Require more of/from inanimate objects

Question

Can you

require more of your equipment

or

require more from your equipment

in the sense of asking more of it, i.e. demand equipment that performs better/is able to fulfill a greater amount of functions and in a more satisfactory manner?

What about 'demand more of/demand more from'?

I am following British English usage.

For a bit of context: 'If your job requires more of you, you should require more of your equipment.'

It's possible that if 'from' is used in the second part of the construction, it ought also be used in the first part.

At the moment, everything is starting to look in turns equally preposterous and equally acceptable to me.

The 'of' construction contains, perhaps, a greater level of ambiguity even if acceptable.

JeremyC · Answer

The problem with "require more of your equipment" is that it potentially misleads the reader into thinking that you are asking for more equipment, not, as is the case, for more out of your equipment.

On grounds of clarity alone, 'from' should be used in the second part of the sentence.

It is purely a matter of style whether to read that construction back into the first part. Personally, I wouldn't.

Require more of/from inanimate objects

One Answer

Add your own answers!

Ask a Question