0
ANNE202 Posted 6 years ago
Grammar

For what 'so much as' was used in these sentences?

1.

Hi, teachers! I have a question from 'Anne of Green Gables'!

Anne said "... and I offered to do penance by never so much as looking at BenHur for a whole week,

not even to see how the chariot-race turned out",

and Marilla said "When I was a girl I wasn't so much as allowed to look at a novel.'

In my opinion, those two sentences above could deliver what they want to tell readers even without the phrase

'so much as(bold)'!

Then why the writer inserted the expression into the sentences? for emphasis? what's the exact meaning of

the phrase?

2.

One more question came to me writing it!

I used the word 'deliver'(underline) in my question 1 and I want to know whether the usage of the word was right!

If it wasn't, what other words should I have used instead of 'deliver'?

Thank you so much and I'm so much looking forward to seeing your answer!!

  

Top answer

ANNE202 and I offered to do penance by never so much as looking at BenHur for a whole week, To say that someone did not do something that was expected or should have been done. You can use the word 'even' in the place of "so much as"... ' "So Much As" is more of a literary form of the word 'even'.

— EnglishUSA

  • ANNE202 and I offered to do penance by never so much as looking at BenHur for a whole week, To say that someone did not do something that was expected or should have been done.
  • You can use the word 'even' in the place of "so much as"...
  • ' "So Much As" is more of a literary form of the word 'even'.
  • Yes, some native speakers might use this expression in conversation, but it is formal and not 'relaxed' / everyday conversation.
  • If it wasn't, what other words should I have used instead of 'deliver'?
Free · every Monday

Get the Weekly English Kit 📬

New words, one handy idiom, and a 2-minute quiz — delivered to your inbox to keep your streak alive.

1 Answers
0
ANNE202and I offered to do penance by never so much as looking at BenHur for a whole week,

To say that someone did not do something that was expected or should have been done.

You can use the word 'even' in the place of "so much as"...

"and I offered to do penance by never even looking at BenHur for a whole w

0

Related Questions