Pale in comparison

Pale in comparison

Today we have a great English expression for this audience because it’s a common expression and you would probably not guess its meaning. The expression is “pale in comparison.” Pale, in this case, is a verb. We use this when we’re making, of course, comparisons. And here’s when we use it. We use it when we have something that seems big at first, then seems actually much smaller when compared to something bigger.

Earlier today, I was talking about the side effects of many coronavirus vaccines . The side effects are real for many people. They can include fever, chills, pain in your arm, swelling, nausea, and muscle pain. I had a slight fever, some chills, and difficulty sleeping the night after my second dose. Those are no fun. Nobody wants to get a fever, to be sore, tired all day, none of that. This seems terrible.

But it pales in comparison to catching COVID-19. Think about it. Would you rather have one night of fever and a couple of days of muscle soreness, or would you rather lose your sense of smell for a few weeks, be unable to work, possibly need to be placed on a ventilator? Or die? When compared to the symptoms of COVID itself, the side effects of the vaccine seem so much less terrible.

So how did I use it? I first introduced the side effects of the vaccine, which seem bad when taken by themselves. I then said, “But these pale in comparison to getting COVID.” And when I say that I mean to make those side effects seem a lot less bad.

Let’s take a related example. COVID vaccines can be expensive. The US and Europe are paying about $15 to $20 per dose of the Pfizer vaccine. And they’re giving these vaccines away for free to millions and millions of people. That’s a lot of money; it’s a big investment. But the cost of the vaccine pales in comparison to the cost of an economy-wide shutdown. So, if you’re managing a government budget, which would you rather pay? Would you prefer to pay $20 a pop to get everyone vaccinated, on the one hand, or, on the other hand, hundreds of dollars a week in unemployment benefits, all the healthcare costs of treating symptoms, and all the other expenses of a shutdown combined?

If you look at it like that, the cost of the vaccine pales in comparison to the cost of not giving everyone a vaccine. The cost of giving everyone the shot seems big at first, but it’s actually small when you compare it to the cost of a national economic shutdown.

Let’s look at a new example. F9 … can you believe they’re on the ninth “Fast & Furious” movie? It came out here in 2021 and earned about $500 million at the box office. Sounds great, right? $500 million is half a billion dollars. But that pales in comparison to the biggest global box office hit from before the pandemic, which was “Avengers: Endgame.” That movie earned $2.7 billion at the box office. That’s five times the earnings of F9. So, we’d say that the F9 box office take was good, but it pales in comparison to that of “Avengers: Endgame.”

We have a live conversation call a few times a month as part of Plain English Plus+. On a recent call, we were talking about long-running TV shows. You might remember I talked about Law & Order, a popular TV show in the U.S. The first one came out in 1990 and its spinoffs are still on the air today, in 2021. That’s 31 years of Law & Order on American television. I bet that seems like a lot, right? But that pales in comparison to a daytime show called “General Hospital.” That has been on television since 1963! Can you believe that? A single television show has had more than 14,000 episodes over 58 seasons.

So yes, Law & Order has been on the air for a long time. But it pales in comparison to the daily “General Hospital,” which has been on television since 1963.

Quote of the Week

Today’s quote is from Theresa Tam, the Chief Public Health Officer of Canada. She says, “Misinformation or distrust of vaccines can be like a contagion that spreads as fast as measles.” I think that’s so true, it’s easy to get scared, it’s easy to believe something that’s not true, it’s easier to say “no” than to say “yes” sometimes when it comes to something new and scary. A lot of the misinformation makes people afraid, causes concern, gets their emotions running high, and the truth sometimes isn’t as exciting.

Ironically, in this case, I think the truth is more exciting than misinformation. The truth, the fact of this scientific development is a monumental achievement of science, business, and government. But regardless, here is the quote of the week: “Misinformation or distrust of vaccines can be like a contagion that spreads as fast as measles,” says Theresa Tam, the Chief Public Health Officer in Canada.

See you next time!

And that’s all today, thanks for joining us for Lesson 388 of Plain English. Remember, all the fun continues at PlainEnglish.com/388, where you can continue to practice, take the quiz, try your hand at the dictation exercises, watch the video lesson, and much more. A lot of that is part of the Plain English Plus+ membership, but the transcripts are free. If you’re not yet a member, just log onto PlainEnglish.com and choose the membership level that’s right for you.