Chapter 01

"The sun was only half as hot as he had known sun to be, but it was hot enough to keep him confused and dizzy."

ChatGPT: 

The structure here is interesting. It’s comparing the sun's heat to what the character expected or knew about the sun. The pattern is a bit unusual because it’s using "half as" to create a comparison with something that was expected.

Here’s a breakdown:

  • "The sun was only half as hot" means the sun felt only half as intense as what the character would normally expect.
  • "as he had known sun to be" tells us that the character has experienced the sun being hotter before. The "had known" is in the past perfect, which is used because it’s referring to a past experience that came before the event in the main sentence.

"To be" in this case is part of the structure used after "known." It's like the character is remembering or referring to how things "used to be" or "were" in the past.

So, "as he had known sun to be" means that the character had previously experienced the sun being a certain way—specifically, hotter. In this structure, "to be" is just the infinitive form, and it's part of a larger idea where the character reflects on past experiences.

It’s kind of like saying, “as he had known the sun to be hot” or “as he had known the sun to be much hotter.”

Examples:

  • The forest was quieter than she had known it to be.
    • Here, the speaker is saying that the forest used to be louder or busier in the past, but now it’s quieter.
  • The food tasted better than he had known it to be.
    • This means the food had always been good, but now it’s even better than the character expected.
  • The city seemed more peaceful than they had known it to be.
    • The city used to be busy or noisy, but now it feels calm.
  • The beach was not as crowded as they had known it to be.
    • They are remembering a time when the beach was more crowded, but now it’s quieter.
  • The weather was colder than she had known it to be at this time of year.
    • The speaker is comparing the current cold weather to what was usually expected at this time of year.
Jack Reacher #12 Nothing to Lose
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