Comparing a thing to the wrong thing: SAT faulty comparisons
"Unlike most composers of her era, Price's symphonies drew on spirituals." That sentence compares composers to symphonies.
Why it happens
The intended comparison is obvious, so your brain completes it and moves on. The sentence as written compares whatever noun actually sits on each side of "than" or "unlike" — and one of them is usually a possessive standing in for a person.
See the trap
"The population of Lagos is larger than ___"
✗ The trap: "than Nairobi" — a population compared to a city.
✓ The fix: "than that of Nairobi" — population to population. For plurals, "those of".
How to actually fix it
- Find the comparison word: than, unlike, like, compared to, as ... as.
- Name the noun on each side out loud.
- If they are not the same kind of thing, insert "that of" / "those of", or rewrite so the subject is the right noun.
Made this mistake on a real question?
Practice Standard English Conventions questions here. Miss one and it is logged with the exact error, then brought back until you beat it.
Practice Standard English Conventions →FAQ
How do I know whether to use 'that' or 'those'?
Match the noun being echoed: singular takes "that of", plural takes "those of". "The winters of Oslo are colder than those of Rome."
How do I stop repeating this mistake?
Reading the explanation isn't enough — your brain needs to beat the trap on a fresh question. Practice the skill in the kaoshen.co question bank: miss one and it is logged with the exact error, then brought back to you three days later and again after fourteen.