9

Is

The more, the merrier!

a sentence? It doesn't seem to have a main verb, so I'm inclined to say no, but it certainly functions as a sentence in everyday speech.

I can think of three ways of analysing it:

  1. It's a sentence with no main verb. Is this even possible?
  2. It's a sentence with an implicit verb: something like The more we have, the better!
  3. It's not a sentence. But then, what is it?
Improve this question
7
  • 3
    It is a sentence. The idea hat a sentence must have a "main verb" to deserve the name is a canard. Seriously.
    – Dan Bron
    Commented Nov 26, 2014 at 17:39
  • 2
    It's certainly an utterance, like "Ouch!". And it has a parsable syntactic structure (mostly consisting of deleted constituents, which is normal for idioms) and a clear contextualized meaning. So calling it a sentence won't cause any trouble, unless Sister Juliana insists on seeing the verb.
    – John Lawler
    Commented Nov 26, 2014 at 18:37
  • @John That seems suspiciously noncommittal to me. It hasn't been uttered, it has been written. So unless you want to back off to calling it a "string" or something equally nondescriptive, it's a sentence. Yes?
    – Dan Bron
    Commented Nov 26, 2014 at 18:48
  • 1
    If it can't be said, it's not a sentence. And if it's written it's not a sentence until it's said, if only in the reader's mind. Language is oral; writing is just technology (and in the case of English, technology long past its last tuneup).
    – John Lawler
    Commented Nov 26, 2014 at 18:50
  • 1
    @John Language is also a technology. As are hands. At some point technology becomes so ubiquitous and invisible, it becomes part of the way the world is. So it is with writing. Anyway, the words "The more the merrier" existed in some human's mind, however briefly, before they were ever uttered aloud or written down. I can't see a meaningful and useful way to define "sentence" which excludes this string of these four words in this order.
    – Dan Bron
    Commented Nov 26, 2014 at 18:57

3 Answers 3

Reset to default
6

As I parse this, it's option number two. Context dictates the way I fill in the ellipsis. "The more [we are], the merrier [we are]" and "The more [we have], the merrier [we are]" are two obvious possibilities.

I perform the same sort of analysis on the ellipsis in your question title: "If [it's] not [that], what [is it]?"

The only justification I have for claiming that these are ellipses is that I can't make sense of them in any other way.

Option number one is not possible in my dialect of English, although it may be possible in other dialects and is certainly possible in other languages. Option number three remains possible. However, option number two is so easy that I don't see a reason to give option number three any serious consideration.

Improve this answer
4

This is a survival from Old English. The 'the' in 'the more the merrier' is not the definite article, but an article marking the instrumental case, which is now extinct in English except in expressions like this. In effect, it is a phrase borrowed from another language. It can be translated as something like "by means of having more we will become merrier."

Improve this answer
1
  • You're right about the instrumental, but this sentence type is completely productive in Modern English: the further we look into comparative correlatives, as CGEL calls them, the easier it is to see that while there are verbs in each of the NPs (which may of course be ellipsized), there simply is no verb at the top level. (Ha.)
    – John Cowan
    Commented Aug 31, 2021 at 15:09
-2

It is just slang, a colloquialism. "The more [participants], the merrier [the event]". It's that shorthand we use communicate common sentiments. Another example: mañana (meaning I'll do it tomorrow). So no, it is not a sentence, but the communication is clear.

Improve this answer
5
  • 2
    It is not "just slang." And there's more to it than this answer provides. It is not analogous to "manana". Search for "double comparative" and you will find information about this useful structure.
    – Rusty Tuba
    Commented Nov 26, 2014 at 18:04
  • 3
    It's an idiom. Most idioms start life being considered "slang" by some people. But they stay idioms because everybody knows them. All language is "just colloquial", after all.
    – John Lawler
    Commented Nov 26, 2014 at 18:33
  • @John It surely is an idiom. Just as surely as it is a sentence.
    – Dan Bron
    Commented Nov 26, 2014 at 18:36
  • 3
    The purpose of comments isn't to disagree. It is to shed more insight on the subject. Saying "It's not .." or [just] "search" adds nothing. If you have a contribution to make, make it. Don't just make pronouncements like the ruling monarchy. A little attentiion to 'why' matters.
    – user2903828
    Commented Dec 2, 2014 at 3:29
  • It does indeed matter, "a little attention to why". That's a reason why this answer is low quality.
    – Joachim
    Commented Apr 10, 2023 at 16:13

You must log in to answer this question.

Not the answer you're looking for? Browse other questions tagged .