ballest127
Hi
MartyTargetTestPrep,
Thank you for your great explanation.
I already understand why A is incorrect now as per your explanation.
However, I fail to understand why B is correct.
And what is the exact meaning in B?
I think it means the same and cannot differentiate the meaning between A and B.
The Parthenon is larger than
is usual for a Doric temple, ....
What things are being compared in the sentence , Parthenon and something else or not ?
Please explain.
Thank you.
The truth is that the ways in which comparisons are expressed in the English language are not always very logical.
Here's an example of one not quite logical way in which people express comparisons:
Company A made a greater amount of money than Company B made.
That sentence says that the amount of money was greater, but greater than what? No other amount of money is mentioned.
Here's a more logical way of expressing that same comparison:
Company A made an amount of money greater than the amount that Company B made.
OK, now, we are actually comparing one amount with another, but the first sentence, the much less logical one, is also considered acceptable.
So, let's consider the version created via the use of (B).
The Parthenon is larger than is usual for a Doric temple, ....
Does the wording of that sentence that make logical sense? Not really, but here are some ways in which that structure can be interpreted:
The Parthenon is larger than what is usual for a Doric temple, ....
The Parthenon is larger than the largeness that is usual for a Doric temple, ....
Even those interpretations are not quite logical, but that's the way English works.