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Langtraveler Posted 11 years ago
Grammar

more than

There are more than sufficient water to sustain everybody.

Does this mean...
1. To sustain everybody, we not only need water but also clothes, food, or houses... etc
2. We have spare water.

Could you tell me which one is correct?
  

Top answer

Have you considered ruling out #1 because the original makes no mention of clothes, food, houses etc?

— Rover_KE

  • Have you considered ruling out #1 because the original makes no mention of clothes, food, houses etc?
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16 Answers
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Have you considered ruling out #1 because the original makes no mention of clothes, food, houses etc?
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No I haven't. You mean one cannot regard the original sentence as having #1 meaning?
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langtravelerNo I haven't. You mean one cannot regard the original sentence as having #1 meaning?
Right. The original sentence should read There is more than sufficient water to sustain everybody, and would imply #2, We have spare water, but would not suggest anything like #1.
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Oh I see your reply today. I'm sorry for being late. Could I ask one more? So 'more than' modifies 'sufficient,' not water, right? Then, "There 'are' more than sufficient water to sustain everybody," can this mean #1? If not, how could I mean #1 in a similar way-Sufficient water is not enough. People need more-?
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langtravelerSo 'more than' modifies 'sufficient,' not water, right?
Yes.

There is more than sufficient water to sustain everybody. (water is non-count)
There are more than sufficient bottles of water to sustain everybody.

These mean that the amount of water is greater than what the people require.

1. To sustain ever
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Thank you AlpheccaStars!
Then, "There 'are' more than sufficient water to sustain everybody" cannot mean #1 or anything? Is it incorrect sentence?
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Wrong: There are more than sufficient water to sustain everybody.

Correct: There is more than sufficient water to sustain everybody.

Other ways to say this: There is water to spare. There is spare water.
We have
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Oh now I see! Thank you for your picture.
The last question: (I'm very sorry for this.)
"We need more than sufficient water to sustain everybody."
Does this make sense? (considering 'more' noun)
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langtraveler1. To sustain everybody, we not only need water but also clothes, food, or houses... etc
This means:
To sustain everybody, we need water, food, clothes, shelter and medicine.
Water is the most important thing. The other things are needed, but they are not as important.
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"We need more than sufficient water to sustain everybody."

We will use the extra water for taking baths and for the swimming pool where the children can play.

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