Select the transitional device that best matches the sentence.
__________ the Mercedes, the Audi has a more powerful engine.
Correct answer: Compared with.
Explanation: Both “compared with” and “in contrast to” denote a comparison. What’s the difference then? “Compared with” is used to show A is different from B in some way. “In contrast to” says that something that is true for A is not true for B.
Correct example of the use of “in contrast to”:
In contrast to the Mercedes, the Audi has a powerful engine.
This sentence implies that the Mercedes does not have a powerful engine, whereas in the first sentence, the implication is that the Mercedes has a less powerful engine.