____ the previous model, the new printer uses forty percent less toner. The options are Compared with, Comparing, In comparison, and Compare. Learners who translate for meaning often grab Comparing because "it's a comparison." The intended answer is Compared with — the sentence weighs two like things (one printer against another) on a measurable point (toner use), and the fixed opener for that is the past participle compared with, not the bare -ing form. This guide sorts the comparison phrases so the choice rests on the relationship being drawn and the grammar of what follows, not on how the sentence sounds.
Three phrases, one comparison, different shading
All three phrases introduce a comparison, but they are not perfectly interchangeable in careful business English, and Part 5 tests the edges.
compared to → likens two things to show a resemblance ("she compared the merger to a marriage")
compared with → weighs two like things point by point to show difference or contrast ("Q3 revenue compared with Q2")
in comparison to / with → a fixed adverbial phrase meaning "relative to," used to frame a whole clause
For the metric-against-metric items that dominate Part 5 — this quarter vs last quarter, this model vs that model — compared with is the precise choice, because the point is a measured contrast, not a metaphor.
The one-second test: what relationship, and what follows?
You do not need to feel the nuance. Run two checks:
- Is the sentence measuring one thing against a like thing (numbers, models, periods)? → compared with.
- Is the sentence likening two unlike things to make a point? → compared to.
- Does the blank open a framing phrase before a full clause, meaning "relative to"? → in comparison to / with.
____ the same period last year, orders climbed twelve percent. This measures one period against a like period, so the answer is Compared with. He compared the launch ____ a rocket taking off. This likens two unlike things, so the answer is to. The relationship the sentence draws tells you which phrase it wants before nuance ever enters. For the broader participle-opener pattern these phrases belong to, see comparatives and superlatives.
The participle trap: compared, not comparing
The single most common distractor is the -ing form. A comparison phrase that opens a sentence and modifies the main clause is a past participle, because the subject is the thing being compared, not the thing doing the comparing:
**Compared with** the older system, the platform loads twice as fast.✓ — the platform is compared with the old system.~~Comparing with the older system, the platform loads twice as fast.~~✗ —comparingwould need the platform to be doing the comparing, which it is not.
Comparing is correct only when there is a real subject doing the comparing: The analyst, comparing the two bids, flagged a gap. If the phrase sits at the front modifying the main subject, it must be compared, never comparing. The dangling-participle logic behind this is the same one worked through in as versus like: comparison and exemplification.
Why "compared with" wins the numbers items
Traditional usage reserves compared with for putting two comparable things side by side to note similarities and differences, and compared to for asserting a likeness between unlike things. TOEIC's business context is overwhelmingly the first kind — figures against figures:
Profit margins improved this year **compared with** last year.✓ — two like periods, measured contrast.Downtime fell **compared with** the industry average.✓ — one metric against a like benchmark.
When the item is a data contrast, compared with is the register-correct answer, and compared to reads as looser. Both are widely accepted in everyday English, but Part 5 rewards the precise choice.
In comparison to: the fixed frame
In comparison to (or in comparison with) is a set adverbial phrase. It cannot be broken up, and it frames a clause rather than attaching tightly to a single noun the way compared with does:
**In comparison to** the pilot region, the national rollout was slow.✓~~In comparing to the pilot region ...~~✗ — the fixed phrase isin comparison, notin comparing.
If the blank is preceded by in, the noun comparison follows — never the verb form. Recognizing that in selects a noun here is the same collocation reflex drilled in prepositions.
The distractor logic in one table
Signal in the sentence | Correct phrase | Why the others fail
Front phrase modifying the main subject | compared to / with | comparing needs an active comparer
Two like things, measured contrast | compared with | compared to implies mere resemblance
Two unlike things, a likeness drawn | compared to | compared with implies point-by-point weighing
Blank preceded by in, framing a clause | in comparison to/with | in comparing / in compare are not phrases
The first row is why comparing and compare are the most-offered traps: an opening phrase that modifies the main clause is a participle, and it must be the past participle unless a comparer is present.
Common wrong answers and why they lose
- comparing as a sentence opener modifying the main subject → the subject is compared, not comparing; the past participle is required.
- compare (base form) in a slot that needs a modifier → a bare verb cannot open a participial phrase.
- compared to on a figures-against-figures item → the precise choice for measured contrast is
compared with. - in comparing after
in→ the fixed phrase takes the nouncomparison, not a gerund.
Two-step drill
- Is the phrase opening the sentence to modify the main subject? If yes, it must be compared (past participle), not comparing.
- Then pick the shade: like-vs-like measured contrast → compared with; unlike-things likeness → compared to;
in+ noun framing a clause → in comparison to.
____ the manual process, the automated pipeline cut errors by half. Step 1: it opens the sentence and modifies "the automated pipeline," so it must be Compared, ruling out Comparing. Step 2: it measures one process against a like process, so the answer is Compared with. The sentence resolves on the participle form and the relationship being drawn, not on which phrase sounds smoothest.