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Before my question, let me show you its context:

A restaurant is a destination in itself as a place to eat, rather than (as with an inn) a place of local gathering or traveler's shelter that also offers food. Within the restricted opening hours of the establishment, a restaurant offers a variety of dishes, more so than is the case with an inn. (Food: the history of taste'. by Paul H. Freedman, Yale professor of History.)

I can comprehend vaguely what these sentences say. But the problem is the one marked in bold. I cannot catch how come this construction was formed when it comes to a grammatical approach. I thought that was an inversion of 'more so than the case with an inn is.'. Or it could be something of I haven't learnt yet. Please give me some explanation about this.

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  • Hello, leefirth. Here, 'more so than is the case with an inn' is an addition-of-information parenthetical. Would you be unhappy with (more [meals] than the traditional inn [does/offers]? Does not Collins address this sufficiently?
    – Edwin Ashworth
    Commented Apr 27, 2018 at 11:14
  • I know what 'more so' means. And I've posted this question after looking up Collins, Longman, Oxford, and Cambridge. I just want to know why 'is' follows after 'than'. I thought 'than' is the comparative followed by noun, or clause.
    – leefirth
    Commented Apr 27, 2018 at 14:50

3 Answers 3

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I thought that was an inversion of 'more so than the case with an inn is.'.

You got it right the first time. Inversion is often used following than.

Ex:

You said it better than could I ever.

Edit:

It's probably because I didn't add a reference that this answer got a downvote. So, here it is.

Excerpt from List of 18 Types of Subject/Verb Inversion:

There are at least eighteen types of inversion:

...

  1. comparative

Cheetahs run faster than do antelopes.

You speak Chinese better than do I.

Jessica is more interested in Computer Science than is Benjamin.

Inversion is optional.

Used with all verbs.

This form of inversion is common on the TOEFL, GMAT, and GRE.

We normally only have inversion here if we are comparing subjects of the verb, not objects. For example, in the following two sentences, we are comparing objects, carrots and potatoes, not the subject I.:

I like carrots more than I do potatoes.

I like carrots more than do I like potatoes.

Now, in this sentence, we are comparing subjects, I and my friend Carl:

I like carrots more than does my friend Carl.

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  • 2
    Thanks ever so much for making it clear, really. You were the only one who was able to understand my question. Not until I read these comments did I realise my poor and terrible English skills which were awfully enough to confuse many people. I don't know why your answer got a downvote, but here, I want to give you my double upvotes.
    – leefirth
    Commented Apr 28, 2018 at 13:28
  • 2
    1. I see nothing "awful" or wrong with your English at all. It would've helped if you had made it clear that the second paragraph in your question was quoted text by using the > markdown format, but I'm more inclined to say that these people just didn't bother to read your question carefully enough, with the exception of Jim, of course. 2. "I want to give you..." Well, you could mark this answer as "accepted", then. : )
    – johnlee
    Commented Apr 28, 2018 at 13:51
  • What on earth...I had only known about little cases how to use it. Poor my brain, now finally seeing the light to get out of the meltdown. I can't thank you enough.
    – leefirth
    Commented Apr 30, 2018 at 12:04
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There are differences between restaurants and inns and how are they relevant here, please?

Your restaurant might offer more dishes than your inn; so what? Almost as likely, your inn might offer more…

The only real difference is that restaurants offer only meals while inns offer both meals and accommodation. How could it matter what meals were offered?

In your example, Freedmen seems to be trying to compare chalk with cheese. Is that clear to you, or not?

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  • 1
    Thank you for your considerate answer, but as I said, I didn't post this question because I couldn't understand the contents of this book (Food: the history of taste'. by Paul H. Freedman, Yale professor of History). My point was about the grammar of a particular sentence. "more so 'than'" is a comparative, as far as I know, after which a verb doesn't follow except for the case an inversion. That's why I asked if my assumption was right or not that should learn more about the usage of "than". Anyway, thank you for your answer. I was such helpful
    – leefirth
    Commented Apr 28, 2018 at 13:33
  • Oh! Thanks and while I generally suggest people do use real text rather than special constructs, don't you think this is a fine example of where that doesn't work? I did think you were asking about eateries and I suspect the fact that "more so than is the case" seems a fairly vague concept to native speakers might well make it daunting to try to cut the Question down to its basics….
    – Robbie Goodwin
    Commented Apr 28, 2018 at 14:49
  • Of course, you are definitely right. Being a non-native speaker stuck in my own country, I'm too out of the way to keep up with the real English usage and its culture. To muddy the waters further, we barely have this type of accommodations like this concept of "an inn", I've heard we used to have but not these days, I had only followed written words unreservedly. No excuses, my apologies. And thank you again for your good opinion.
    – leefirth
    Commented Apr 30, 2018 at 11:32
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more so than is the case Food and the History of Taste

verbatim

A comparative of inn &restaurant ... a blending of the two to enhance the modern eatery (the resaurant) with some inn like qualities (ie sequestered places for groups to eat, and more choices on the menu).

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    I don’t see how this answers OP’s question.
    – Jim
    Commented Apr 27, 2018 at 13:27
  • @Jim yea ... i muffed the editing. more work
    – lbf
    Commented Apr 27, 2018 at 13:33
  • @Jim ck my edit pls. sink or swim?
    – lbf
    Commented Apr 27, 2018 at 13:46
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    You’ve attempted to show what it means but OP is asking “I cannot catch how come this construction was formed when it comes to a grammatical approach. I thought that was an inversion of 'more so than the case with an inn is.'. Or it could be something of I haven't learnt yet.”
    – Jim
    Commented Apr 27, 2018 at 13:49
  • @Jim it is not an inversion ... what is it. duh 'grammatical devices' are not me
    – lbf
    Commented Apr 27, 2018 at 14:19

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