Seems like an expletive.

I realise now that my first question regarding the example 'If he ate less cake, it would be because he doesn't want to get more fat.' didn't prove anything. What I was looking for was an example of the unreal past being used in a way that

IMHO: --What marketing strategies is your initiative going to address? --The ornament of a home are the friends who frequent it.

Babujee wrote: As suggested by some of us, according to the rules, it should be: She said that she was risking everything she had for me. There are exceptions to those rules, though. The 'one tense back' rule doesn't apply if the

Goldmund wrote: Dear Jussive, It is my opinion that «ate» and «he did not want» in your exemplary sentence refer to a past action and a past state. He did not want to get fat. Therefore he

Goldmund wrote: Dear Jussive, I am sorry. I have not read the CGEL. I therefore do not know why such examples should exist. It is not possible to find them on the Internet. Kind regards

Jussive

The above was me, MrP. Sometimes this logging in thing makes me want to pull my hair out! Regards Jussive

Mister Micawber wrote: She is no less than would normally be followed by a noun: She is no less than 17. She is no less than a duchess. It doesn't sound incorrect to my ear when it's followed by an adjective, MM.

Anonymous wrote: Hi, I'm sixteen-year-old boy in Japan. What I'm going to ask may seem to be silly. But I'd like to ask and know how you feel. Does 'she is not less beautiful than an actress.' mean 'she is more beautiful than an