A professor criticized the language in a presentation. In particular he said that English preferred a noun phrase such as *a comparison of*  to a gerund such as *comparing*. 

For reference the entire sentence follows.

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> Comparing prominent symptoms in drug addiction with models of aberrant learning may help us understand how those symptoms arise
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I have seen both forms used in the technical literature but his point was more one of general usage. I don’t intend to argue the point with him. I merely want to know if his point is more than one of personal preference.