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Park sang joon Posted 10 years ago
Grammar
Analysis of a phrase
The protagonist is a family member of Amber and one of the Courts of Chaos.
Mandor, his half elder brother from the Courts of Chaos made obey the spirit which occupied Nayda, the second daughter's body of the prime minister of the neighboring country Begman.
But it says it can't say to the protagonist the reason why it goes after the protagonist.
"I am physically unable to tell you," she said. "it is not a matter of will. But . . . I think I've found a way around it."
"What is that?"
"I believe I could confide in a third party who also desires your safety."
"You mean?"
"If you will leave the room for a time, I will try to tell your brother those things I may not explain to you."
My eyes met Mandor's. Then, "I'll step out in the hall for a bit," I said. And I did. A lot of things bothered me as I studied a tapestry on the wall, not the least being that I had never told her that Mandor was my brother.
["Sign of Chaos" of The Great Book of Amber by Roger Zelazny]
I'd like to know the underlined participle phrase means the following:
"It's a considerable thing that I had never told her that Mandor was my brother."
Mandor, his half elder brother from the Courts of Chaos made obey the spirit which occupied Nayda, the second daughter's body of the prime minister of the neighboring country Begman.
But it says it can't say to the protagonist the reason why it goes after the protagonist.
"I am physically unable to tell you," she said. "it is not a matter of will. But . . . I think I've found a way around it."
"What is that?"
"I believe I could confide in a third party who also desires your safety."
"You mean?"
"If you will leave the room for a time, I will try to tell your brother those things I may not explain to you."
My eyes met Mandor's. Then, "I'll step out in the hall for a bit," I said. And I did. A lot of things bothered me as I studied a tapestry on the wall, not the least being that I had never told her that Mandor was my brother.
["Sign of Chaos" of The Great Book of Amber by Roger Zelazny]
I'd like to know the underlined participle phrase means the following:
"It's a considerable thing that I had never told her that Mandor was my brother."
Top answer
X = the fact that he had never told her that Mandor was his brother Literally, X was not the thing that bothered him least. In effect, it means that X bothered him significantly.
- X = the fact that he had never told her that Mandor was his brother Literally, X was not the thing that bothered him least.
- In effect, it means that X bothered him significantly.
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6 Answers
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X = the fact that he had never told her that Mandor was his brother
Literally, X was not the thing that bothered him least. In effect, it means that X bothered him significantly.
Literally, X was not the thing that bothered him least. In effect, it means that X bothered him significantly.
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Thank you, GPY, for your very helpful answer. 
I thought "that" clause was a subject and omitted "it" referred to "that" clause.
I thought "that" clause was a subject and omitted "it" referred to "that" clause.
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1. not the least being that I had never told her that Mandor was my brother
2. not the least (of the things that bothered me) was that I had never told her that Mandor was my brother
Do you understand (2) OK? (1) is a non-finite version of (2).
2. not the least (of the things that bothered me) was that I had never told her that Mandor was my brother
Do you understand (2) OK? (1) is a non-finite version of (2).
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Thank you, GPY, for your continuing support.
I was wondering how about "not being the least that I had never told
I was wondering how about "not being the least that I had never told
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park sang joon "not being the least that I had never told her that Mandor was my brother?"Hello!
If you re-wrote the sentence as above you remove the idiomatic sense of the original. "Not the least" is a common idiom in English which, for a language which officially does not use a double negative, occasionally delights in the use of double negatives.
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park sang joonThank you, GPY, for your continuing support. I was wondering how about "not being the least that I had never told her that Mandor was my brother?".It makes no sense.
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