Adverbial Clause of Comparison usage

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alexzhou216@gmail.com - 29 Mar 2009 14:12 GMT

I am Chinese, and have little confusion about Adverbial Clause usage.
below is the example :
The prices are higher than WHAT they have been.
The prices are higher than they have been (high).

or
He asked more than WHAT he needed
He asked more than he needed.

the question is , should I use "WHAT" ,if yes, when should I use
"WHAT".
Thanks in advance

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Pat Durkin - 29 Mar 2009 15:56 GMT

> I am Chinese, and have little confusion about Adverbial Clause usage.
> below is the example :
[quoted text clipped - 8 lines]
> "WHAT".
> Thanks in advance

I don't claim to be an expert, and can't give an underlying reason
behind my remarks, beyond saying that I am a fairly knowledgable and
educated user of American English.

My recommendation is that you not use "what" in either of these
examples, but that is because in my area (US Midwest--Wisconsin), it is
found superfluous. It is not erroneous to use "what" in those examples.
I hope some others can explain what I really mean. (grin)

In your second pair of statements, I would suggest that "for" should go
after "asked", if he asked for more (quantity) item(s), including more
questions from the audience.
If the object of his asking is simply "more questions" (he continues
asking more questions), then you don't need the "for".

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Ian Jackson - 29 Mar 2009 19:24 GMT

>> I am Chinese, and have little confusion about Adverbial Clause usage.
>> below is the example :
[quoted text clipped - 23 lines]
>If the object of his asking is simply "more questions" (he continues
>asking more questions), then you don't need the "for".

Agreed, and it is the same in British English. "What" is not wrong, but
it is not needed. I think both pairs of sentences sound better without
it.

The opposite is true for the missing "for" in the second pair sentence.
It's OK without it, but it sounds better if you add it.

Signature

Ian

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alexzhou216@gmail.com - 31 Mar 2009 02:21 GMT

On Mar 30, 2:24 am, Ian Jackson
<ianREMOVETHISjack...@g3ohx.demon.co.uk> wrote:

> In message <gqo272$23...@news.albasani.net>, Pat Durkin
> <durk...@sbc.com> writes
[quoted text clipped - 37 lines]
> --
> Ian

Thank you for the quick response, Now I am more confident on this than
I have been :p
And, for the second pair, "asking for" is what I meant. thank u

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Discussion Groups / English Usage / March 2009

Adverbial Clause of Comparison usage