Flozy2 wrote:
(E) as likely to exceed the proposed speed limit as they are
I understand that as....as.... is the correct construction, but why "as they are the current one" make sense?
Current one refers to current speed limit; they refers to drivers
as likely to exceed the proposed speed limit as drivers are the current speed limit??
Wouldn't this choice make more sense if "as likely to exceed the proposed limited as they DO WITH the current one"
Experts please explain...
I feel your pain on this one. You're right that if we're comparing two verbs, and the first verb is an action, the second should be "do" rather than "is." We can write "Tim runs faster than his kids
do," but we can't write, "Tim runs faster than his kids
are."
However, I could also write, "Tim
is more likely to win than his kids
are." While there is an action "to win," this action is introduced with the "to be" form "is," and so it's perfectly fair game to use another "to be" verb, "are," in the comparison.
(E) is more like the second case. Take another look:
Quote:
Traffic safety officials predict that drivers will be as likely to exceed the proposed speed limit as they are the current one.
Again, we have a more complicated construction in this sentence. If you focus too much on the "to exceed" piece, you're likely to miss the real issue. What we're really comparing is what drivers
will be likely to do, to what they
are likely to do. So this construction is fine.
Takeaway: Beware of tunnel vision! If you see a comparison issue, and the sentence is long and complicated, you'll likely need to reread to ensure that you're not missing an important piece elsewhere.
I hope that helps!
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