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Minhuoc Posted 20 years ago
Grammar

This is not to say

Please explain the sentence underlined. Thanks.

"This is not to say that English is used by a greater number of speakers than any other languages, for it is easily outnumbered in this respect by Chinese."
  

Top answer

This refers to something said earlier. Whatever it was, it is not supposed to be taken to mean that English is used by a greater number of speakers than any other languages, because (the number of speakers of) English is (as is easily seen) outnumbered (exceeded) (if we consider it from the viewpoint of numbers) by (the number of speakers of) Chinese. CJ

— CalifJim

  • This refers to something said earlier.
  • Whatever it was, it is not supposed to be taken to mean that English is used by a greater number of speakers than any other languages, because (the number of speakers of) English is (as is easily seen) outnumbered (exceeded) (if we consider it from the viewpoint of numbers) by (the number of speakers of) Chinese.
  • CJ
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1 Answers
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This refers to something said earlier. Whatever it was, it is not supposed to be taken to mean that English is used by a greater number of speakers than any other languages, because (the number of speakers of) English is (as is easily seen) outnumbered (exceeded) (if we consider it from the viewpoint of numbers) by (the number of speakers of) Chinese.

CJ
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