"The doctor never so much as moved."

Question

In Treasure Island, chapter 2, we can read this sentence, the meaning of which I can infer from the context ("The doctor was not moved at all" or "never used to be moved", I guess) but I simply do not understand how the sentence syntactically "works". Is there any verb in it ? "as" what ? Is it an idiomatic construction ?

Anonymous · Accepted Answer

The sentence you don't understand is missing. Quote it.

WW

Tanit · Answer

Anonymouseply to: Re: "The doctor never so much as moved."

I guess the OP is asking about the sentence enclosed in speechmarks in the title ("The doctor never so much as moved").

Anyway, Anon makes a good point about putting relevant contents in the post, not just in the title.

Anonymous · Answer

We might reformulate like this: The doctor did not even move (and told the captain in a calm voice, etc.).

Other suggestions would be welcome.

WW

Avangi · Answer

Anonymous"The doctor never so much as moved."

The sentence is fine. The verb is simple past tense: The doctor moved. The doctor didn't move. The doctor never moved. The doctor never even moved. The doctor did not move at all.

Your suggestions of the passive don't seem to work here. I'm sure native speakers take it as active voice.

In the passive, "to be moved" can be an idiom, meaning that a person is affected emotionally by something (some event).

Otherwise, somebody physically moved him from one place to another.

"The doctor never moved" is the basic syntax. "So much as" is adverbial.

Also, "The doctor never moved [even] so much as an inch."

I wouldn't call the "structure" in your original example an idiom.

"So much as" by itself could be called an idiom, but it has more than one use.

Another use would be in place of "as much as." He's not stupid as/so much as ignorant.

"The doctor never so much as moved."

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