Cambridge Grammar of English Hardback with cd-rom a comprehensive Guide

Not (all) that much

Not (all) that much 

is used with a comparative adjective ending in -er to mean

‘not as much as expected or indicated’. In all cases, the omission of all is optional,

especially in informal contexts:

The ferry is

n’t all that much cheaper.

She’s 

not that much older than him, just a few years.

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539 Glossary for any unfamiliar terms

Comparison | 765

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More than, less than

More than

and less than are both used before adjectives as alternatives to very and

not very

:

They are 

more than satisfied with the pay rise they have received.

(very satisfied)

Her tutor was

less than happy with the examination results.

(not very happy)

No, not any

No

+ comparative and not any + comparative can be used to indicate a limit to the

scale of a comparison:

Some of the roses in the garden were 

no bigger than small coins.

Three of the children were 

not any older than six or seven. 

(an equivalent alternative is: Three of the children were as young as six or

seven.)

Fixed phrases

A number of fixed phrases are used to indicate the extent (or otherwise) of the

difference between the degrees being compared. These include:

She is 

all the better for seeing him again.

The film was 

all the more impressive because the ending left the mystery

unexplained.

There’s no point telling him. He won’t be 

any the wiser even if he knew the

truth.

They seem to be 

none the worse for having been interviewed by the police.