問：以下一句，drowned字之前的are字，是不是贅詞？──This would leave the admissions office at Oxford flooded with as many Chinese applicants as the LV and Chanel shops on Canton Road are drowned in mainland Chinese shoppers。
答：這一句的問題不在are字，而在as many as之後的文法結構。謹先把句子翻譯如下：「這將令牛津大學入學處擠滿中國申請人，人數一如廣東道的路易威登、香奈兒等名店，給中國大陸購物者擠得水泄不通。」讀者應會發覺，這句翻譯也不大妥當，因為「人數一如」或as many as之後，應是一個確實或相同的數目，例如：（1）He has as many as ten children（他有多達十個孩子）。（2）I have as many children as he does（我孩子之多，和他一樣）。英文不可以說I have as many children as you are burdened with them（我兒女之多，一如兒女是你沈重的負擔），因為句子下半截和as many...as這詞語不相匹。要改正，就不能用as many...as，可說I am as burdened with children as you are（我和你一樣，渾身兒女債）。
同樣道理，讀者那一句也不應用as many...as，可改寫如下：This would leave the admissions office at Oxford as flooded with Chinese applicants as the LV and Chanel shops on Canton Road are（flooded）with mainland Chinese shoppers。這是以擁擠比擁擠（flooded），而不是以數目（many）比擁擠。