What form is better style?
"to make something comparable"
-or-
"to make comparable something"
Jason Donald O'Conal
[ Editor ]
Certainly 'to make something comparable' is better English, as it takes the form [ditransitive verb] [direct object] [indirect object]. However, I am not convinced that, given the context, these are the words I would choose.
As in, for example, “We should strive to make our quality comparable to that of brand X”? If so, I say J.D.’s answer below is correct.
Yes, I meant it as in the context you mentioned. Personally, I always use the first variant. I was asking because I came across the second variant and was not sure whether it is correct/good English.
I would not go so far as to say that it is “bad” English or that it is incorrect. It would certainly not be a conclusive indicator of non-native speech, for example. Depending on the context, such usage could be slightly awkward, yet at the same time effective for drawing attention to itself in a useful way. But, generally speaking the natural order of words is as J.D. indicates, direct object then indirect object.