical and distracting.
Sometimes the word other must be inserted to make a comparison logical.
Sometimes the word as must be inserted to make a comparison grammatically complete.
Comparisons should be complete enough to ensure clarity. The reader should understand what is being compared.
INCOMPLETE |
Depression is more common in adolescent girls. |
COMPLETE |
Depression is more common in adolescent girls than in adolescent boys. |
Finally, comparisons should leave no ambiguity for readers. If a sentence lends itself to more than one interpretation, revise the sentence to state clearly which interpretation you intend.
AMBIGUOUS |
Ken helped me more than my roommate. |
CLEAR |
Ken helped me more than he helped my roommate. |
CLEAR |
Ken helped me more than my roommate did. |