Have you ever decided to buy a certain product because the packaging assures you that it’s better? I didn’t have to look very hard around my house to find an example. My dish soap promises fifty-percent less scrubbing. We don’t have a dishwasher, so less scrubbing is definitely appealing. However, it’s probably a good idea before I spend my money on this product to ask myself, “Fifty-percent less scrubbing than what?”
Incomplete Comparisons
An incomplete comparison only tells you part of the story. In the dish soap example, I’m encouraged to believe that this product is better than another one, but I don’t know which product that is. Maybe it depends on what I use to scrub with, or if it’s just compared to not using soap at all. The bottom line is, there’s not enough information. The comparison is incomplete.
Ex. Brand name dish soap is more effective than bargain brand dish soap.
This example gives a complete comparison. The function word “than” links two things that are being compared: brand name versus bargain brand dish soap. Now I have enough information to make an informed decision.
When It Could Work
Sometimes you can get away with an incomplete comparison.
Ex. Ida’s gardens are tidier than Allie’s.
Imagine that this sentence appears in a story that you’re writing. You’ve explained who Ida and Allie are. Part of the plot is that these neighbor ladies compete over everything, especially their prize-winning backyard gardens. With all of that context, the reader could reasonably assume that you mean Ida’s gardens are tidier than Allie’s gardens, even though “garden” was left out of the sentence. It’s still an incomplete comparison, but you can get away with it.
However, if this were the opening sentence of a book or a chapter or just a stand-alone example sentence in a proofreading article somewhere, then its incompleteness is a problem. The reader would definitely infer that you mean “garden” but it could be quite a lot of other things as well. Ida’s gardens could be tidier than Allie’s living room, which you could be using to contrast how Ida is so very neat and tidy that even her gardens look good while Allie is the complete opposite.
How To Fix It
Incomplete comparisons are easily resolved.
Ex. Andres loves cars and shoes more than Alexandra.
This incomplete comparison could cause hurt feelings. You could infer that Andres loves cars and shoes more than Alexandra loves cars and shoes, in which case we’re talking about preferences. But you could also infer that Andres loves cars and shoes more than he loves Alexandra, which sounds sad for Alexandra!
To fix it, you need to give more information. Here are two ways to complete the comparisons.
Ex. Andres loves cars and shoes more than Alexandra loves those things. They just don’t see eye to eye.
Ex. Andres loves cars and shoes more than he loves Alexandra. Alexandra knows that Andres cares more about cars and shoes than he does about her, so she thinks she needs a new boyfriend.
When you’re writing, always double check that your comparisons are obviously comparing two or more things. If you can’t answer the questions, “Compared to what?” then you probably need a revision.
How About You?
Have you ever found any funny incomplete comparisons that have multiple possible meanings? What products can you find around your house that have used incomplete comparisons to make a sale?
Dayna Betz is a full-time freelancer providing proofreading and editing services to help writers put their best foot forward. She also enjoys reading and writing book reviews. Head over to her site, Betz Literary to learn more.
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