Grammar fix
stack up
compare (with/to something else)
to be as good as or as effective as something or someone else, especially when compared directly; to measure up in comparison.
Hear it in context
Notice where the phrase sounds natural.
When you compare the new phone to last year's model, it really doesn't stack up.
While online courses are convenient, some people feel they don't stack up to traditional classroom learning in terms of interaction and motivation.
Fix the pattern
One small grammar move makes it sound right.
Not: How does it stack up with the others?
Say: How does it stack up against the others?
Usually 'stack up AGAINST' (or 'to') — 'with' is less natural here.
Which sounds natural?
Tap the one a native speaker would say.
'Stack up against' is the idiomatic 'compare/measure up'; the formal version is flatter.
Build natural chunks
Words that usually travel with it.
stack up + against
- against rivals
- to the original
- well
- favourably