Quote:
|
Originally Posted by MrPedantic I would say that since the construction 'as X as it is Y' already implies 'as much X as it is Y', the 'much' is redundant.
Moreover, we are not literally comparing two qualities in terms of degree or quantity: no one who uses #2, for instance, is comparing 'this' quantity of unnecessariness with 'that' quantity of undesirability. The comparison is rhetorical: a comparative figure of speech is used to convey a non-comparative message. It really means little more than:
2a. This is unnecessary; furthermore, it is undesirable.
|
I think that's a very restrictive way of viewing language. It sends the wrong message to
ESL/EFL students about how they are able to use English.
I don't think it means little more than that. If that's what someone wants to say, then someone will say it. Such a statement of comparison could very well be taken literally. It could be rhetorical, but not necessarily.
The following two statements are not the same. They mean different things.
That's even more unnecessary than it is undesirable.
That's as much unnecessary as it is undesirable.