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The sentence below:

Our method cannot achieve 100 percent accuracy as compared to DART method due to the imprecise modeling.

Why does the sentence above use as compared to? Can we use as compare to instead?

Jasper
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william007
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3 Answers3

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The phrase "as compared to..." is correct. "As compare to..." would not be accepted as correct by any English speaker.

Daniel
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    Actually "as compared to" and "as compare to" sound very similar when spoken. So it might easily be accepted by an English listener, but not an English reader. – Peter Shor Jun 19 '13 at 17:47
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The above sentence is incorrect. Compared is not an adjective, it is an ordinary verb, hence the adverb as is used mistakenly. The sentence should read:

Our method cannot achieve 100 percent accuracy compared to DART method due to the imprecise modeling.

Compare = to examine (two or more objects, ideas, people, etc.) in order to note similarities and differences: to compare two pieces of cloth; to compare the governments of two nations.

(The construction as [adjective] as is common when comparing two things or people for example: "Our method is as accurate as theirs.")

from Dictionary.com:

The traditional rule about which preposition to use after compare states that compare should be followed by to when it points out likenesses or similarities between two apparently dissimilar persons or things: "She compared his handwriting to knotted string."

EDIT: I must be more careful before making sweeping statements such as "compared" is not an adjective, it is not as clear-cut as that. Kiamlaluno has provided a clear and very comprehensible explanation on "compared to" and I would like to copy his answer here so that others may benefit.

"Compared is the past participle of compare and "compared to the DART method due to the imprecise modeling" is a participial phrase. Participial phrases function as adjectives; in your sentence, it modifies our method."

kiamlaluno

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Mari-Lou A
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  • Native speakers frequently use "as compared to". They do not, however, use "as compare to". So by any practical measure, "as compared to" is correct, and "as compare to" is incorrect. Whether it's better to leave out the "as" or not is a stylistic question, not a grammatical one. – Martha Jun 13 '13 at 21:25
  • Thank you @Martha. I will do a little research and post the results, but only tomorrow. – Mari-Lou A Jun 13 '13 at 21:28
  • Compared is an adjective: it is a participle, a form which is so called because it 'participates' in characteristics of both nouns and verbs. – StoneyB on hiatus Jun 13 '13 at 21:38
  • Thanks, since it is a different questions from this, I post a related question here: http://ell.stackexchange.com/questions/7332/is-compared-to-a-verb – william007 Jun 14 '13 at 01:57
  • @StoneyB before claiming that compare is a verb, I checked on two dictionaries: Dictionary.com and Collins, I typed both "compared" and "compared to" and nowhere did either reference book say that compared is or can be used as an adjective. I checked because I was uncertain, and "compared" looks like an adjective. So I am now a bit confused, I need more convincing before correcting my answer. Could you provide me with any links? Thank you. – Mari-Lou A Jun 14 '13 at 04:58
  • @StoneyB I also tested my inner ear: "I am more compared than...; He is the most compared in the..." and they didn't sound right. Perhaps my method was too primitive? :( – Mari-Lou A Jun 14 '13 at 05:04
  • @StoneyB Kimalaluno's answer has helped me to understand better. You were indeed correct. I've always avoided the trickier aspects (for me) of English grammar and now I see I am falling flat on my face, so to speak! – Mari-Lou A Jun 14 '13 at 07:15
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    @Mari-LouA We never stop learning. I've spent the last ten months here and on ELU un-learning everything I learned about grammar 50 years ago! – StoneyB on hiatus Jun 14 '13 at 10:11
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You can't use "compare". When you use the verb form "compare" it is a finite form of present tense that needs a subject such as a pronoun (I, you ...). It might also be an imperative when it is the first word of a sentence and it might also be a subjunctive form when used in a subclause after special verbs.

rogermue
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