_________ French, he does not know even English.

[Tait-ka]

__________ French, he does not know even English.
1. Not to mention
2..What to mention
3. What to speak of
4. What to say about
5. Not to speak of

This multiple choice question is from a book "To the point English grammar and composition for degree classes". The book is written by Prof. Aftab Ahmad, a Pakistani English teacher.
He claims that only the last option "Not to speak of" is correct, others are wrong.

Is that right?

 

[jutfrank]

If you are using this particular book to help you learn English, I'd suggest that you don't.

The best phrase for this context is 'let alone' and it's better placed at the end of the sentence:

He doesn't know even English, let alone French.

 

[emsr2d2]

This multiple choice question is from the book "To The Point - English Grammar and Composition for degree classes B.A. and Competitive Exam" no full stop here The book is written by Prof. Aftab Ahmad, a Pakistani English teacher.

Please make sure to copy the full title of books, and to capitalise them correctly.

He claims that only the last option "Not to speak of" is correct. others are wrong.

Note that the part after "correct" is tautologous. If he claims that only that answer is correct, it goes without saying that he says all the others are wrong.

Is that right?

As jutfrank said, all the answers are wrong. I suggest you ditch that book and start studying using a book written by a native English speaker (not Pakistani-English).

 

[Tait-ka]

Thanks for the corrections @emsr2d2

As jutfrank said, all the answers are wrong.

Can I ask why are they wrong? Especially 1 and 5?
Collins which is a BritishEnglish Dictionary has "Not to speak of" and "Not to mention"

https://www.collinsdictionary.com/dictionary/english/not-to-speak-of

https://www.collinsdictionary.com/dictionary/english/not-to-mention

Cambridge is also a BritishEnglish Dictionary. It has "Not to mention"

not to mention

1. used when you want to emphasize something that you are adding to a list: 2…

dictionary.cambridge.org

 

[emsr2d2]

As you can see from the example sentences in both those links, neither phrase is used at the start of a sentence.

 

[Tait-ka]

As you can see from the example sentences in both those links, neither phrase is used at the start of a sentence.

So if I use those phrases at the end of the sentence in post#1, the sentence will be correct in British English?

 

[emsr2d2]

So if I use those phrases at the end of the sentence in post#1, will the sentence will be correct in British English?

No. If you use them at the end of the sentences, you'll end up with:

French, he does not know even English not to speak of.
French, he does not know even English not to mention.

I'm certain you can see that they're both nonsense.

I really think you should give up looking at the original exercise. It's a terrible exercise. Not only do none of the options work but the wording of the end of the main sentence ("he does not know even English") is dreadful.

 

[Tait-ka]

No. If you use them at the end of the sentences, you'll end up with:

French, he does not know even English not to speak of.
French, he does not know even English not to mention.

Sorry I made a mistake. They really cannot be used at the end.

I meant these:
He does not even know English, not to speak of French.
He does not even know English, not to mention French.

Are they correct now?

 

[jutfrank]

I want to point out that the word 'even' should be placed directly after 'not', not after 'know', which is a mistake in both the original post and in my post #2.

Yes, Tait-ka, use 'let alone' and 'not to mention' at the end of the sentence, not at the beginning. I don't think you should use 'not to speak of' at all.

 

[Tait-ka]

I want to point out that the word 'even' should be placed directly after 'not', not after 'know', which is a mistake in both the original post and in my post #2.

Yes, Tait-ka, use 'let alone' and 'not to mention' at the end of the sentence, not at the beginning. I don't think you should use 'not to speak of' at all.

Is "not to speak of" totally non existent in British English? Or is it used, but rarely?
If it is non existent, I wonder why dictionaries that I cited above even mention them?

 

[emsr2d2]

Is "not to speak of" totally non-existent in British English no question mark here or is it simply rarely used? but rarely?
If it is non-existent, I wonder why dictionaries that I cited above even mention them it .

Note my corrections above.
I'm not quite sure why jutfrank advised you not to use "not to speak of" at all. It's not quite as frequently used as "not to mention" but it's certainly still in everyday speech.

 

[jutfrank]

I'm not quite sure why jutfrank advised you not to use "not to speak of" at all.

Because I would consider 'not to mention' and 'let alone' the target phrases here, which are almost always synonymous with 'not to speak of' and more natural to the kind of English that you and I use.