although

Hello, everyone. Can "although" be used to compare different things.


Country-------number of people using rail transport (in millions)---Passenger kilometers per head of population----cargo carried(billions of tons)
Malaysia-----------5.9--------------------------------------------------770--------------------------------------------------22.2
Canada------------0.3---------------------------------------------------80---------------------------------------------------28.20
China---------------27---------------------------------------------------1980-----------------------------------------------23.01
UAE----------------5.5---------------------------------------------------780-------------------------------------------------21.9


For the table above, my teacher wrote an overview for it:
Overall, although China has the highest number of people using rail transport and the longest distances being traveled per person, it is Canada that transports the heaviest amount of cargo. Besides this, Canada has the lowest figures for both the number of people and distances being covered while the UAE carries the fewest tons of goods by rail.

Can he compare irrelevant things like this? Because he said we can't compare like this, but he himself did it this way. I am so confused.

I would say:
Overall, China has the highest number of people using rail transport and the longest distances being traveled per person, while Canada has the lowest figures for those two categories. When it comes to the amount of cargo carried, Canada ranks first, and UAE last.

Thanks

There is nothing wrong with your teacher's use of "although", and this usage is typical. It is used to contrast (not compare) two different but related things, in this case passenger rail transport and cargo rail transport. Your sentence is correct, but doesn't provide any contrast between China's lead in passenger traffic and Canada's lead in cargo.

Uncle Jack said:

There is nothing wrong with your teacher's use of "although", and this usage is typical. It is used to contrast (not compare) two different but related things, in this case passenger rail transport and cargo rail transport. Your sentence is correct, but doesn't provide any contrast between China's lead in passenger traffic and Canada's lead in cargo.

But when I applied his use of "although" to write the overview of the table below, he said I am compare/contrast something irrelevant. I am confused. What's your thoughts, Jack?

City......................Date opened..........Kilometres of route...........Passengers per year(in millions)
London.....................1863........................394.........................................775
Paris.........................1900.......................199.........................................1191
Tokyo........................1927.......................155.........................................1928
Washington DC...........1976.......................126..........................................144
Kyoto........................1981.........................11...........................................45
Los Angeles ...............2001.........................28...........................................50

my overview:
Overall, although/while London's network is the oldest and covers the longest distance, Tokyo's serves the largest number of people annually. This is in contrast with kyoto's and Los Angele's system, with the former having the shortest route and least passenger and the latter opening the latest.

Can I contrast like this ?

Thanks

Uncle Jack said:

China's lead in passenger traffic

China took the lead in passenger traffic.
Hello, Jack, I remember when I wrote this, my teacher said it sound as if those countries were competing with each other. He suggests to not use it.
What do you think?

China has the highest number of people using rail transport and the longest distances being traveled per person might lead one to expect that it also transports the heaviest amount of cargo. It's this that justifies the concessive, although, to prepare us for the surprising fact that another country, Canada, has this role.

Your suggestion, Kacy, seems to be that the one might not lead us to expect the other, that there is no logical link between the two - this is how I understand irrelevant as you use it. If you are right in this, and, like Uncle Jack, I'm not clear that you are, then the concessive is not justified.

As you can see, I'm happy with your teacher's version, and in your version I feel the lack of a concessive (however?) to introduce Canada's role.

Kacy.H said:

China took the lead in passenger traffic.
Hello, Jack, I remember when I wrote this, my teacher said it sound as if those countries were competing with each other. He suggests to not use it.
What do you think?

This seems to me a separate matter, which should not be included in this thread. Start a new thread?

Thanks guys