“No, Harry, he has not. He is still out there somewhere, perhaps
looking for another body to share… not being truly alive, he cannot be
killed. He left Quirrell to die; he shows just as little mercy to his
followers as his enemies. Nevertheless, Harry, while you may only
have delayed his return to power, it will merely take someone else who
is prepared to fight what seems a losing battle next time — and if he
is delayed again, and again, why, he may never return to power.”
(Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone)Is there ellipsis after as, he shows little mercy to?
Answer
There is, but not the one you suggest.
Let’s start off by making it clear what we’re talking about. This is an “incomplete construction”.
From nonfictionwritingcoach.org:
Incomplete Constructions
Some sentences include incomplete constructions, in which some words are implied but not stated explicitly. Common incomplete constructions include phrases with “more/less than,” “as many/few as,” or “as much/little as.”
The implied words (which you’ve correctly, though confusingly referred to as an ellipsis) would be:
…he shows just as little mercy to his followers as [he does to] his enemies.
That is yet another ellipsis of a different kind, as I’ve used “does [show]” to avoid repeating “shows”.
Attribution
Source : Link , Question Author : Listenever , Answer Author : Tyler James Young
