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Anonymous Posted 11 years ago
Grammar
Tom is no less tall than Jack is.
Hello, would you please answer my question concerning A and B?
A: Tom is no more arrogant than Jack is.
B: Tom is no less tall than Jack is.
A means 2 ways; one is that Tom is not more arrogant in the least than Jack is (either Tom is not as arrogant than Jack is, or Tom is as arrogant as Jack is), and the other is that Jack isn't arrogant, and similarly Tom isn't arrogant.
I'm not so sure about B.
Does B only mean Tom is not less tall than jack is (either Tom is taller than Jack is, or Tom is as tall as Jack is), or does it only mean that Jack is tall, and similarly Tom is tall,
or does it mean 2 ways; one is that Tom is not less tall than Jack is (either Tom is taller than Jack is, or Tom is as tall as Jack is), and the other is that Jack is tall, and similarly Tom is tall?
Thank you.
A: Tom is no more arrogant than Jack is.
B: Tom is no less tall than Jack is.
A means 2 ways; one is that Tom is not more arrogant in the least than Jack is (either Tom is not as arrogant than Jack is, or Tom is as arrogant as Jack is), and the other is that Jack isn't arrogant, and similarly Tom isn't arrogant.
I'm not so sure about B.
Does B only mean Tom is not less tall than jack is (either Tom is taller than Jack is, or Tom is as tall as Jack is), or does it only mean that Jack is tall, and similarly Tom is tall,
or does it mean 2 ways; one is that Tom is not less tall than Jack is (either Tom is taller than Jack is, or Tom is as tall as Jack is), and the other is that Jack is tall, and similarly Tom is tall?
Thank you.
Top answer
The following is based on current US usage (British usage might be considerably different): Sentence A would be generally understood to mean that Jack is arrogant and Tom is equally or less arrogant than Jack. There is also the possibility that Jack is not arrogant at all, and in this case Tom is not arrogant either, but who would even consider such a situation? Sentence B would generally be understood to mean that Tom's height is equal to or greater than Jack's height.
- The following is based on current US usage (British usage might be considerably different): Sentence A would be generally understood to mean that Jack is arrogant and Tom is equally or less arrogant than Jack.
- There is also the possibility that Jack is not arrogant at all, and in this case Tom is not arrogant either, but who would even consider such a situation?
- Sentence B would generally be understood to mean that Tom's height is equal to or greater than Jack's height.
- The other possibility you mention, that this simply means that both are tall, I find very interesting.
- I've rarely encountered this sense, but it is apparently correct.
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2 Answers
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The following is based on current US usage (British usage might be considerably different):
Sentence A would be generally understood to mean that Jack is arrogant and Tom is equally or less arrogant than Jack. There is also the possibility that Jack is not arrogant at all, and in this case Tom is not arrogant either, but who would even consider such a situation?
Sentence B would
Sentence A would be generally understood to mean that Jack is arrogant and Tom is equally or less arrogant than Jack. There is also the possibility that Jack is not arrogant at all, and in this case Tom is not arrogant either, but who would even consider such a situation?
Sentence B would
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---Thank you for your nice explanation. I agree with you on both sentences being too old-fashioned, but now I'd like to learn various aspects of English grammar. I think in A (Tom is no more arrogant than Jack is.) when it is obvious to the listener or the reader that Jack is not arrogant at all, Tom is not arrogant, too. It's so with B (Tom is no less tall than Jack is.), in which when it is obvi
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