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Hachi Posted 12 years ago
Grammar

"not the less" or "not the better"

Hi. An example sentence in my dictionary says,
"I don't like him any the less for being very kind to me."
to mean "Even though he is kind to me, I don't like him anyway". Is this paraphrase correct? if not, could you tell me what it means?

The usage of "not like any the LESS" for "a GOOD reason" itself sounds strange to me. Shouldn't it be "I don't like him any the BETTER for being very kind to me" or "I don't like him any the less for being UNkind to me"?

Please assist.
  

Top answer

Hachi "I don't like him any (the) less for being very kind to me He was kind to me, but I still like him . ) Hachi Shouldn't it be "I don't like him any the BETTER for being very kind to me" That would be the opposite meaning, indeed. There is no context to explain the actual situation, though.

— Mister Micawber

  • Hachi "I don't like him any (the) less for being very kind to me He was kind to me, but I still like him .
  • ) Hachi Shouldn't it be "I don't like him any the BETTER for being very kind to me" That would be the opposite meaning, indeed.
  • There is no context to explain the actual situation, though.
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6 Answers
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Hachi"I don't like him any (the) less for being very kind to me
He was kind to me, but I still like him. (It seems an odd sentiment, however.)
HachiShouldn't it be "I don't like him any the BETTER for being very kind to me"
That would be the opposite meaning, indeed. There is no context to explain the actual situatio
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Thank you Mister Micawber for your help.

He was kind to me, but I still like him. (It seems an odd sentiment, however.)

Yes, it seems odd and that is why I thought it could be a typo or a mistranslation. Could you paraphrase the following two sentences so I can confirm my understanding? Do they sound OK in terms of sentiment?

1) I don't like him any the better for
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HachiDo they sound OK in terms of sentiment?1) I don't like him any the better for being very kind to me.2) I don't like him any the less for being unkind to me.
They are both possible, I suppose, but we would expect #2.
Hachi I would like to know about the omission.
The omissions qua omissions are fine.
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Thank you again for your quick and clear reply!
Great help!
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"I don't like him any the less for being very kind to me."
Without any context. this seems to me to be a gentle understatement, meaning I like him a lot for being kind to me.


Consider this example.
She gave me a million dollars and a big kiss. I didn't like h
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Thank you for your help, Clive!
The original sentence and translation was in a dictionary and there was no context. The sentiment of the sentence as well as the translation "I don't like him anyway" caused me a lot of confusion.

Thank you for your example for a better understanding.
I really appreciate it!
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