It is not so violent a sport as basketball...

[sula54]

Dear all,

Please have a look of this paragraph:

While I was a freshman in junior high school, I learned how to play baseball and took an immediate liking to it. It is not so violent a sport as basketball, and it seldom causes any harm. Not only I can find fun in it, but I can make many new friends as well. I also learn the importance of teamwork from playing baseball.

The paragraph was found in an English testing book, but the author isn’t a native speaker, because it is an example answer for translation.

I think the author’s English must be good. However, I do feel something strange in the paragraph.

1. It is not so violent a sport as basketball.
Why not “it is not so violent as basketball”? In the book of “Practical English Usage” says we can use “as (adj.) as (sth.)” or “as much/many (n.) as (sth.)”, but it doesn’t say we can use “as (adj.+n.) as (sth.) ”.Is “it is not so violent a sport as basketball” grammatically right? How about “it is not such a violent sport as basketball” or “The sport is not as violent as basketball”?

2. Not only I can find fun in it,…
In my opinion, it is better to say “not only I can have fun in it,…”, because the writer is able to play baseball already, so he doesn’t need to “find” but to “have”.

Please tell me if my opinions are right or wrong.

[Casiopea]

1. It is not so violent (a sport) as basketball.
2. It is not that violent (of a sport) as basketball.
3. The sport is not as violent as basketball.

~.~

1. Not only I can find fun in it, . . .
2. Not only can I . . . (subject-verb inversion)
3. Not only is there . . . (subject-verb inversion)
4. Not only do I . . . (subject-verb inversion)