Had she not been to me what she is
The empress cried, but, said the young convert, “I remained quite in control for which I was highly praised.” For her, this ceremony was another challenging piece of schoolwork, the kind of performance at which she excelled. Johanna was proud of her daughter: “Her bearing … through the entire ceremony was so full of nobility and dignity that I should have admired her [even] had she not been to me what she is.”
[even] had she not been to me what she is = if I weren't her mother?
Could anyone please explain the use of the cause I highlighted in blue? Is it usual in expression?
Thanks!
Top answer
” This means '{even] if she had not been my daughter'. The original words are an uncommon, somewhat convoluted and literary type of English.
- ” This means '{even] if she had not been my daughter'.
- The original words are an uncommon, somewhat convoluted and literary type of English.
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"{even} had she not been to me what she is.”
This means '{even] if she had not been my daughter'.
The original words are an uncommon, somewhat convoluted and literary type of English.
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