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I'd like to know (1) which of the following is the most natural and (2) whether any of the following is unnatural or ungrammatical:

(A) My system is no more expensive than yours would be.

(B) My system is no more expensive than would be yours.

(C) My system is no more expensive than would yours be.

Edit: I'm adding three more examples with "as". The same question as above.

(D) My system is expensive, as yours would be.

(E) My system is expensive, as would be yours.

(F) My system is expensive, as would yours be.

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  • Words can be moved around within the sentence structure for emphasis, for literary effect, for a semantic nuance or another fancy of the author.
    – Kris
    Commented Apr 8, 2014 at 4:54
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    Where's the as in this? And what's the question here about 'inversion'?
    – Kris
    Commented Apr 8, 2014 at 4:55
  • Sorry, I corrected the title. The question is about 'inversion' in a comparative 'than' clause.
    – JK2
    Commented Apr 8, 2014 at 5:13
  • @Kris, I'm asking about everyday, plain English.
    – JK2
    Commented Apr 8, 2014 at 5:15
  • I am inclined to say B is more "traditional", but A is also possible. C is wrong. Good question.
    – Cerberus - Reinstate Monica
    Commented Apr 8, 2014 at 5:25

3 Answers 3

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(A) My system is no more expensive than yours would be.

(B) My system is no more expensive than would be yours.

(C) My system is no more expensive than would yours be.

Version #A is a sorta default kinda version. Version #B might be preferable when the speaker wants to put a contrastive subject in end position. Version #C is ungrammatical: ". . . the subject follows the sequence would be: it cannot invert with would alone, . . ." (CGEL, page 1107).

Inversion in the comparative clause can occur under certain conditions. This topic is discussed in the 2002 reference grammar by Huddleston and Pullum et al., The Cambridge Grammar of the English Language (CGEL), page 1107.

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My feeling is that "would be" is making the sentance so lumpy. This implies to me that you have yet to acquire a system. In fact that inference is not really necessary as the recipient would know whether they had purchased the system or not. SO I think it would be more elegant to simplify and say "My system is no more expensive than yours." Or even "my system is cheaper that yours." but I accept we are losing precision in favour of plain English.

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Inversion after 'as' and 'than' occurs in comparatives clauses but not usually with a pronoun subject.

Interesting, when the predicate in clauses is complex verbs, the rule is like inversion after place adverbs, the entire verb takes the first place.

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