In attempting to help you, he ended up harming more than helping.
The simple way to say this: He did more harm than good.
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Thread: harmed more than helped
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Key Member
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#1 13-Oct-2011, 00:09harmed more than helped
1-He harmed more than helped me.
2-He harmed me more than helped me.
3-He harmed me more than he helped me.
In which case:
a-He did both but the harm was greater than the help
b-What he did would more aptly be described as "harm" rather than "help
c-The sentence is ambiguous
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Moderator
Other
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#2 13-Oct-2011, 01:24Re: harmed more than helped
I'm not a teacher, but I write for a living. Please don't ask me about 2nd conditionals, but I'm a safe bet for what reads well in (American) English.
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Editor, UsingEnglish.com
English Teacher
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#3 13-Oct-2011, 06:02Re: harmed more than helped
3- a
1 & 2 are less clear
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