The use of "any of"
Surely it is self-evident that, a mere two or three thousand years ago, geniuses as great as any there have been, people like Socrates and Plato, could not have foreseen today’s world, or almost any of the world’s history between their time and ours?
Ultimate Questions, Bryan Magee
Why did the author use "any of" there? Without "any of", does the sentence change its meaning?
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Top answer
XVI Without "any of", does the sentence change its meaning? Without "any of" you have People like Socrates and Plato could not have foreseen today’s world, or almost the world’s history .... "almost the world's history" is ungrammatical.
- XVI Without "any of", does the sentence change its meaning?
- Without "any of" you have People like Socrates and Plato could not have foreseen today’s world, or almost the world’s history ....
- "almost the world's history" is ungrammatical.
- "almost" doesn't fit in there.
- So without "any of" the sentence becomes meaningless.
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XVIWithout "any of", does the sentence change its meaning?
Without "any of" you have
People like Socrates and Plato could not have foreseen today’s world, or almost the world’s history ....
"almost the world's history" is ungrammatical. "almost" doesn't fit in there. So without "any of" the sentence becomes meaningless.
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