ESL General English Grammar Questions

Re: not a comparision but magnification

Avangi — Thu, 29 May 2008 00:28:45 GMT

I read/hear your last example as being in the same form as the others.

I assume you're comparing this form to "I drank too much coffee," where you would never say, "I drank too much of coffee." I guess you'd use the "of" when there's a modifier before the noun: "I've heard too much of his B/S."

- A.

Edit. Sorry - The anonymous delay threw me off. I'm referring back to your original post.

Okay, now I see your point. I had you wrong. Yes, I'd say the "of" is required. "More of a" seems almost like an idiom.

Dang, I can't think of the word. In your examples, "man"; "lady"; "talker" are sort of concept terms rather than countables. "More of a man" = "More of the things a man is supposed to be." (Someone will come along with the right word.)

Re: not a comparision but magnification

Anonymous — Thu, 29 May 2008 00:25:56 GMT

Thank you.

Would say the following involves a sense of comparison? I would say not. They are saying the subjects are much, much, much and more much of that thing or a person -- TOO much conveys that? Don't you agree?

But these will involve comparisons I believ:

Tucker is more of a talker than Jane.

He is more of a man than Joe.

Jones is more of a lady than Jane.

For those invloving comparisons 'of' is not optional, I think, for the subject matter?? it deals with is a countable noun. Right?

Thank you.

Re: not a comparision but magnification

Mister Micawber — Wed, 28 May 2008 23:15:02 GMT

.
I don't really understand what you mean by magnification vs comparison, but in all your example sentences, I find the 'of' form more casual and slightly awkward for good composition:

Tucker is too much (of) a taker.

He is too much (of) a man's man to play a bumbling fool for ...

Jones is too much (of) a lady.

But the Record Shack and Harem are too much (of) a part of his identity for ...

not a comparision but magnification

Anonymous — Wed, 28 May 2008 21:53:45 GMT

Hi,

I think when you make a comparison with the words like 'less of", "more of", or perhaps with "much of," you should attach the word "OF" with it, but if the case calls for magnification of a subject matter, then the "of" doesn't seem to be needed. Am I correct?

Are these all cases of amplification?

What I found from the NY Times search:

"Tucker is too much a taker."

He is too much a man's man to play a bumbling fool for ...

Jones is too much a lady.

But the Record Shack and Harem are too much a part of his identity for ...

I think the last one's "too much" isn't the same grammatical part as the ones before that. Am I right?