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Based on this answer, I would like to know why it's really odd to say:

Fixing the problem took me two hours more than it took me to find the problem.

I know we can (or should) use ellipses, I intentionally wrote the sentence in the full version without any deletion.

The Question: I want to know what's wrong with that dummy subject it? What makes the sentence ungrammatical? I am not asking whether my sentence is wrong or right because as the cited answer says it's not right.

In brief,

  • It took me two hours to find the problem.

  • It took me four hours to fix the problem.

    • Hence, Fixing the problem took me two hours more than it took me to find the problem.

About the cited post:

Question:

"B. She was a good student, finishing in half the time it took the others to finish."

Answer:

"Sentence B also sounds really odd. You should rephrase it like: ...finishing in half the time the others took to finish."

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  • 3
    The sentence that sounded odd to that answerer sounds idiomatic to me.
    – TimR
    Commented Jul 5, 2017 at 15:33
  • So that you're not relying only upon my ear: google.com/…
    – TimR
    Commented Jul 5, 2017 at 15:35
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    +1 I'm with @Tᴚoɯɐuo on this one. the dummy "it" is okay here and the sentence is perfectly grammatical!
    – SovereignSun
    Commented Jul 5, 2017 at 15:35
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    @Damkerng T. I wish you are well; Long time no see. :-(
    – Cardinal
    Commented Jul 5, 2017 at 15:40
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    @Damkerng T used the word "fix" but the rephrasings offered were simply alternatives, not "fixes", since nothing was broken. Compare a) They took 10 minutes to sew up the wound on his arm. b) It took them 10 minutes to sew up the wound on his arm. IMO, the dummy "it" version is more often than not the one used in speech. There was a concerted effort to eradicate dummy "it" from writing; it was thought to be verbose. But in writing where the author wishes to strike a casual, natural tone, there's nothing wrong with it.
    – TimR
    Commented Jul 5, 2017 at 17:19

1 Answer 1

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Fixing the problem took me two hours more than it took me to find the problem.

It is perfectly fine.

About the cited post:

You compare apples with oranges.

The answer:

...finishing in half the time the others took to finish.

is provided against:

Revised B. ...finishing in half the time to finish took the others.

as the word order is wrong.

This is also there, in he answer from @Sander:

Still, the original sentence is more idiomatic than this rephrased version.

where the original sentence was:

She was a good student, finishing in half the time it took the others to finish.

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