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"Than" and "as" as subjects, objects and complements.

Under this topic title(581), in Michael Swan's Practical English Usage (3rd edition, page 575), he says that "than and as can replace subject in clauses (rather like relative pronouns)", and there the following sentences are given as examples:

  1. He worries more than is necessary. (NOT...more than it/what is necessary.)

  2. There were a lot of people at the exhibition - more than came last year. (NOT...more than they came last year.)

  3. The train might be late as happened yesterday. (NOT...as it happened yesterday.)

  4. We have got food for as many people as want it. (NOT...as they want it.)

Also, PEU explains:

Common expressions with as in place of a subject: as follows; as was expected; as was agreed; as is well known.

  1. I have prepared a new plan, as follows. (NOT...as it follows.)

  2. I am sending you the bill, as was agreed. (NOT...as it was agreed.)

When I examine the sentence 4, I understand that the verb want is used in the plural form in accordance with the noun people, and therefore, I assume that the pronoun as here is also a plural subject. In the same way, in the sentence 6 was is used in the singular form in accordance with the singular noun bill.

It seems to me the PEU contradicts with the definition of as follows by the dictionary.com: "This term is always put in the singular (“follows”) even though it applies to numerous items and is frequently followed by a colon."

Now my questions are: Can I assume in the sentence 5, follows is used in the singular form in accordance with the number of the singular noun plan, and as, as a subject, is singular?

If I rewrite the sentence as: I have prepared some new plans, as follow, is it acceptable?

Thanks in advance!

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    They are not replacements for subjects, but prepositions introducing comparative clauses. Such clauses are typically reduced, usually obligatorily but sometimes optionally. In 2. for example, "than came last year" has the obligatorily reduced comparative clause "came last year" as complement of the preposition "than". In full in would be the ungrammatical *"... more (children) than children came last year". Btw, "more" is a fused determiner-head, interpreted as "more children".
    – BillJ
    Commented Sep 9, 2019 at 8:10
  • @BillJ, yes my instinct is also that they are reduced clauses. But, why does Swan warn against their full form as shown in brackets 'NOT...'? Reduced clauses cannot be expanded?
    – mahmud k pukayoor
    Commented Sep 9, 2019 at 8:39
  • I don't agree with his bracketed full forms. I'd say that the full form in 2. would be the ungrammatical *"more (people) than people came last year".
    – BillJ
    Commented Sep 9, 2019 at 8:46
  • "If I rewrite the sentence as: I have prepared some new plans, as follow, is it acceptable?" -- technically, absolutely. Why not? However, as follows is a set phrase so it may not need any change; any other word in the same template can and thus may assume a singular form.
    – Kris
    Commented Sep 9, 2019 at 11:19
  • You already know this from the dictionary . com cited.
    – Kris
    Commented Sep 9, 2019 at 11:21

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