English : Liken





What is the difference between compare and liken?

When you compare two products what you are doing is looking for similarities and differences between the two. You look at the two things and see in what ways they are alike and in what ways they are different. And after you have made the comparison, you invariably come to a conclusion as to which is better. Before we buy anything, we usually compare different products.

• They compared the two products and decided not to buy either.

• Why do you want to compare the two samples?

When you liken something to something else, what you are saying is that one is similar to the other. You are not looking for the differences in this case. You are merely stating that the two objects or the two persons are very much alike. The word is normally used in formal contexts.

• Ganesh has been likened to Tendulkar.

• The article has likened the minister to a saint.

• The students have likened the new university to a supermarket.


"Anyone who can think of only one way to spell a word obviously lacks imagination."— Mark Twain




COURTESY : The Hindu (The National News-Paper) - India




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