Does this sentence:
He looked shabby, though he was just as a good man as ever underneath.
make sense? I can't clearly understand the part that says "ever underneath". Could you teach me?
asked Mar 18, 2016 at 18:25
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1You're parsing it slightly incorrectly. It's not "(as good a man as) (ever underneath)", it's "he was just as good a man (as ever) (underneath)." As ever means "in the same way that it has always been".– stangdonMar 18, 2016 at 19:05
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1 Answer
This sentence is worded a little oddly.
"He looked shabby, though he was as good a man as ever, underneath." is how I would phrase it.
On the surface he looks shabby. But underneath that shabbyness there is a good man.
Does that make is clearer?
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Does the word "underneath" mean "at one's core"? Does the sentence mean "He has ever be good man at his core though he looked shabby."? Mar 18, 2016 at 19:02
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2It technically mean "at the core" but "under something". I.e The dog lay underneath the chair." However the sentence above is being a little poetic, so you could rewrite it to say "He looked shabby, though he was as good a man as ever, at his core." and retain the same meaning.– drynynMar 18, 2016 at 19:14