usage of 'on'

[rats]

can we say - 'the hunter slept on a tree' ?
does one use 'compare with' or 'compare to' ?

[DavyBCN]

Originally Posted by rats

can we say - 'the hunter slept on a tree' ?
does one use 'compare with' or 'compare to' ?

You could say on a tree, but that would suggest on top of the tree. It is better to say in a tree.

Compared with and compared to are both good.

[Humble]

Hi,
I think there is more to that, Davy. Look,
Nothing compares to you
Will it really make no difference whatsoever if I say
Nothing compares with you
?
I may be wrong, but I see it this way : if we just want to see the difference we use with
Please compare sentence a) with sentence b).

If we mean sth is superior we use to
Your house is like a palace compared to our humble cottage.
We also use to when we find similarity
I would compare Jamiroquai to Stevie Wonder.
Regards

[Coffa]

Originally Posted by Humble

Hi,
I think there is more to that, Davy. Look,
Nothing compares to you
Will it really make no difference whatsoever if I say
Nothing compares with you
?
I may be wrong, but I see it this way : if we just want to see the difference we use with
Please compare sentence a) with sentence b).
If we mean sth is superior we use to
Your house is like a palace compared to our humble cottage.
We also use to when we find similarity
I would compare Jamiroquai to Stevie Wonder.
Regards

Well, the distinctions between 'compare with' and 'compare to' are in dispute among traditional and liberal linguists, but this is the formal answer:

1) When 'compare' is used intransitively, it must always take 'with' - for example: "Talk does not compare with action."

2) When the verb is used transitively, and the objects being compared are of like kind, we use 'compare with' because we are emphasising a contrast. For example: "Please write an essay on how Shakespeare compares with Moliere as a dramatist."

3) Otherwise, we use 'compare to'. This generally involves cases where the verb is used transitively, but more in the sense of a simile between objects of different kinds. For example: "But shall I compare thee to a summer breeze?"

[DavyBCN]

The last two contributions are very interesting. I didn't realise that there was a linguistic debate on this subject, but I can see why.
I cannot argue with the distinctions you both make in your examples, but the differences seem so small and I am sure a lot of people would make a convincing case for the meanings being identical.
This is one I want to think about more before coming off my fence.
Just checked Longmans Dictionary of Contemporary English and it makes no distinction between on and with, which I quote as being interesting rather than definitive!

[rats]

hi all,
thanx a lot for helping me out with the 'compare to 'and 'compare with' . but how can we say ' the hunter slept in a tree' ? 'on' seems to be more appropriate.

[DavyBCN]

Originally Posted by rats

hi all,
thanx a lot for helping me out with the 'compare to 'and 'compare with' . but how can we say ' the hunter slept in a tree' ? 'on' seems to be more appropriate.

We often use in to describe a location where you are enclosed- by walls for example in a room. My idea was that the person would be enclosed by the branches of the tree, and therefore in/inside the tree in a sense.