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Jooney Posted 14 years ago
Grammar
Comparative
Hi,
About 20 yards to the east and 20 yards above, on an overpass of the Bronx River Parkway, not as many signs of the horrifying accident were evident, but what was left was still telling: a clean trail of skid marks that cut straight across three southbound lanes, leading toward a guardrail that separated the parkway from the earth and streets below.
I don't have as many books as you do.
= the total number of books I have< the total number of books you have.
Likewise,
There aren't as many overt signs of horrifying accident in/on A as there are in/on B.
=The total number of overt signs of horrifying accident in/on A<the total number of overt signs of horrifying accident in/on B.
But my question is this. Where is the comparative element which is being compared to? Can you leave it implicit like that?
Thank you in advance.
About 20 yards to the east and 20 yards above, on an overpass of the Bronx River Parkway, not as many signs of the horrifying accident were evident, but what was left was still telling: a clean trail of skid marks that cut straight across three southbound lanes, leading toward a guardrail that separated the parkway from the earth and streets below.
I don't have as many books as you do.
= the total number of books I have< the total number of books you have.
Likewise,
There aren't as many overt signs of horrifying accident in/on A as there are in/on B.
=The total number of overt signs of horrifying accident in/on A<the total number of overt signs of horrifying accident in/on B.
But my question is this. Where is the comparative element which is being compared to? Can you leave it implicit like that?
Thank you in advance.
Top answer
jooney Where is the comparative element which is being compared to? Can you leave it implicit like that? It is in the context of the story.
- jooney Where is the comparative element which is being compared to?
- Can you leave it implicit like that?
- It is in the context of the story.
- In the quotation, it is apparent that the evidence of the accident are being compared in two different locations - above, on the bridge, and below, where the vehicle fell.
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5 Answers
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jooneyWhere is the comparative element which is being compared to? Can you leave it implicit like that?It is in the context of the story. In the quotation, it is apparent that the evidence of the accident are being compared in two different locations - above, on the bridge, and below, where the vehicle fell.
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jooney Can you leave it implicit like that?There was no information about the signs of the accident before this sentence?
If so, then it's explicit, just stated earlier.
If not, then the comparison is to the signs that were still left as described later in the sentence. It's a bit mystifying, I agree, because after the cleanup of an acciden
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Thank you, Astars and CJ, for your replies.
Actually, there was information earlier about how the accident came about. The S.U.V. jumped over the guardrail and plunged into Bronx Zoo, where the occupants and remnants of the car were found.
So, as Astars said, it is the evidence of the accident in two different locations that is being compared. What I wanted to know was the gra
Actually, there was information earlier about how the accident came about. The S.U.V. jumped over the guardrail and plunged into Bronx Zoo, where the occupants and remnants of the car were found.
So, as Astars said, it is the evidence of the accident in two different locations that is being compared. What I wanted to know was the gra
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jooneythe grammatical strucuture of a comparative construction like this oneDo you mean like this?
Not as many signs of the accident were evident.
Not as much milk was spilled.
They both imply "here as compared to there" or "now as compared to then" or any other similar implicit contrasting situations, and they don't usually make much se
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