Why does this sentence have mistake?
The sentence: Many scholars agree that there has been no greater contributor to the advancement of architecture in the twentieth century than that of Frank Lloyd Wright.
I read the answer, which said leaving out that of entirely.
Please tell me the reason and explain it in grammar, thank you.

Question

Why does this sentence have mistake?
The sentence: Many scholars agree that there has been no greater contributor to the advancement of architecture in the twentieth century than that of Frank Lloyd Wright.
  I read the answer, which said leaving out that of entirely.
  Please tell me the reason and explain it in grammar, thank you.

Answer

The sentence does not make sense because "that" is a pronoun which can only refer to things; never to people. So "that" cannot possibly refer to "contributor" or to Frank Lloyd Wright. There are two possible variations of this sentence which would be correct:

1.  Many scholars agree that there has been no greater CONTRIBUTOR to the advancement of architecture in the twentieth century than Frank Lloyd Wright. ("that of" has been removed)

2.  Many scholars agree that there has been no greater CONTRIBUTION to the advancement of architecture in the twentieth century than that of Frank Lloyd Wright. ("contributor" has been changed to "contribution")

Answer

The sentence says there has been no greater CONTRIBUTOR - so this refers to a person.  For the sentence to be correct with 'that of' still included, it would need to say 'no greater CONTRIBUTION'. Sorry, I can't tell you what all the correct grammatical terms are for this.

Answers · 4

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