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ESL forum >
Ask for help > Comparing apples to apples
Comparing apples to apples
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ultimatule
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Comparing apples to apples
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Dear friends,
Today my business student came to me with the following question: what does the phrase �compare apples to apples� mean in this context (it�s a quote form an email she got from her boss)
The report is not comparing apples to apples and Edyta will change it. So there will be new figures.
Any ideas?? |
13 Feb 2009
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freddie
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We use the idiom `apples and oranges` when we want to say that 2 things are very different. He either typed the wrong word or he`s trying to say the report is not comparing 2 things that are the same. It`s difficult to know for sure without knowing the whole context. |
13 Feb 2009
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luadosolzinho
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Here in Brazil we say: N�o misture alhos com bugalhos. The idea is the same. In English, it would be like don �t compare garlic with oak-apples. |
13 Feb 2009
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Jayho
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My understanding is that:
Comparing apples with apples means comparing two things that are similar e.g. comparing the nutritional content of two different brands of biscuits
Comparing apples with oranges means comparing two things that are different e.g. comparing the nutritional content of a packet of biscuits and a loaf of bread
Idioms such as these are often used in business environments when people are chatting informally. A good book on idioms is a lifesaver for an ESL/EFL speaker working in business with native speakers. |
13 Feb 2009
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