In a metaphorical comparison, you would compare X to Y.

In a metaphorical comparison, you would compare X to Y.

• A. with
• B. to
• C. by
• D. against

Answer: (B)

In a metaphor, you link the thing being described to the thing it’s likened to. The preposition to signals that X is being compared with or likened to Y, highlighting similarity rather than difference or method. Saying you compare X to Y makes the comparison feel like X is being imagined as Y or as having the qualities of Y. With and by don’t fit this sense as cleanly. Using with can imply a side-by-side examination or accompaniment, which is more about comparison as a process than about the direct act of saying X is like Y. By would indicate agent or method, not the target of the comparison. Against suggests opposition or contrast, which is the opposite of a metaphorical likeness. So, to convey a metaphorical likeness clearly, choose to.

In a metaphor, you link the thing being described to the thing it’s likened to. The preposition to signals that X is being compared with or likened to Y, highlighting similarity rather than difference or method. Saying you compare X to Y makes the comparison feel like X is being imagined as Y or as having the qualities of Y.

With and by don’t fit this sense as cleanly. Using with can imply a side-by-side examination or accompaniment, which is more about comparison as a process than about the direct act of saying X is like Y. By would indicate agent or method, not the target of the comparison. Against suggests opposition or contrast, which is the opposite of a metaphorical likeness.

So, to convey a metaphorical likeness clearly, choose to.