“She has more fun than anyone I know on this planet. She’s pure passion, that girl.” - Hugh Jackman, in People, about his wife Deborra-Lee Furness
Hugh has made a type of faulty comparison that is commonly found in questions on standardized examinations. The comparison in the first sentence is between “she” (his wife) and “anyone [...]
“I’ve always mixed with people older than me. I’m often told I appeal to older men more than guys my own age, and I think that’s pretty cool. Older men understand women more. They usually have better taste.” - Scarlett Johansson
Scarlett has made an error that is very common in informal speech and writing: she [...]
Naomi Campbell is being sued by another one of her former assistants, who claims that the supermodel threw her against the wall, slapped her in the face, and stranded her in Morocco without any money. Naomi’s behavior may be worse than any other celebrity.
The second sentence contains a faulty comparison. “Naomi’s behavior” is compared [...]
Rachel Weisz gave birth to a baby boy this week, but the excitement surrounding his birth is nothing like Angelina Jolie’s baby girl.
This sentence contains a faulty comparison. What is being compared? The first part of the comparison is “the excitement surrounding his birth.” The second part of the comparison is “Angelina Jolie’s baby girl.” [...]
Are Brad Pitt’s parenting skills as bad as Britney Spears? When he took his infant daughter on a bike ride, she did not wear a helmet and she was carried in a baby-pack that has instructions that warn against using it while riding a bike.
The first sentence contains a faulty comparison. What is being compared? [...]
Oprah Winfrey has reportedly signed a deal to write a book about weight loss. Her advance is said to be more than Bill Clinton, who received $12 million to write his autobiography, My Life.
The second sentence contains a faulty comparison. The expression “more than” indicates that there is a comparison, but what two things are [...]
A faulty comparison is one that is not logical. Items that are compared must in fact be similar.
I like Bruce Springsteen’s songs more than Madonna.
This sentence is illogical. What is being compared? A person’s songs should not be compared to a person. Songs should be compared to songs.
These sentences contain logical comparisons:
I [...]
