much less
much less — idiom
1. used after a negative statement to say that a second thing you mention is even l
used after a negative statement to say that a second thing you mention is even less true, possible, or likely than the first thing that has already been denied — for example, saying someone cannot afford a bus ticket, much less a plane ticket
Hugo can barely boil an egg, much less cook a full dinner for ten people.
barely…much less + bare infinitive (cook)
The Watanabe family could not afford a weekend trip, much less a two-week holiday in Europe.
could not…much less + noun phrase
Anya has never held a guitar in her life, much less performed on stage in front of an audience.
Justin could not finish the short quiz in half an hour, much less the three-hour final exam.
The tiny apartment could not fit a single armchair, much less a full-size sofa and a solid oak dining table.
Dario struggles to understand simple spoken French, much less read a novel by Marcel Proust from cover to cover.
- let alone
more informal and common in everyday speech; interchangeable in most contexts
- never mind
informal; often used dismissively; can also stand alone as an interjection
- not to mention
can follow either negative or positive clauses; more flexible but less precise for the 'even less likely' logic
- to say nothing of
more formal; can be used in positive or negative contexts
文法句型
[negative clause], much less + [noun phrase]
[negative clause], much less + [bare infinitive]
[negative clause], much less + [past participle]
用法筆記
The first clause must contain a negative or near-negative word (not, never, cannot, barely, hardly, seldom, nobody). 'Much less' then introduces a second item — a noun phrase, a bare infinitive (without 'to'), or a past participle — that represents something even more extreme, unlikely, or difficult than what was already denied. The same verb form as the first clause is normally repeated implicitly: 'He cannot run a mile, much less [run] a marathon.' Do not use 'much less' after a positive statement; use 'not to mention' or 'let alone' instead.