... the midnight world as visible to us as it is to ...

[October wind]

If we were comfortable under the light of the moon, we would go in darkness willingly, the midnight world as visible to us as it is to other nocturnal animals on earth.
(IELTS Reading material: light pollution)

Why is there no “would be” after the midnight world? Is it omitted on purpose? How is the original sentence structured? It looks like something is missing.

I’d write like this; If we were comfortable under the light of the moon, we would go in darkness willingly, and the midnight world would be as visible to us as it is to other nocturnal animals on earth.

 

[SoothingDave]

The sentence already has an "if" and a "would," describing a counter-to-reality conditional.

The next part "the midnight world..." is modifying/describing how we would go in the darkness.

 

[October wind]

Is it okay to think that “being” is omitted?
I totally understand what the sentence means. I just want to know how the sentence is grammatically structured.

 

[shootingstar]

The clause "the midnight world as visible to us as it is to other nocturnal animals on earth" is an adverbial clause. As SoothingDave has said, this clause is modifying the verb "go" of the preceding main clause.

 

[October wind]

I understand how the sentence should be interpreted in terms of its intended meaning.
I reckon that “the midnight world” is a noun. How can “a noun” modify the verb “go” grammatically? That’s what I’m trying to understand.

 

[shootingstar]

You are misunderstanding the thing, I'm afraid. "the midnight world" (on its own) isn't modifying the verb "go" of the main clause but the whole clause "the midnight world as visible to us as it is to other nocturnal animals on earth"!

 

[October wind]

That’s not what I am trying to get across to you. What I want to know is why “the midnight world…..on earth” can modify the verb “go” grammatically. Can anyone help me figure that out? I want to know how grammatically that’s possible.

 

[shootingstar]

I've said it already. It is an adverbial clause grammatically. It's an shortened adverbial clause. Adverbial clauses are always possible. There are adverbial clauses of time, place, reason, manner, contrast, purpose. Usually the adverbial clause begins with a subordinating conjunction, in this case maybe with "when", and has a verb: . . . , "when the midnight world is as visible to us as it is to other nocturnal animals on earth" - maybe that is what you want to know.