■ any more than

1) 这个词组可以用来连结两个句子，两句都是表示否定，但第一句用否定形式表示否定，第二句则用肯定形式表示否定（这一点很重要）；两句之间的 any more than 用来表示：前一句的否定，同后一句的否定同等强烈（顺着原文的思路，可以这样理解：X 并不比 Y 更多地如何如何，而 Y 不如何如何，已经是人所共知，不言而喻的）。

• The mind does not create what it perceives, any more than the eye creates (*doesn't create) the rose. (Ralph Waldo Emerson)心智创造不出它所感受的事物，正如眼睛创造不出玫瑰花。
• Of course, there is no way to return to the original Jesus, any more than there is a way (*no way) to go back to the original church, however much Christians have tried to do both. (US News & World Report, Dec. 22, 2003, p.48)当然，要回到原原本本的耶稣那里是办不到的，就正如无法回到原原本本的教会那里一样办不到，哪怕基督徒们如何千方百计要做到这两点。
• Tony Blair isn't Great Britain any more than Bush is (*isn't) the US.布莱尔不等于英国，正如布什不等于美国。
• The motion picture and recording industries are not legitimate stakeholders in the discussion of what features should or should not exist in my personal computer or VCR, any more than they are (*aren't) a legitimate stakeholder in the production of my corrective eye-glasses.制片行业和音像行业，在有关我的个人电脑或录像机里面该有或不该有哪些性能的争论中，并不是正当的利益攸关者，就正如它们在我的矫正眼镜的制作过程中并不是正当的利益攸关者一样。
• You cannot learn to sketch and express yourself graphically only by reading about it any more than you can (*cannot) learn to swim while standing by the pool.单靠看书，是学不会速写和用图像表达自己的，就正如一直站在游泳池边是学不会游泳的。

如果后一句当中有些成分同前一句重复，可以采用简略法或指代法避免重复。

• Drug company payments to FDA haven't sped approvals any more than federal funding increases did (*did not).各制药公司付给食品医药管理局的钱，就如同联邦增拨的经费一样，对于加快批准速度毫无作用。
• I don't like it any more than you do (*don't).我同你一样不喜欢它。
• Technical resources, however, are not sufficient for a physics instructor, any more than they would be (*would not be) for a doctor.但是，一个物理学教师，就如同一个医生一样，光有技术设备，是不够的。

2) any more than 有一个变体，就是 no more... than，此时，any more 变成 no more，向前移动到前一句原来有否定词之处，取代这个原来的否定词，后一句则仍然是以肯定形式表示否定。结构有些不同，但是意思同 any more than 是一样的。

• A learner can no more obtain knowledge without reading than a farmer can get good harvest without ploughing. = A learner cannot obtain knowledge without reading any more than a farmer can get good harvest without ploughing.学习者不读书就不能得到知识，正如耕作者不耕地就得不到好收成。
• Stephen is no more a musician than Patty is a dancer. = Stephen isn't a musician any more than Patty is a dancer.史提芬不是个音乐家，就正如帕蒂之不是个舞蹈家。
• They could no more decline participation in this mission than they could deny their manhood. = They could not decline participation in this mission any more than they could deny their manhood.他们无法拒绝参加这项任务，正如他们无法否认自己是堂堂男子汉。

3) any more than 还有另外一个变样，是将前后两句的次序颠倒过来，后一句移到前面，any more than 移到句首改为 no more than，原先的前一句移到后面，取消否定并采取倒装词序。

• No more than a soldier wants to admit being frightened, did Marianne want to admit being cold, frigid. (Anaïs Nin) = Marianne didn't want to admit being cold, frigid, any more than a soldier wants to admit being frightened.如同一个士兵不愿承认自己胆怯一样，玛丽安也不愿承认自己冷感（注意：no more than 是管前一句全句的，不是管 a soldier 的，不能理解为“只不过一个士兵”）。