"anyone" vs "anyone else"

[subhajit123]

Hi there, "anyone" or "anyone else", Which one is technically more correct in the following context?

1. Peter dances better than anyone (else) does.

• My Mom loves me more than she loves anyone else.

Sorry I have asked this type of question before on this site. I got good answers. In this case I just want to know which one is preferable. I will strict to that grammatical structure.

 

[bhaisahab]

I would definitely use 'else' in the second one and I probably would in the first.

 

[J&K Tutoring]

Hmm... You have kindly numbered your examples, but unfortunately you gave them both the same number!

1. Peter dances better than anyone (else) does. This one could be:
a. Peter dances better than anyone else does. A bit redundant.

b. Peter dances better than anyone else.

c. Peter dances better than anyone. "Anyone" includes Peter, so this doesn't make sense, though it's a fairly common usage.​

All are technically correct, but I prefer b.

2. My Mom loves me more than she loves anyone else. This one is best as it is. If we try to take away the 'else' as above, we get:
a. My Mom loves me more than she loves anyone. Again, "me" (I) am included in the anyone, so it's important to separate me from everyone else.

A further note on the use of "does": It rather depends on the particular verb:
I. 'I like you more than anyone else' means I prefer you over others.
II. 'I like you more than anyone else does' means my affection for you is superior to the affection (for you) of others.

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