when compared to global average

[White Hat]

Dear forumers, I need your opinion on this sentence here:

Canada has been welcoming higher, when compared to global average, numbers of immigrants of various religious denominations such as Christian, Sikh, Buddhist and non-religious.

I wonder if the when compared to global average part reads well here. Thank you very much.

 

[Jenniferhu]

My inexpert correction:Measured on the scale of the global means, Canada has been welcoming a high number of immigrants of various religious denominations, such as Christianity, Sikhism, and Buddhism, as well as non-religious immigrants.

Note the difference between compared to (Life is poetically compared to the morning dew) and compared with (Compared with a quite ordinary star, like the sun, the earth is small indeed).

JH

****
NOT A TEACHER

 

[5jj]

Dear forumers, I need your opinion on this sentence here:

Canada has been welcoming higher, when compared to global average, numbers of immigrants of various religious denominations such as Christian, Sikh, Buddhist and non-religious.

I wonder if the when compared to global average part reads well here. Thank you very much.

I think that 'when compared to the global average' is fine, though the clause sits awkwardly where you have it. I'd put it either at the beginning or at the end of the sentence.

Incidentally, the sentence seems to be saying that 'non-religious' make up one of the 'various religious denominations'.

 

[emsr2d2]

Dear forumers, I need your opinion on this sentence here:

Canada has been welcoming higher, when compared to global average, numbers of immigrants of various religious denominations such as Christian, Sikh, Buddhist and non-religious.

I wonder if the when compared to global average part reads well here. Thank you very much.

If you want to leave it where it is, I would put it in brackets.

Canada has been welcoming higher (when compared to the global average) numbers of immigrants of various religious denominations such as Christian, Sikh, Buddhist and non-religious.

With regard to 5jj's coment about "non-religious" being a religious denomination, there was a similar question raised by the UK census last year. In the UK census, it was interesting to discover that those people who ticked "atheist" were being lumped together with the people who ticked an actual religion. When percentages of "population who are religious" against "population who are not religious" were being discussed, apparently the powers that be added up the number of people who ticked a religion and also who ticked "atheist" and put them together to call them "religious groups" or something similar. The only group who were excluded were those who ticked "no religion".

 

[Jenniferhu]

Interesting to learn that it's actually acceptable to use adjectives here rather than nouns like Christianity, Sikhism, and Buddhism I had suggested earlier.

And I've also learned a new expression: compared to the global average. Thanks, everyone! :-D

 

[White Hat]

If you want to leave it where it is, I would put it in brackets.
Canada has been welcoming higher (when compared to the global average) numbers of immigrants of various religious denominations such as Christian, Sikh, Buddhist and non-religious.

Thank you, Sir! I've been thinking about the article too. But can we omit the article here if we want to say when compared to global average numbers but just leave the word numbers out since it follows right after it?

 

[5jj]

Thank you, Sir! I've been thinking about the article too. But can we omit the article here if we want to say when compared to global average numbers but just leave the word numbers out since it follows right after it?

Ah, I see what you were intending to say. In theory I suppose it should be possible, but it does read awkwardly here. It would be simpler to say, 'Canada has been welcoming higher than global average numbers ...'


ps. ems is one of our more helpful female members.

 

[Rover_KE]

the difference between compared to (Life is poetically compared to the morning dew) and compared with (Compared with a quite ordinary star, like the sun, the earth is small indeed).

Welcome to the forum.

Please note the following extract from the Forum Guidelines:

About Replying to Posts:

You are welcome to answer questions posted in the Ask a Teacher forum as long as your suggestions, help, and advice reflect a good understanding of the English language. If you are not a teacher, you will need to state that clearly at the top of your post.

Rover