Talk:compare and contrast

RFV discussion: February–March 2023

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compare and contrast

For this being used as a verb phrase. — SURJECTION ^{/ T / C / L /} 10:15, 12 February 2023 (UTC)

Well I certainly remember seeing this a lot in school assignments. That might be essentially its only use, since the only other contexts where I can see this being used as a set phrase in the wider world would be tasks specifically patterned after school assignments. —Soap— 15:40, 12 February 2023 (UTC)

Yeah, it trivially exists, but... isn't it extremely SOP? - -sche (discuss) 20:33, 12 February 2023 (UTC)

It has dictionary entries in Merriam-Webster, dictionary.com, and a special note under "compare" or "contrast" in a few places: Longman, Macmillan, Oxford Learner's. Definitely borderline, but I'd maybe lean towards inclusion on the basis that it has a more specific meaning (you must list both similarities and differences) than "compare" and "contrast" convey by themselves—I don't think the usage note that "compare formally considers similarities only" is accurate, since comparing X and Y doesn't otherwise carry the meaning of only looking for similarities. —Al-Muqanna المقنع (talk) 23:50, 12 February 2023 (UTC)

This term seems to pass under the Empty space test (compare and contrast seems to mean the same thing as compare). Since the term isn't being listed on RFD, it's currently passing as  cited. Ioaxxere (talk) 19:26, 13 February 2023 (UTC)

This term illustrates that normal folk often use and understand words in ways not consistent with how lexicographers orgainize entries. Teachers assume (presumably based on long experience) that many students understand compare to draw attention to similarities and contrast to draw attention of differences. Perhaps students exposure to uses of compare is principally to uses involving similarity. I suspect that it is also true that terms derived and related to compare tend to have most uses that focus entirely on similarity and none that focus entirely on differences. To me the term seems entirely SoP, but I'd follow the lemmings. DCDuring (talk) 20:05, 13 February 2023 (UTC)

Yes, I also had it a lot in primary school, but not in high school. You can quickly find this used as a verb phrase in Google Image search when using "compare and contrast questions." Specifically there is https://www.chegg.com/homework-help/questions-and-answers/question-1-10-marks-compare-contrast-financial-accounting-reports-management-accounting-re-q39517445 .

I created that page mainly to host the usage notes for the distinction between compare, contrast, and compare and contrast. Daniel.z.tg (talk) 00:17, 16 February 2023 (UTC)

RFV Passed. Ioaxxere (talk) 19:23, 1 March 2023 (UTC)