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I have questions about 'other than'...

She couldn’t do anything about her bad luck other than suffer through it.

1) What’s the exact meaning and usage of 'other than' in this sentence?

2) Isn’t it a preposition? Then why use 'suffer' instead of 'suffering'?

Hellion
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ellie
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1 Answers1

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Yes, it's a phrasal preposition that means except (Merriam Webster).

We can use 'suffer' if there are any modal verbs before it; could is a modal verb that takes the present form of the verb coming after it, as in:

  • “She could not do anything about her bad luck other than suffer through it.” [see 'do' and 'suffer' following the modal verb could. Using doing and suffering would entirely be ungrammatical here.]

To consider your example more analytical, you can say:

  • “She could not do anything about her bad luck, but (she) could suffer through it.”

Thus, don't say 'doing' or 'suffering' like this:

  • “She couldn’t doing anything about her bad luck other than suffering through it.”
Ahmed
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