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What is the meaning of 'without' in the phrase "was willing to live with him without"?

English Language & Usage Asked on August 22, 2021

The context involves a woman in love with an abusive man. We are told of this relationship that:

As he drank and was of a violent character, she did not want to marry
him, but was willing to live with him without.

  • “About Love.” In Anton Chekhov’s Selected Stories. New York: W.W. Norton & Company, 2014.

It seems ‘without‘ is short for ‘without marriage‘. If so, how can we explain this usage? What warrants the apparent ellipsis here?

3 Answers

There is a somewhat archaic use of "without" to mean "outside". It could be that the sentence implies a readiness to live "outside" marriage so to speak

Answered by Arunkgp on August 22, 2021

Well, I've found the original text in Russian. The original text says, "she didn't want to marry him, however she didn't mind living this way", ie. without changes.

Hope it helped.

Answered by Ren on August 22, 2021

My interpretation of the ellipsis is:

... she did not want to marry him, but was willing to live with him without doing so.

Answered by chasly - supports Monica on August 22, 2021

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